Miami Dolphins Let One Slip Away
When rebuilding and playing a lot of young players, growing pains and losing close games are part of the process. The Miami Dolphins had both in a tough loss to the hated AFC East rival Buffalo Bills 31-28. The Dolphins played poorly in the first half and were dominated by the Bills by a 2 to 1 margin in total yards and first downs, but yet the Dolphins were only down 17-10 at half time.
Then the Dolphins came out and drove the ball down the field and got a field goal to cut the deficit to 17-13. The Dolphins could have gotten more, but a run by Matt Breida that got them to the 11 was negated by a block in the back and the drive stalled they settled for 3 instead of 7. It was a theme of the second half as the Dolphins had other chances, but literally let those opportunities slip through their fingers. And in the end, the Miami Dolphins let one slip away.
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) September 21, 2020
After the Dolphins forced the Bills to punt after their field goal, the Dolphins marched down the field and had a first and goal at the 1 with a chance to take the lead and change the momentum of the game. The Dolphins on first, second, and third down failed to get 1 yard so head coach Brian Flores decided to go for it rather than settle for 3 points. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a pass right on the money to Preston Williams, but Williams dropped it and they turned it over on downs. It was a tough way to end the drive, but it didn’t end there.
On the second play after giving the ball back to the Bills, Josh Allen threw a pass that went through Kyle Van Noy’s hands. He would have walked in for a touchdown. It would have been a tough catch, but he has made those plays throughout his career.
Then after the Dolphins took a 20-17 lead, the Bills went right down the field. Facing a 3rd and goal from the 6, Allen dropped back to pass and Emmanuel Ogbah had him for a sack, but Allen slipped out of his grasp and Allen fired a touchdown. The biggest thing you have to do when you play Allen is to bring him down and not let him escape. Ogbah failed to do that and instead of having the Bills settled for a game-tying field goal they get the go-ahead touchdown.
Finally, with the Bills up 24-20, Allen threw a long pass to John Brown, but he overthrew him and Xavien Howard had a chance to intercept the pass. However Howard dropped it and instead of giving the ball back to the offense down 4, the Bills got another down. Allen made the Dolphins pay and hit Brown for a long touchdown to put the game away.
Any of those plays the Dolphins could have made and would have won the game. That is what makes this loss so hard to take. They could have and should have won this game, but they let the game slip right through their hands. As a fan, this loss hurts because it was a chance to beat the hated rival Bills who are favored to win the division, and it’s their second loss in the division. The Dolphins played better especially on offense, but it wasn’t good enough. I’m happy we have a Thursday night game to try to put this loss behind us because this is a game Miami let slip away.
