The Tape Don’t Lie: Joe Schad on Miami Dolphins lose to Buffalo Bills; Tua concussed

MIAMI GARDENS — What matters most now is Tua Tagovailoa’s health.

Tua has had at least three concussions in the last three Miami Dolphins seasons and his status is a question that cannot be answered at the moment.

There was also an important football game played Thursday night, however.

And the Dolphins came up very short on the field at Hard Rock Stadium.

The final score was 31-10 Buffalo, a 12th loss to the Bills in 13 games.

Dolphins routed by Bills and Tua Tagovailoa leaves with concussion

Beyond even the Tua injury, there are reasons to be concerned here.

Some good moments, yes, for De’Von Achane, Jonnu Smith, Jordyn Brooks and Chop Robinson.

But overall, a colossal disappointment. Let’s talk about what we saw on the field, upon further review.

Many coaches believe “The Tape Don’t Lie,” and that list includes coach Mike McDaniel.

“The game tape survives time,” McDaniel says.

Here are some things we noticed from Thursday’s film:

Too many pressures allowed by offensive line

The Dolphins offensive line made big strides in 2023, but Thursday was a step back.

According to Pro Football Focus, Miami allowed 16 pressures, including 7 by right tackle Austin Jackson.

Von Miller went around Jackson for a fourth-and-goal sack of Skylar Thompson.

Other pressure totals included: Kendall Lamm and Lester Cotton, with two apiece.

On the awful Pick Six interception by Tua Tagovailoa that made the score 31-10 – on an attempted throw-away – Lamm and Cotton were unable to slow pressure from Tua’s left side.

Dolphins quarterbacks have been sacked five times in the first two weeks.

On one sack on Thursday, Robert Jones was overpowered by Ed Oliver.

On the bright side, PFF has Liam Eichenberg and Aaron Brewer graded as Miami’s third and fourth best offensive players through two games.

Terron Armstead and De’Von Achane are first and second.

Miami needs DL to step it up; LB play encouraging

Dolphins linebackers Jordyn Brooks and David Long have not been perfect.

But there is a lot to be encouraged about when it comes to Miami’s duo.

They are both fast and physical and play with a chip on their shoulder.

What Miami needs is defensive linemen, especially in the wake of Christian Wilkins’ departure, to do more.

Benito Jones, Brandon Pili, Emmanuel Ogbah, Zach Sieler, Calais Campbell and Da’Shawn Hand have all graded between 44.9 and 67.8 via PFF, with Campbell and Hand grading best.

Will the Dolphins consider promoting NT Naquan Jones and/or DL Jonathan Harris from the practice squad prior to a game at Seattle? It seems something worth monitoring.

Tua’s struggles vs. Bills continue

With so much focus, understandably, on Tua’s health, it would be easy to overlook what was a poor performance, again, against the Bills.

There were three interceptions. The first one could be partially pinned on Grant DuBose. The second one appeared to be a miscommunication with Robbie Anderson.

And the third was was the dagger.

Tua was unable to get the ball out of bounds on an attempted throw-away.

Pick Six. Game.

Against the Jets in his career, Tua is 5-0 with a 97.8 passer rating.

Against the Patriots, Tua is 6-0 with a 92.2 passer rating.

But against the Bills, Tua is 1-7 with a 74.1 passer rating.

Yes, people of Buffalo, the Bills have owned Tua and the Dolphins.

De’Von Achane is a legitimate future star

You wouldn’t know Achane came into the game with an ankle injury.

On day in which Miami struggled to get the ball to stars Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Achane showed why he is Miami’s future star on offense.

Achane really can do it all.

He can make something from nothing. He can break a tackle. He takes great angles.

He can catch. He can out-run you. He makes good decisions.

Achane may very well end up leading the Dolphins running backs in touches and total yards.

He is the perfect weapon for Mike McDaniel’s offense.

Here’s a crazy stat: The Dolphins have 23 completions on 23 targets to Achane and Jaylen Waddle.

The Dolphins have 25 completions on 50 targets to all other players.

This & That

Chop Robinson had some good moments and according to PFF, only 24 snaps, he had 2 pressures, 2 hurries, 2 tackles and 2 run stops… Safety Jordan Poyer does not appear to have the foot speed he once did and opposing offenses have been attacking that… The Dolphins must be hoping that cornerback Jalen Ramsey has now shaken rust after a couple of so-so performances to open this season… Kader Kohou has a PFF coverage grade of 30.6 through two games. They say Kohou has allowed six catches on eight targets… The shovel pass to Jonnu Smith is a weapon worth considering at least once in every game… Jaylen Wright looked good in his rookie debut, just as we’d seen this summer. That combination of Achane and Wright could really be something in future years… The Dolphins kept Skylar Thompson over Mike White because they like his athleticism, arm strength and potential. It is also true that Thompson’s passer rating of 63.5 in 8 games is 11th among Dolphins quarterbacks since 2012 with at least two games played, behind: White, Tua, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Tannehill, Brock Osweiler, Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Moore, David Fales, Jay Cutler, and Jacoby Brissett. Thompson’s passer rating is ahead of Josh Rosen, who in six games had a passer rating of 52.0.

Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.