The Buffalo Bills took the AFC East title and No. 2 playoff seed, and the Miami Dolphins will have to try to find their offense before next Saturday in Kansas City.
Here are 10 thoughts on the Dolphins’ 21-14 loss to the Bills in the regular-season finale at Hard Rock Stadium:
1. Play of the Game: Buffalo’s Deonte Harty catches the punt at the 4-yard line, darts up the middle and 96 yards later ties the game at 14-14 early in the fourth quarter. The 5-foot-6 Harty shouldn’t have caught the punt that close to the Bills end zone, but more than made up for it with a play that negated a game’s worth of big defensive plays that frustrated Buffalo and injected momentum into the Bills sideline. To add to the play’s pain, the Dolphins lost their second edge rusher on the night when Cameron Goode had to be carted off the field.
2. The Dolphins are the AFC’s sixth seed and open the playoffs in Kansas City for an 8 p.m. game on Saturday night. Win there, and they’d play at Baltimore in the second round. See how much this loss meant? With a win they would have got a rematch against Buffalo in Hard Rock Stadium and the chance for two games at home (three, if Baltimore would lose). Throw in the loss of the AFC East title and this was as expensive as a loss can be.
3. The Dolphins offense went dead in the second half. Look how the possessions went: Three-and-out punt, one-first-down-and-punt, three-and-out-punt, three-and-out punt and interceptions. So after scoring 14 points and gaining 218 yards with 13 first downs in the first half, the offense was shut down by Buffalo’s fourth-ranked defense. Buffalo brought another defender into the box and went single-high-safety, a look that would play into the Dolphins passing game. But they couldn’t pass. Even when the defense got the ball back with 1:53 left at the Dolphins 37, they couldn’t get closed than the Bills’ 40 before Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a bad interception, his second of the night. The Dolphins had 57 yards and those three first downs in the second half.
4. Play of the Game That Wasn’t: Jerome Baker and Eli Apple stopped Buffalo’s Ty Johnson at the 1-yard as time ran out in the first half. Buffalo had no time-outs and the ball at the Dolphins’ 11-yard line with 11 seconds left in the half. Throw in the end zone and, at worst, take a field goal? Bills quarterback Josh Allen gambled with a pass over the middle to Johnson, who cut upfield to the end zone where Baker made a big stop to keep the Dolphins 14-7 lead at half.
5. The Dolphins defense gave every chance to win this game. Just look at this stat: It had three takeaways from Allen in Dolphins territory. For a player who has a 10-2 record and 109.0 career quarterback rating against the Dolphins, Sunday night was the Dolphins’ night. Allen’s opening drive went to the Dolphins 3, where Eli Apple intercepted him. On the second drive, Allen missed a wide-open Stefon Diggs for a touchdown and then threw a Hail-Mary on fourth down from the Dolphins’ 35. DeShon Elliott intercepted it in the end zone. Then, from the Dolphins 21-yard line late in the third quarter, Christian Wilkins hit the trifecta — a sack of Allen, forced fumble and fumble recovery. The game-winning score came on a 5-yard pass from Allen to Dawson Knox in the fourth quarter after a 74-yard drive. But this defense played its butts off all night despite …
6. When Andrew Van Ginkel limped off the field with a foot injury in the third quarter, the question was where this team could find an edge pass rush. Melvin Ingram provided an answer a few plays later with a sack of Allen as part of a full blitz. But moving ahead this is a real concern for a defense that already had lost Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb for the season. Emmanuel Ogbah and Goode alternated on Sunday night. The question becomes how serious.
7. Call of the Night: Fourth-and-inches from the Buffalo 35-yard line with 4 minutes to go. Does Buffalo punt? Nope, Bills coach Sean McDermott goes for it and when you have 6-foot-5, 225-pound Allen at QB it’s not a bad call. He bulldozed ahead for 2 yards and Buffalo proceeded to run down the clock until turning the ball over on downs with 1:53 left.
8. For most of the past two decades, the draft order was the prime story out of the last day of the regular season. Now it’s barely a mention. As things stand, the NFL draft kicks off with: 1. Carolina (picks goes to Chicago due to previous trade); 2. Washington; 3. New England. Yep, the Patriots sit third as they look for a quarterback. The New York Jets are 10th. The Dolphins entered Sunday night picking 29th while Buffalo was picking 24th.
9. Quick Hits:
* Quote of the night: “Bills mafia has taken over South Florida. All that noise? Bills fans” – NBC’s Mike Tirico on the opening shot of Hard Rock Stadium;
* Tyreek Hill’s second-quarter TD tied him with Mike Evans for the NFL lead for receiving TDs;
* Safety Jevon Holland was on a snap count after being downgraded to questionable on Saturday (knees). For instance, he wasn’t on the field for Buffalo’s scoring drive to end the half.
10. Next Game: Saturday night at Kansas City. The weather forecast for next Saturday calls for a low of zero degrees and high of 14. Expect it to be the low for an 8 p.m. game. The Dolphins were beaten by the Chiefs in Germany, 21-14, in November. There will be side stories like Hill returning to Kansas City and the constant Taylor Swift Watch. But this is a game the Dolphins need to win to make it a good season.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa gestures before a play against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hands the ball off to running back De'Von Achane against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane, right, celebrates with teammate Chase Claypool after scoring a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fans cheer as the Miami Dolphins take on the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen runs with the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen tries to get away from Miami Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. and Emmanuel Ogbah during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, night. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins De'Von Achane scores Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in the second quarter of the game against the Buffalo Bills. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Buffalo Bills Christian Benford intercepts a pass from Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the first quarter Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen reacts after being pulled down after running the ball in the first quarter aganst the Miami Dolphins Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.(Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins Tyreek Hill jumps up to cath a pass in the first quarter Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in the game against the Buffalo Bills. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins Eli Apple and Jalen Ramsey celebrate an Apple interception in the end zone, Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in to the game against the Buffalo Bills. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa slides aftrer runniong the ball Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in the game against the Buffalo Bills. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins defense stops Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Buffalo Bills Deonte Hardy ruyns back a pont return for a touchdown, Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens game against the Miami Dolphins. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel checks on Cameron Goode who was injured defending a punt return, Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in the game against the Buffalo Bills. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen passes Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens in the 21-14 win over the Miami Dolphins. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reacts at the Buffalo Bills march downfield in the fourth quarter, Sunday, Jan 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
