Saturday, April 20, 2024

Dolphins defense fails to show up in loss to Bills

Just one week after Cam Newton and the New England Patriots ran all over the Dolphins defense, Josh Allen lit them up for 413 passing yards on their way to a 31-28 win in Miami Gardens. With Byron Jones going down early it was always going to be a tough task, but some odd coaching, poor tackling, general poor play, and good Bills execution the Dolphins couldn’t pull out the win.

The game was played in front of a 20% capacity crowd owing to coronavirus restrictions, and it was the Bills who scored first, culminating a 97-yard drive with a Josh Allen pass to Reggie Gilliam.

The Dolphins responded on their next drive with Ryan Fitzpatrick hitting DeVante Parker from two yards out to tie the game at 7-7. The home viewing audience didn’t get to see the TD however, as the stadium had a power outage, and CBS in their wisdom hadn’t brought an emergency generator with them.

Dolphins defense lacklustre again

The Bills would take a 17-10 lead into half time after another Allen TD pass, and an exchange of field-goals.

Just moments into the second-half the game was halted for 36 minutes due to lightning. The Dolphins, however, made some good adjustments, but didn’t;t fully capitalise on a great third quarter netting just Jason Sanders 45-yard kick.

Having failed to convert on 4th-and-goal on the one, Kyle Van Noy missed a chance at a pick six. The Dolphins briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter, Jordan Howard plundering from 2-yards out. But the Dolphins defense again capitulated with the Bills scoring on 75-yard and 71-yard drives on their next two possessions.

A lot of money was spent on the defense this off-season and it’s safe to say as yet the unit hasn’t gelled, or produced anywhere near expectations. With Byron Jones likely out for Thursday night’s trip to Jacksonville, it’s a short turnaround for a unit in need of a massive improvement.

Mike Gesicki was a major bright spot for the Dolphins offence, catching 8 passes for a career-high 130 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. Gesicki currently rank’s as PFF’s number one tight end at this very early point of the season.

Matchup
1st Downs2328
Passing 1st downs1520
Rushing 1st downs76
1st downs from penalties12
3rd down efficiency5-105-12
4th down efficiency0-00-1
Total Plays5972
Total Yards524410
Total Drives1211
Yards per Play8.95.7
Passing413311
Comp-Att24-3531-47
Yards per pass11.56.2
Interceptions thrown00
Sacks-Yards Lost1-43-17
Rushing11199
Rushing Attempts2322
Yards per rush4.84.5
Red Zone (Made-Att)2-23-5
Penalties6-553-20
Turnovers10
Fumbles lost10
Interceptions thrown00
Defensive / Special Teams TDs00
Possession28:5531:05

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