“You can’t handle the heat!” I believe this is what Mike McDaniel said to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey that had him losing his mind. To be honest, Sunday’s game was hotter than an episode of Hell’s Kitchen.

The temperature at kickoff reached a real feel of 99 degrees. Hard Rock Stadium is a devious design that heavily favors the Miami Dolphins. The Buffalo Bills flew in cooling seats to attempt to cool its players in the blazing sun. It didn’t seem to help the Bills team much, considering Buffalo’s cramping, heat exhaustion, and random breaks. There was noticeable fatigue from multiple Bills players, including Stephon Diggs and right tackle David Quessenberry. Stephon Diggs was on and off the field for most of the second half. Diggs was either making his way off the field on crucial downs or trying his best not to cramp up.

The Bills offensive line was flat-out exhausted. The hog mollies were pigs in a blanket in the 4th quarter. The Bills starting center Mitch Morse was taken out of the game due to a heat-induced illness. When was the last time you saw that on the injury report? David Quessenberry was also dealing with heat exhaustion and was taken off the field for fluids. The heat might have been the heaviest influence on this game, but there was another group that brought even more; MIAMI’S DEFENSE.

The Dolphins’ defense utilized their extreme conditioning to deaden the Bills offense multiple times completely. One player on the defense that stood out the most was Melvin Ingram. Melvin Ingram has been one of Miami’s top additions this season. Ingram finished the day with three solo tackles, two sacks, and 1 TFL. Ingram was flying all over the place for the Dolphins on Sunday. Including Ingram’s 2 QB hits, the Miami Dolphins totaled 10 QB hits alongside four combined sacks. We must give it up for the Dolphin’s front 4. Emmanuel Ogbah was a one-man wrecking machine that consistently pressured Allen, forcing him to step up and out of the pocket all day. Ogbah finished the day with 4 QB hits and 1 TFL. The Bills were on the field for 40 minutes, totaling 90 plays. The fact that the Dolphin’s defense could hold the Bills to 17 points was an absolute spectacle. The Bills had averaged 30 points against the Dolphins over the last seven meetings. It’s safe to say that those lop-sided meetings may be a thing of the past. Opposing teams will continue to need shade if the Dolphin’s defense is playing this hot.

So how do the Dolphins bring the heat to Cincinnati? They trust the leadership that head coach Mike McDaniel has proven. AIt’s first-year head coach rarely has the control and coolness that McDaniel has displayed this season. If I may speak for all Dolphins fans, Mike McDaniel is the first Dolphins coach I trust to get us through any game. In the years of Gase and Flores, I never had complete confidence that they could command the team through adversity. The Bengals look rejuvenated after their 27-12 victory over the Jets, but they haven’t proven they can protect Joe Burrow. I expect Miami’s front 4 to bring insane pressure on Burrow. Will the Dolphins reach 4-0 status? We will find out shortly when they head to Cincinnati for Thursday night football.