Day 1,647, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Bills Game 2 Review

 

Miami hewed close to recent history by finding a way to lose to Buffalo for the 12th time in 13 meetings. The 'Fins did their part by committing six more penalties (somehow, the Bills were called for just one, for five yards) and three more turnovers than the visitors, falling by three touchdowns despite outgaining, outsnapping (running 30 more offensive plays), and outpossessing (36:19-23:41) Beefalo.

Of course, the dominant storyline coming out of the contest was the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered the latest in a string of terrifying concussions and left the game amidst a hurricane of questions about his immediate and long-term future. The reality is Miami is extremely fortunate to be 1-1 instead of 0-2, and now has to cope with the loss of Tua, an aging and poorly designed roster, and a coaching staff that has lost 11 of its last 12 games against winning teams.

On to the make-it-fucking-stop recap ...

Offense

• The Dolphins picked up 20 first downs and 351 yards on offense, converting seven of 15 third-down attempts. However, the home team turned the ball over three times (one was a pick-six, for good measure), misfired on four of five fourth-down attempts, averaged just 4.7 yards per play, and failed to score a touchdown on three of four red-zone visits. Coach Mike McDaniel's predictable playcalling and highly questionable personnel groupings have come under fire from just about every direction.
• Prior to his injury, Tua struggled mightily, connecting on 17 of 25 passes for just 145 yards and a touchdown. He threw three interceptions, was sacked once, and ran twice for 17 yards, earning a Pro Football Focus grade of just 48.0 in 55 snaps. Backup Skylar Thompson didn't fare much better, hitting eight of 14 attempts for 80 yards and absorbing a sack for a 43.9 PFF mark in 21 snaps.
• Despite coming into the game with questions about whether he'd even play, halfback DeVon Achane was a freaking workhorse, tallying 29 touches for 165 yards and a touchdown in 47 snaps, according him a 76.0 PFF grade. In further evidence of coaching malpractice, he was left in the game well past the point when it had been decided, putting an already-injured player in line for a lot of needless punishment. Rookie Jaylen Wright was ineffective in 18 snaps, rushing five times for a total of four yards on his way to a 57.4 PFF mark. A lack of short-yardage imagination put Alec Ingold in position to rush twice for two yards in 24 snaps, tagging him with a 41.7 grade from Pro Football Focus. Jeff Wilson caught both targets for 12 yards in his 11 plays, but left the game injured. The offense sorely missed Raheem Mostert's gliding style in this one.
• At receiver, the news was unexpectedly bleak. Jaylen Waddle caught all four targets for 41 yards in 55 plays, but Tyreek Hill reeled in three of six targets for just 24 yards in 52 plays for a 58.5 PFF mark. Braxton Berrios was targeted once without a reception in 34 plays, meaning he now has more tackles (one) than catches this season. Robbie Chosen also picked up a tackle in this one, but it was after an interception that came on a miscommunication he had with Tua, and he would go on to grab one of four targets for five yards in 17 snaps. Newcomer Grant DuBose caught his first pass as a Dolphins (a 13-yarder in 26 snaps), but failed to catch another target and turned a third into an interception when the ball hit him while he wasn't looking and deflected to a defender. The 'Fins are not adjusting well to extra attention for Hill and Waddle, and a lack of depth -- compounded by poor drafting -- in the receiving corps is dragging down the entire offense.
• The tight ends fared better than they did in the season opener, but not by much. Jonnu Smith made the most of his 32 snaps, nabbing six of seven targets for 53 yards and adding an assisted tackle on his way to a 73.3 PFF grade. Durham Smythe's disappointing performances continued, as he caught an eight-yarder and picked up a 47.6 PFF mark (somehow, a dramatic improvement on Week 1's 29.4 grade) in 33 snaps. Julian Hill committed his weekly required false start and didn't catch either target in 28 snaps, but a solid blocking effort earned him a 69.8 PFF grade. Tanner Conner got three snaps from scrimmage without a statistic, leading one to wonder whether he would better used in a wide receiver capacity.
• The offensive line was assigned a pass-blocking grade of 30.5, its lowest since October 2022. Left tackle Terron Armstead (holding penalty) and left tackle Robert Jones (50.2 PFF mark) both left with shoulder injuries, with reserve Kendall Lamm earning the best PFF grade at 73.2. Center Aaron Brewer picked up a 72.6 PFF mark, though right guard Liam Eichenberg committed two false starts and right tackle Austin Jackson had a false start in his worst outing in recent memory (27.2 PFF grade). Without Tua's quick release around to bail them out in upcoming weeks, expect this unit to be further exposed -- if that's possible.

Defense

• The ineptitude of the Miami offense was so bad that Buffalo hardly had to do anything to win -- and they didn't. The 'Fins "D" held the Bills to just 13 first downs and 247 total yards, limiting them to three of nine third-down conversions (Beefalo did not convert its lone fourth-down attempt). The Dolphins didn't register a sack nor a turnover and allowed touchdowns on both red-zone trips, but Bills QB Josh Allen did next to nothing -- making the loss even that much more painful.
• Up front, Zach Sieler posted two tackles, one solo, and a stop for loss in 35 snaps, earning a 74.3 PFF grade. Calais Campbell was limited to just 23 snaps, contributing a solo stop and a batted pass on his way to a 52.8 mark from PFF. Emmanuel Ogbah (one solo tackle in 28 snaps) and Da'Shawn Hand (one solo stop in 24 snaps) were non-factors, while Benito Jones (16 snaps) and Brandon Pili (nine snaps) were similarly quiet in reserve.
• Off the edge, Chop Robinson had the best game of his early career, notching two tackles, one solo, and a stop for loss in 24 snaps, being assigned an 83.1 grade by PFF. Jaelan Phillips did not record a statistic in 23 snaps (41.0 PFF mark), while Quinton Bell picked up two tackles and one solo stop in 16 snaps. The good news here is that Miami should be well-rested at this spot and we're one week closer to Bradley Chubb returning.
• Jordyn Brooks stood out in the middle, racking up six tackles, four solo stops, and one pass breakup in 45 snaps, earning a sterling 92.2 grade from PFF. His partner at inside linebacker, David Long, notched 11 tackles, nine solos, and two stops for losses in 45 snaps, though some struggles in coverage and working his way through blocks led to a 61.8 PFF mark. With Miami dominating in time of possession, reserves Duke Riley and Anthony Walker did not receive any snaps from scrimmage.
• At cornerback, Kyle Fuller led the way, recording four tackles, two solo stops, and a pass breakup in 41 snaps (71.1 PFF grade). Kader Kohou struggled mightily in the slot, making two solo tackles in 27 snaps and earning a dismal 37.2 mark from PFF. Likewise, Jalen Ramsey scuffled for the second week in a row, notching three tackles and one solo stop in 41 snaps (55.7 grade by PFF), while Storm Duck got four snaps off the bench. Though Ramsey's performance is less concerning based on past performance and his recovery from an injury, Kohou's back-to-back lackluster efforts are cause for dramatic concern in a secondary that is underperforming generally.
• The story isn't any better at safety, where Jordan Poyer (four tackles, three solo stops, and an unnecessary roughness penalty in 41 snaps) received a 55.1 mark on the heels of last week's 42.2 grade. Jevon Holland collected four tackles and one solo stop in a quiet game, earning a 51.8 PFF grade for his 41 snaps of work. Marcus Maye (two assisted tackles, 73.2 mark from PFF) and Siran Neal each played four snaps in reserve. Overall, Poyer has looked a step slow and taken a number of poor angles through the first two weeks, bringing up the possibility that Maye might offer more upside at the position in future contests.

Special teams

• In a quiet game for the Dolphin specialists, Jason Sanders connected on his only field goal -- a 34-yarder -- and an extra point, while Jake Bailey punted a single time for 48 yards, placing it inside the 20-yard line.
• Miami did not record a single kickoff or punt return.
• Elijah Campbell recorded one solo tackle in the kicking game, while Walker committed an illegal-formation penalty for the second straight week.

Momentum plays

• They were all made by Buffalo. I'm not writing about those.
• Also, this was as devastating a regular-season outcome as I can remember, figuring injuries into the equation. I'm not interested in reliving. 

2024 Schedule

Miami 20, Jacksonville 17 (1-0)

Buffalo 31, Miami 10 (1-1)