The first time the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills played this season, the Dolphins were able to physically dictate the pace of much of the game. This time around? No such luck — the Buffalo Bills physically dominated the Dolphins on both sides of the football, cruising to a 37-20 victory in Week 11 of the NFL season and moving their record to 7-3. That mark will place Buffalo comfortably in control of the AFC Conference’s first wild card position.
Miami’s first loss in November serves as a sobering reminder of how far this football team is away from being competitive — Miami now sits at 2-8. The Bills brought ferocious pass rush all day, constantly collapsing the pocket around QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to the tune of seven sacks and rarely giving Fitzpatrick the time to set up in the pocket and survey the field.
The complete lack of a running threat made life a lot more difficult for the Dolphins, as RB Kalen Ballage once again stumbled in his role as the Dolphins’ lead back — the rushing offense only showing life when Ballage aligned behind the center in the wildcat formation inside the red zone.
Between all of that mess offensively and a brutal game of musical chairs in the secondary, Miami stood little chance to keep pace. Miami saw FS Bobby McCain helped to the sideline on more than one occasion and CB Nik Needham was also assisted off the field at one point. Between those dings and the absence of two defensive backs on the inactive list, Bills QB Josh Allen enjoyed a career game with 4 total touchdowns and over 250 passing yards — continuing his dominance against Miami in his young career.
Special teams kept the Dolphins alive, particularly with a successful onside kick and a kick return for a touchdown by WR Jakeem Grant. But even the progress on special teams was watered down by several penalties on returns. The penalties were a big problem all around — an uncharacteristically sloppy effort from Miami all around.
The Dolphins hits the road next week to take on a desperate 4-6 Cleveland Browns team, so the schedule won’t get much easier as the Dolphins look to reignite the momentum they showed earlier in November.
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