Dolphins-Bills Five Biggest Storylines…And How They Played Out

It was more disappointment and frustration for the Miami Dolphins when they faced the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday night.

Of course, the Dolphins’ 12th loss in 13 games in this series took a back seat to the concussion that knocked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out of the game in the third quarter.

That obviously was the low point on a night full of them, ending with the Dolphins dropping a 31-10 decision.

Earlier, we broke down the five biggest storylines heading into the Week 2 matchup. It’s now time to revisit these storylines to see how they played out.

Before the Game

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been in the news all week because of the incident outside Hard Rock Stadium before the team’s season opener, so that means he will be in the spotlight tonight — even more so than usual. During his press conference, Hill said that football was his escape, and he responded with an 80-yard touchdown against Jacksonville. Another one of those big plays would go a long way for the Dolphins in the game.

During the Game

Buffalo was determined to ensure that Hill wouldn’t beat them deep in this game, so they planned accordingly and kept their safeties deep. Even on one deep shot early on, cornerback Christian Benford got a head start in running back and stayed with Hill step for step. Hill ended up with only three receptions for 24 yards, his lowest totals since he joined the Dolphins outside of the 2022 season when he had two catches for 23 yards against the New York Jets with Skylar Thompson at quarterback. One of those receptions came on a shovel pass, and Hill also had a ten-yard run on an end-around. But the reality is Hill was an absolute non-factor, and the biggest news he made was actually being off the field on the plays that resulted in the first two Buffalo interceptions.

Before the Game

It’s no big secret that the biggest reason for the Bills’ dominance in the series of late is QB Josh Allen, whose numbers against Miami are simply ridiculous. Last year, for example, he passed for 320 and 359 yards in the two matchups with six touchdowns and two interceptions, and also had 67 rushing yards in the game in Miami. But the Dolphins have a new defensive coordinator, which means that maybe the defense has a different answer for Allen, and perhaps this is the one that does the trick. Getting pressure and forcing turnovers always can be a key here, but that’s obviously easier said than done.

During the Game

While Allen will get credit for improving to 12-2 against the Dolphins, the reality is he had little to do with the outcome. This game was about the Buffalo defense and James Cook. Allen passed for a very modest 139 yards and one touchdown. He was efficient, though, and had a couple of big-time throws, a laser to Khalil Shakir over the middle and his 33-yard completion to Ty Johnson off his scramble. But considering how badly Allen hurt the Dolphins’ defense in previous games, this was good work by the Miami defense.

Before the Game

The ability to put pressure on the quarterback could be a factor in this game, as it always is, and two key players here are former University of Miami teammates Jaelan Phillips of the Dolphins and Greg Rousseau of the Bills. Given his circumstances, Phillips had a really impressive 2024 debut, while Rousseau earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors with his three-sack performance against the Arizona Cardinals.

During the Game

The Buffalo defensive line dominated the Dolphins’ offensive line, but Ed Oliver and Von Miller did the most damage for the Bills. Rousseau did have four tackles and a tackle for loss, though. Phillips was way more quiet as he failed to register a stat. In the play where Allen threw that 33-yard completion after moving in the pocket, Phillips lost his football, which allowed Allen to move outside easily.

Before the Game

The Dolphins defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars with little contribution from the running game, though that phase did contribute in the fourth quarter. While the Dolphins always have the threat of the big play with Hill and Jaylen Waddle, another effective method to move the ball and keep Josh Allen on the sideline would be to run the ball. The Dolphins are dealing with injuries at running back with Raheem Mostert already ruled out and De’Von Achane nursing an ankle injury, but there’s nothing that says Jeff Wilson, Jr. and rookie Jaylen Wright can’t get the job done.

During the Game

The Dolphins’ poor performance aside, the running game was effective, particularly the work of De’Von Achane. After entering the game with an ankle injury that had him listed as questionable, Achane put on a show with 22 carries for 96 yards. The Dolphins as a team finished with 139 rushing yards, including 101 in the first half before the game got out of hand. But the running game wasn’t enough to overcome the turnovers and the inability to finish drives.

Before the Game

One overlooked aspect of the Buffalo sweep of the Dolphins last season is how much the Bills dominated the second half. The combined score of those two games was 31-6 after halftime. The only time the Dolphins were shut out in the second half of the regular season was in that second Buffalo game. And the six points in the first meeting in Buffalo matched the second-lowest second-half total of the season. In the season finale, the Dolphins rushed for 101 yards on 17 carries in the first half but had only three rushing attempts in the second half despite carrying the lead into the fourth quarter. The rushing game may be where Mike McDaniel needs to stick with what’s working a bit longer. Regardless, the Dolphins need to close this game if they hope to get that big win against Buffalo.

During the Game

The scoreboard will show Buffalo outscoring the Dolphins 7-0 in the second half, though this comes with the major caveat of the Tua injury. It might not be realistic to suggest the Dolphins could have come back to win the game had he not gotten injured, but they did have a first-and-goal with 4:24 left in the third quarter. After his injury and the ensuing fourth-down sack of Skylar Thompson, the rest of the game felt like preseason, so we cannot draw conclusions about the second half.