Dolphins Aim To Salvage Season In Buffalo With Tua Returning

Orchard Park, NY – With an impending trip to Western New York, the Miami Dolphins will look to salvage their season against the Buffalo Bills with the return of Tua Tagovailoa to the lineup.

Last week against Arizona, we experienced a preview of what the offense can look like with Uce back in the lineup. Tua himself looked good—at the very least, it was nice to see a competent quarterback lead this offense. The problem continues to be questionable playcalling and a lack of utilizing their best weapons.

Since the last meeting between Buffalo and Miami, the Bills have been chugging along in the AFC. They’ve experienced some heartbreak in the process, but are still in first place in the AFC East. How much of that rests on their talent instead of the rest of the Division, or vice versa? That’s up to you to decide.

Disappointment From The Desert

Tua looked solid, recording 234 yards and a touchdown pass. In the first half, we saw their best weapons – Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle- utilized in their offense, and they marched the ball down the field. Everything looked solid for Miami, holding on to a 20-10 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Then everything went wrong.

The game’s turning point must be the safety Miami gave up, which started an eight-point swing. With the ball going over Tua’s head, Arizona cashed in two points and then a touchdown on their ensuing drive.

🚨SAFETY 🚨

Cardinals now within one-score of Miami!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/R4xC7uv0Lg

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 27, 2024

Miami’s offense did answer with a touchdown to Raheem Mostert, but their defense couldn’t finish the job. Keep in mind that Kyler Murray and the Arizona offense scored 30 points in their last two games. Of course, however, they found a way to torch the Dolphins’ secondary when it mattered the most, marching the ball to the end zone to bring the lead within two.

The ball was in Tua’s hands to secure the win on offense. After three first downs, they could not convert another near midfield, pinning Arizona’s offense at their 11-yard line. Murray and James Connor then concocted a 13-play, 73-yard drive that set up a 34-yard field goal. The rest is history.

Miami’s offense utilized Hill ONCE in the second half. At the same time, they didn’t utilize Jonnu Smith in the passing game nearly as much as they did against Indianapolis. I can’t get over only giving Hill one reception in crunch time.

🚨 Miami Dolphins are to not have the following players available vs. Buffalo Bills:

➖ Zach Sieler (eye)
➖ Jevon Holland (knee)
➖ Julian Hill (shoulder)
➖ Kader Kohou (neck)#GoFins pic.twitter.com/WQIJDMwyaA

— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) November 1, 2024

The defense has been ravaged by injuries worse than just about everyone. They didn’t have Bradley Chubb or Jaelan Phillips entering the Arizona game. Now, Jevon Holland suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for the Buffalo game at the least.

The Home Of Buffalo Wings

Buffalo, New York is a cold, desolate city that hasn’t experienced a Pro Sports championship. However, they do have a football team that knows how to beat Miami. They did so earlier this season in a casual 31-10 blowout. Still, it seems that everyone only remembers Tua’s concussion which began the downward spiral of this season for Miami.

Josh Allen tends to put up historic numbers against Miami, but he didn’t have to do too much in that win. Tua set the team back with three interceptions before getting concussed. The Dolphins dominated the total yardage, but it meant nothing in the end.

Since that game, the Bills have won four of their last six games. They blew out Jacksonville, Tennessee, and (most recently) Seattle, and won a nail-biter against the New York Jets. However, they were embarrassed by Baltimore and lost a close game to Houston thanks to a questionable two-minute drill.

More teams should find simple yet effective ways to get 6OL on the field like @BuffaloBills @CoachDanCasey you see it!!!

1) Simplifies defense
2) Gets your run game started
3) Helps in your protections pic.twitter.com/poqTgmLyP7

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 1, 2024

Has Buffalo looked amazing in every game this season? In some aspects, yes, such as Josh Allen continuing to have an MVP-caliber season with 1,766 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and one interception. People were wondering who would become WR1 after they gave up Stefon Diggs, and the answer is, well, no one. Instead, they have a pair of receivers in Keion Coleman and Khalil Shakir who have put up similar numbers.

James Cook has been an explosive running back with 452 yards and seven touchdowns. But when they want to establish the run, Allen has proven himself a reliable dual-threat option. He’s not fast, but he’s hard to bring down.

Their defense has looked good against some of the worst offenses in the NFL but crumbled against Baltimore. We’ll see how they look against teams like Kansas City and San Francisco in late November and early December.

Final Thoughts

I’ll keep this brief because that’s how long I think this game will be competitive.

Sorry, but Miami hasn’t won a game in Buffalo since 2016. Jay Ajayi and Kenyan Drake were dominating the backfield. I was in 10th grade. Nothing from this current Dolphins team gives me confidence they can take down the Bills.

BUFFALO – 35

MIAMI – 10