The Miami Dolphins have lost yet another game, this time to the divisional rival Buffalo Bills.
A long, emotional, and frigid game ended with the Fins losing on a 25-yard Tyler Bass field goal as time expired, making it 32-29. With the loss, the Dolphins drop to 8-6, and their playoff hopes take a hit. With the Bills win, they improve to 11-3, and clinch a playoff spot and the AFC East. Here are my game takeaways.
1. Tua held his own in the cold.
Going into this game, there was the whole thing where “Tua cannot play well in cold weather games.”
Mike McDaniel also trolled the nation with a shirt saying, “I wish it were colder.”
That narrative of “Tua is bad in the cold” can leave, however. Despite the loss and how he may have looked, Tua played REALLY well, completing 17-of-30 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
On the Dolphins first drive in the second half, Tua threw a perfect pass to the penguin (Jaylen Waddle), who ran 67 yards to cut the deficit to two. Then later in the third, Tua threw a nice touchdown pass down the sideline to Tyreek Hill to make it 26-21 Dolphins.
Also, some wide receivers were blatantly open and they dropped passes. The one that comes to mind is the Trent Sherfield drop which would’ve been a touchdown early in the second quarter. Either way, Tua played well, especially for a snow game in Buffalo on primetime football.
2. Josh Allen is the Bills.
What’s new? Josh Allen played very well, completing 25-of-40 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a big rushing day with 10 carries for 77 yards.
However, Allen’s big moment came on the final drive. Earlier in the fourth quarter, he fumbled, which extended the Dolphins lead to 29-21, and nearly seemed like a lock. That is when Allen turned it on. He would lead the Bills on a seven-play, 75 yard drive that was highlighted by a quarterback run of 44 yards and was capped off by a Dawson Knox five yard touchdown pass. Buffalo went for the two-point conversion and after a long review/challenge, it was decided that Josh Allen was over the plain on the designed quarterback sneak.
Buffalo would get the ball again with 5:56 remaining at their own seven yard line, and it would be all Bills. The snow fell down, and that’s pretty much when everyone knew the game was over. The Bills would run down the clock all the way down to two seconds and Tyler Bass would kick the game-winning field goal.
3. The weather…
On September 25th, in Miami, kickoff was 89 degrees.
During Saturday night’s game, the temperature stayed in the mid-20s. The field was snow-free for most of the game, until the fourth quarter hit – there was a lake-effect snow advisory.
4. The Playoff Picture
The Dolphins have dropped to the seven seed, as the Chargers barely held on against the Titans. However, the Jets and the Patriots lost, keeping the Dolphins in a playoff position.
5. Raheem Mostert, please stay.
Even though the Dolphins lost, they ran the ball very well, which has been rare this season. Raheem Mostert was a big part of that, with a 67 yard run to highlight a 17 carry, 136 yard night. Miami needs to run the ball more often. It appears that when the Fins running game struggles out of the get-go, Mike McDaniel loses patience and avoids the run game for the rest of the day.
Next up, the Dolphins host the Packers on Christmas Day. Hey Miami fans, ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A WIN.