Dolphins lose their third straight game, fall 32-29 to the Bills

The Miami Dolphins dropped their third straight game Saturday night, this time against the division-rival Buffalo Bills.

Miami finished its three-straight road game stretch with an 0-3 record and now sits at 8-6 with three games remaining in the regular season. Luckily for the Dolphins, both the New York Jets and New England Patriots lost their games this weekend, meaning Miami is still in second place in the AFC East and could qualify for a wildcard spot.

Miami will prepare for a Christmas day matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Hardrock Stadium next Sunday.

Here is a quick wrap-up of what happened to the Dolphins on Saturday Night Football.

Josh Allen proved why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL

After Josh Allen threw a touchdown to running back James Cook with no time remaining on the clock in the second quarter, the Bills entered halftime with a 21-13 lead. While all hope was not lost, Allen had managed to throw three touchdowns in the first half and Miami’s offense could not keep up.

Despite the first-half dominance, the Dolphins managed to score 13 unanswered points in the third quarter while forcing Buffalo to punt on four straight possessions.

Miami appeared to have flipped the momentum in this game and after a Jaelan Phillips strip-sack in Buffalo territory to start the fourth quarter, the Dolphins seemed primed for an upset.

The Dolphins had possession of the ball with just under 15 minutes remaining in the contest and a 26-21 lead. But the Phins only managed to pick up one first down and were forced to settle for a field goal. That left them with an eight-point lead with under 12 minutes to play.

Then came Allen and the Bills’ offense.

Buffalo would march down the field and score a touchdown in just seven plays and would tie the game after converting a two-point conversion.

Miami then had a chance to take the lead once again, but was force to punt the ball with just over six minutes remaining. The offense only managed to pick up two first downs on this possession.

Allen got the ball back deep in his own territory with under six minutes remaining and the rest was history. As the Buffalo snow picked up Miami’s defense dwindled and Allen would go on to lead his team to a 15-play drive that ended with a game-winning Tyler Bass field goal as time expired.

Allen’s poise to finish this game proved why he is arguably the best quartbeck in the league right now. The four-year veteran finished the game 25/40 with 304 yards and four touchdowns. He also led Buffalo in rushing yards with 77 yards on 10 attempts. 

The offense played one of its better games in recent memory, but still wasn’t enough

Tua Tagovailoa has been on a slump over the past few games despite being named a front-runner to win MVP at one point this season. The third-year quarterback had his best game out of the three straight losses but still failed to make some important throws down the stretch that ultimately led to Buffalo stealing the game.

The former Alabama star finished 17 of 30 with 234 yards and two touchdowns. While his accuracy has not been what Dolphins fans have become accustomed to seeing, it was not completely his fault.

Tyreek Hill had this to say about his performance last night:

Hill had several drops by Miami receivers in this game and finished with nine catches on 13 targets for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Jaylen Waddle was the better of the two with three receptions for 117 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown.

The run game is where the Dolphins excelled despite not having Jeff Wilson Jr. available in this game with a hip injury.

Raheem Mostert finished with 17 carries for 136 yards including a 67-yard run late in the first quarter. Salvon Ahmed served as Mostert’s primary backup in this game and produced with his limited carries. Ahmed finished with six rushes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Miami finished the game with 188 rushing yards to Buffalo’s 150.

While Miami’s offense looked much better than it had at any point over the last three games, key plays down the stretch ultimately decided this game in favor of the Bills. 

With a pivotal game against the Packers on Christmas day, Mike McDaniel will need a complete performance from both sides of the ball to salvage the season. Miami has given itself some decent headroom, but another loss could put be fatal with two division games to finish the regular season.

Miami hosts the Packers on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS4 in South Florida.

Anthony Blanco is a senior majoring in Digital Journalism with hopes of pursuing a career in sports journalism. Anthony is passionate about covering sports and hopes to one day make his passion his profession.