matthewcannata
FinHeaven VIP
The Miami Dolphins lost to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and moved to 1-1 on the season and as of now, are in second place in the AFC East. From the very beginning of the game, the Dolphins were dominated by the Bills and it looked eerily similar to the two games last year when the Dolphins were dominated. Whether it was Ryan Tannehill leaving touchdowns on the field or him having accuracy problems or whether it was the special teams unit having a horrible day, nothing seemed to go right for the Dolphins. Here are my five thoughts on the game.
What the hell happened at the end of the first half?
With over a minute to go in the first half and with three timeouts remaining, the Miami Dolphins made the decision to run the ball and run out the clock. After picking up two first downs, they still didn't bother using a timeout. Why not go for a field goal there? Why not try to take some shots downfield? Joe Philbin sent a clear message to his team that they were giving up at the end of the first half and they weren't going to be aggressive with their approach. It could've been a completely different ballgame with either a field goal or a touchdown to end the first half.
Ryan Tannehill needs to improve his accuracy
I am one of the biggest Ryan Tannehill supporters that you will find out there but he was way off today. He underthrew Mike Wallace early in the game and threw behind Rishard Matthews in the endzone. If those balls are placed in front of the receivers, they score touchdowns and the game is different. In addition, he left several first downs on the field by throwing too high or behind the receiver. This was an issue last week and has been an issue the past two years. He needs to learn how to lead his receivers the proper way.
Special Teams had a huge part in losing the game
Early in the game, Damien Williams let a defender run right by him to block a punt. Then, after the Dolphins came out int he second half, they gave up a 102-yard touchdown return to CJ Spiller. Finally, at the end of the game, Jarvis Landry muffed a punt - although Dan Carpenter missed the field goal. That's at least two touchdowns right there that the Bills probably shouldn't have had on the board and of course, it's a completely different ball game. The Dolphins had trouble on the offensive side of the ball and also on special teams. You can't win like that.
Losing Knowshon Moreno hurt them today and will hurt moving forward
Knowshon Moreno exited the game early today and as soon as that happened, the Dolphins went to a pass happy attack because of their lack of faith in Lamar Miller and Damien Williams. As we all saw, the results weren't pretty. Miller has had his chance for the past two years and hasn't shown anything that makes me confident in him moving forward. Williams has flashed some promise but the Dolphins need to have more faith in him if they want him to succeed. In addition, Moreno brought an attitude to this team that raised everyone's intensity. Hopefully he is only out a few weeks.
Where was the defensive line?
A week after terrorizing Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins defensive line went missing against the Buffalo Bills. What happened to them? They were stonewalled, plain and simple. Cameron Wake was going up against a rookie - Seantrel Henderson - and couldn't muster anything. Randy Starks and Earl Mitchell were pushed around most of the game and Olivier Vernon disappeared. It's a good thing that the Dolphins are likely getting Dion Jordan back next week because they need someone who can rush the passer on a consistent basis.
Did the Dolphins forget that Sammy Watkins was on the Bills?
Sammy Watkins of the Buffalo Bills absolutely terrorized the secondary. Worst of all, Watkins is going to be in this division for the next decade. The Dolphins tried to put everyone on him - Brent Grimes, Will Davis, Jamar Taylor, Cortland Finnegan and others - but nothing seemed to work. Watkins ended the day with 117 yards on 8 receptions and 1 touchdown. That simply isn't acceptable for a team that is supposed to pride itself on its defense and its tight secondary.
Dan Carpenter seems to always kill the Dolphins
When Dan Carpenter was on the Dolphins, he killed the Dolphins by missing field goals in key situations. Ever since he's been in Buffalo, he has had a huge part in defeating them three times over the past two years. Today, he made 5 out of 6 field goals for a total of 15 points. While they weren't hard field goals to make, the fact remains Carpenter was kicking them and their 5 field goals were enough to beat the Dolphins, despite not scoring touchdowns when they should have.
What the hell happened at the end of the first half?
With over a minute to go in the first half and with three timeouts remaining, the Miami Dolphins made the decision to run the ball and run out the clock. After picking up two first downs, they still didn't bother using a timeout. Why not go for a field goal there? Why not try to take some shots downfield? Joe Philbin sent a clear message to his team that they were giving up at the end of the first half and they weren't going to be aggressive with their approach. It could've been a completely different ballgame with either a field goal or a touchdown to end the first half.
Ryan Tannehill needs to improve his accuracy
I am one of the biggest Ryan Tannehill supporters that you will find out there but he was way off today. He underthrew Mike Wallace early in the game and threw behind Rishard Matthews in the endzone. If those balls are placed in front of the receivers, they score touchdowns and the game is different. In addition, he left several first downs on the field by throwing too high or behind the receiver. This was an issue last week and has been an issue the past two years. He needs to learn how to lead his receivers the proper way.
Special Teams had a huge part in losing the game
Early in the game, Damien Williams let a defender run right by him to block a punt. Then, after the Dolphins came out int he second half, they gave up a 102-yard touchdown return to CJ Spiller. Finally, at the end of the game, Jarvis Landry muffed a punt - although Dan Carpenter missed the field goal. That's at least two touchdowns right there that the Bills probably shouldn't have had on the board and of course, it's a completely different ball game. The Dolphins had trouble on the offensive side of the ball and also on special teams. You can't win like that.
Losing Knowshon Moreno hurt them today and will hurt moving forward
Knowshon Moreno exited the game early today and as soon as that happened, the Dolphins went to a pass happy attack because of their lack of faith in Lamar Miller and Damien Williams. As we all saw, the results weren't pretty. Miller has had his chance for the past two years and hasn't shown anything that makes me confident in him moving forward. Williams has flashed some promise but the Dolphins need to have more faith in him if they want him to succeed. In addition, Moreno brought an attitude to this team that raised everyone's intensity. Hopefully he is only out a few weeks.
Where was the defensive line?
A week after terrorizing Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins defensive line went missing against the Buffalo Bills. What happened to them? They were stonewalled, plain and simple. Cameron Wake was going up against a rookie - Seantrel Henderson - and couldn't muster anything. Randy Starks and Earl Mitchell were pushed around most of the game and Olivier Vernon disappeared. It's a good thing that the Dolphins are likely getting Dion Jordan back next week because they need someone who can rush the passer on a consistent basis.
Did the Dolphins forget that Sammy Watkins was on the Bills?
Sammy Watkins of the Buffalo Bills absolutely terrorized the secondary. Worst of all, Watkins is going to be in this division for the next decade. The Dolphins tried to put everyone on him - Brent Grimes, Will Davis, Jamar Taylor, Cortland Finnegan and others - but nothing seemed to work. Watkins ended the day with 117 yards on 8 receptions and 1 touchdown. That simply isn't acceptable for a team that is supposed to pride itself on its defense and its tight secondary.
Dan Carpenter seems to always kill the Dolphins
When Dan Carpenter was on the Dolphins, he killed the Dolphins by missing field goals in key situations. Ever since he's been in Buffalo, he has had a huge part in defeating them three times over the past two years. Today, he made 5 out of 6 field goals for a total of 15 points. While they weren't hard field goals to make, the fact remains Carpenter was kicking them and their 5 field goals were enough to beat the Dolphins, despite not scoring touchdowns when they should have.
