Dolphins Diary Week 8: Tricks with no Treats
Another game, another loss, as the Eagles move closer to a top-five pick with the Dolphins continue to be a dumpster fire. The Dolphins had their chances to win this game. They were in control in the first half but blew an opportunity to take the lead as Jason Sanders missed a 36-yard field goal, and Mike Gesicki was hit in the head on snap while in motion. After going into the locker tied 3-3, the Bills dominated the second half moving the ball at will. The final score was 26-11, as the Dolphins suffered their seventh straight loss to the Bills.
The Dolphins look unprepared again, as their offensive line could not block, made several critical mistakes, and were called for a handful of penalties. The offensive line could not win the battle of trenches against a team of 100-year-olds, as they continued to give Tua Tagovalioa no time in the pocket. The worst moment of the game happened late in the second quarter when Austin Reiter hit Gesicki, who was in motion, and went past Tagovalioa while he was in the shotgun. Where the Dolphins are drawing these plays up is one question and the second question is how the hell does the center snap the ball with Gesicki in motion in front of the quarterback.
The Dolphins were disguised as a good football team in the first half as they limited the Bills to five first downs and had perhaps their best defensive half of the season. However, with everything the Dolphins do well, they make two mistakes; Jason Sanders, the usually reliable kicker, missed a 36-yard field goal, while a fumble in the red zone proved to be the backbreaker. The Dolphins had a chance to hold the lead at the half. The score was tied 3-3, as the Dolphins were getting to Josh Allen. Allen was called for intentional grounding on fourth down, giving Miami the ball at the Buffalo 41-yard line with 46 seconds left in the first half. The Dolphins got the ball down to the Bills' 12-yard line when the disastrous bad snap happened. The Dolphins looked disjointed and disorganized when they should have been cool and prepared to take the lead into halftime.
The Bills slowly began to take the game over in the third quarter, as Cole Beasley was open 24/7 with the Dolphins secondary looking like they were social distancing the Bills receiver. Beasley had ten catches for 110 yards, making several critical third-down conversions as the Bills took the lead, with Gabriel Davis catching an eight-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen. The Bills continued the momentum in the fourth quarter as Steffon Diggs caught a pass in the middle of wide-open spaces and went 11 yards to the end zone.
The Dolphins would get a touchdown on a run by Tua Tagovalioa and add a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to six points. However, just like last week when the defense needed to make a big play, they were unable to as the Bills added a field goal to extend the lead to 20-11. The Bills would later score a late touchdown after Tagovalioa was picked off late in the fourth quarter for the final score to read 26-11.
The loss was not unexpected, but the blown chances are frustrating. Tua Tagovalioa does not look like an NFL quarterback, but the offensive line continues to be the main problem. Could Tom Brady in his prime win with this line? I do not think so. I think even Joe Montana and Dan Marino would lose with this incompetent line that continues to commit careless false start and motion penalties while giving their quarterback little or no time to throw the ball.
Next week the Dolphins return home to face the Texans, and with the trade deadline on Tuesday, we will know if the Deshaun Watson trade is a go or not. It will also be the first game I attend in Miami; those assholes better win.