Game recap: McDaniel and co. remain unbeaten after facing Buffalo

“Everyone is getting the game-ball for this one” (Mike McDaniel, 2022).

Who would have predicted this! The Miami Dolphins are the only undefeated team in the AFC, currently standing at 3-0, having beaten Super Bowl favourites, the Buffalo Bills.

Despite a last-minute scramble, with Dolphins punter Thomas Morstead booting the football into Trent Sherfield’s backside for a safety; Josh Allen and the Bills failed to capitalise on the opportunity for a game winning drive. They were beaten by the clock, much to Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s disgust!

The Dolphins now hold both first place in the AFC East, and AFC division, and now, just Miami and Philadelphia remain undefeated after Week Three.

Dolphins defense turns up the heat

Whilst last week, it was Miami’s offence who worked hard to clinch the win; this week, we saw the Dolphins defence pull it out the bag to secure this dramatic 21-19 win.

Statistically, Miami did not contain Josh Allen. Allen threw for over 400 yards and rushed for a further 47 yards. He also had 63 passing attempts, which is the highest recorded in franchise history.

However, at key moments in the game, the Dolphins defence stood strong.

For instance, in the first half, rising star safety, Jevon Holland, made a sack-strip play on Allen, just like he was able to against New England in the opening week of the NFL. 

It’s also worth noting that Melvin Ingram has made a solid impact on this already strong Miami defence. He sacked Allen twice and was also there to recover Holland’s sack-strip.

But arguably, the most important defensive play of the game came late into the fourth quarter. Allen and the Bills were gearing up for a touchdown in the red-zone, and the Dolphins defence, after an immense time boiling on the field, stopped this drive completely; forcing them to go 4 and out.

The bottom line is, Miami held Buffalo to just 19 points. In their previous two games, the Bills averaged around 36 points against their oppositions. This shows that even without interceptions, the Dolphins defence deserves to be rated amongst the top in the NFL.

Miami O-Line holds out

It wasn’t perfect, but the Dolphins offensive line allowed only two sacks against one of the best pash rush defences in the league. Likewise, apart from a late fourth-quarter, third-down, screen pass, Miami’s O-line was able to keep 2x Superbowl winner and 8x Probowler Von Miller in check.

Despite not practicing at all during the week before the game (due to a toe injury), Terron Armstead was key to this offensive line success. He played every snap, showing us in each play why he is one of the best at his position. 

Even when starters Robert Hunt and Greg Little left the game briefly, the o-line still functioned efficiently.

Most importantly, the line gifted Tagovailoa the perfect pocket to complete a third-and-22 to Waddle in the fourth quarter, which ultimately led to a touchdown scoring drive.

The Alabama duo: Tua and Waddle

Miami’s offence only possessed the ball for just short of 20 minutes against buffalo, but their efficient, quick-strike plays allowed them to make the most of the limited opportunities available to them.

Unsurprisingly, it was Tua’s connections with Waddle which made the offensive difference in this game.

Jaylen Waddle had 102 yards from just 4 receptions: averaging at 25.5 yards a play.

As alluded to, his best play came from a third-and-22, splitting the Bills’ secondary to go 45-yards, setting-up a red-zone possession at an integral point in the game.

Tua threw for 186 yards and one touchdown, going 13/18. Whilst statistically this does not indicate the strongest of performances, Tagovailoa still averaged 14.3 yards per completed play, helping offensively to beat out the Bills. 

How to get a win in Cincinnati?

I don’t think anybody thought that the Dolphins would have been heading into Week 4 against Cincinnati unbeaten (including me!). Even so, Miami are currently still tipped to be the underdogs facing last-years Superbowl runners-up.

To secure a win, I think there are three things the Dolphins need to do to remain unbeaten after Thursday night.

Firstly, Tua Tagovailoa needs to be healthy. At this moment in time Tua is questionable with a back and ankle injury. Head Coach Mike McDaniel has acknowledged that there is a chance that he might not be able to play by Thursday.

If this turns out to be the case, this could be a major hit to the functioning of the Dolphins offence and makes that QB matchup against Joe Burrow all the more scary.

Secondly, to secure the win in Cincinnati, I believe the Dolphins defence needs to grab some interceptions.

Star CB Xavien Howard will more than likely be paired up against WR Ja’marr Chase and will need to interrupt Burrow and Chase’s deadly relationship. This will be interesting, because as we have seen, Burrow loves a deep ball to Chase, but Xavien Howard thrives on a 1-on-1 matchup, and has often picked off the best players amongst the league.

We need to see a star-studded performance by Miami’s CBs to ensure Burrow cannot have this deep threat with his receivers.

Lastly, with or without Tua, the Dolphins need to utilise Tyreek Hill. Despite his Rockstar performances against both New England and Baltimore, Hill never really got into the game against Buffalo.

The ex-Kansas star recorded only 33 yards on Sunday, significantly short of the 190 yards he put past the Ravens.

It’s clear that at the best times, Hill is unplayable, so if the Miami QB can get the ball to him, and he is in the mood, the offence will certainly be scoring high points.

If the Dolphins can go 4-0 after this tough run of games, we must consider them a Super Bowl contender for 2022.