The Miami Dolphins entered Week 11 riding a two game win streak and left with a hefty serving of humble pie. This surely wasn’t the way the Dolphins envisions their second go around with the Buffalo Bills going — but yet here we are. The Dolphins could hardly stop Buffalo on defense, the Bills exploited shaky pass protection with uncharacteristically aggressive blitz calls and the game itself was even more lopsided than the final score would indicate.
It was easy for a moment to forget that this Dolphins’ team doesn’t really have a lot of talent that will be fixtures for years to come. Let this serve as the reminder.
And in the aftermath of yesterday’s loss, it’s fairly easy to paint an ugly picture. We’re going to try to paint a complete one.
The Good
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick has done his best in recent weeks to make the best of the offensive situation in Miami. And against the Bills, “Fitz” kept plugging away — 45 pass attempts for 323 yards and no turnovers. Fitzpatrick has played surprisingly within himself in recent weeks, with just 1 turnover over the Dolphins’ last three games combined. There have still been peaks and valleys and with 18 sacks taken over the last four contests, Fitzpatrick continues to be challenged by the situation around him. But he played well with all things considered against the Bills.
WR DeVante Parker
Parker went off for 7 receptions for 135 yards and what would have been a receiving touchdown if Mike Gesicki had the anticipation to peel back and throw a block. Parker has really come on and is making the most of his second chance with the Dolphins — putting up a big performance in his second game against the Bills this season serves as further evidence that Parker is a long-term fixture for this team.
CB Nik Needham
Needham played a scrappy football game. He got busted in zone coverage playing Cover 2 against WR John Brown and was constantly tested, but you have to admire Needham’s ability to bounce back and how he was able to make some plays on the ball. This UDFA has the look of a guy who will hang around for quite some time.
WR Jakeem Grant
Grant had his best game of the season and made an impact play in the return game. It was great to see him get some room to run, open up his strides and show the electric qualities that earned him a contract extension with the Dolphins.
The Bad
The Pass Rush
…what pass rush? Exactly. The Dolphins left QB Josh Allen unbothered in the pocket all day and the end result was the second year quarterback dissected the Dolphins defense. Miami needs to get much more dynamic on the edge and also sorely missed DE Taco Charlton’s presence as a pass rusher.
LB Raekwon McMillan
Boy, did the Dolphins miss Raekwon McMillan on Sunday. There’s nothing bad that McMillan did — he was just injured and unavailable to play. But the eye opening reveal was just how poorly Miami’s run defense played without him on the second level. The silver lining? McMillan’s value to this team is further reinforced by how they played without him on Sunday.
TE Mike Gesicki
As previously noted, Mike Gesicki cost DeVante Parker a touchdown on Sunday — we hope he sends drops Parker an apology card in his locker or something!
This DeVante Parker catch from Ryan Fitzpatrick is wonderful on so many levels. I just wish Mike Gesicki would have helped Parker finish the play. Great play call and execution. pic.twitter.com/k8ZOy25fnH
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) November 18, 2019
We’re not really sure what Gesicki was seeing or thinking on this play. But when contributing 4 receptions for 18 yards, you’d sure help your team a lot more by throwing a block in the open field.
The Ugly
The offensive line and RB Kalen Ballage
7 sacks. 23 rushing yards. It was about as ugly as you could possibly imagine. The offensive line struggled with their calls and protection and they also struggled to reset the line of scrimmage thanks to lateral quickness by the Bills’ defensive front.
Ballage? He managed to scrap out a touchdown against Buffalo, but he again struggled to find room to run in the backfield and had another ugly drop on a screen pass early in the game. His struggles are frustrating — but not surprising based on his body of work this season.
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