Entering Week 4, the Miami Dolphins were the talk of the league, riding high after hitting the Denver Broncos with 70 points and beating them by 50 at home. But we know how quickly circumstances can change in the NFL. One week later, the Dolphins stomped into Buffalo feeling good and got smoked before they knew what was happening. Miami must have used up all their offensive mojo against Denver last week because they were out of sync Sunday, falling to the Bills 48-20.
This is an excellent example of the NFL’s week-by-week nature. The Dolphins became the team to beat following the victory over the Broncos, and there was nothing but praise all week. Now, the Bills step into that spot after almost 50-burger on their division rival. Luckily for Miami, they’ll get a chance at redemption in a Week 18 rematch.
“They’re a tough team. This is Week 4. There is a lot of football to play. And we’ll see them again,” Tagovailoa said.
Miami did not play well today, but having a letdown game after such a huge performance the week prior shouldn’t be shocking. Plus, the Bills are a much tougher matchup than the Broncos on any day. Anytime Josh Allen plays this efficiently in a game like he did in Week 4, it’s hard to beat these Bills. Allen was 21 of 25 passing (84 percent), 320 yards through the air, and four touchdown passes.
Defensively, Buffalo kept Miami’s explosive offense largely in check all afternoon. Tyreek Hill caught three balls on five targets for 58 yards. Jaylen returned from concussion protocol and had four receptions for 46 yards. Tua Tagovailoa played well, completing 71 percent of his passes but just one TD this week, along with an interception for 282 yards. Braxton Berrios had six catches and a TD, but the overall performance from Miami’s offense was far from dominating.
Bad games happen, but you’ll probably hear this week about how the Dolphins might not be on the level of the better franchises in the AFC. Teams like Buffalo, Kansas City, Baltimore, and even Cincinnati before a couple of bad losses to start the season. The Dolphins are all about offense, but there are times when the defense will need to step up and make plays.
It’s hard to rely on an offense to score 30 or 40-plus points every week. Simply put, there will be games the defense needs to win occasionally. Buffalo had it going against Miami this week, but whenever you’re facing a quarterback prone to turning the ball over like Allen, you’ve got to force him into mistakes. The Dolphins couldn’t do that, so Allen had a field day.
But like Tua said, it’s just one game. It’d be crazy to count the Dolphins out after this game. It’s not like they are the Cowboys, right? As of now, it seems the AFC East division crown could come down to that meeting in Miami in Week 18. That game may also factor into who gets home-field advantage in the postseason, as these teams could be part of that equation down the stretch.
