A fourth-quarter meltdown
Allen took advantage by throwing two touchdowns following both miscues.
“I think we were looking to go up 21-9 at that point with some momentum, we were feeling really good coming out of halftime. That killed us a little bit,” Fitzpatrick said after the game.
“They went down there and scored on the next drive. That was the tough part of the game. We hung in there.”
Fitzpatrick led the Dolphins into the red zone to begin the second half, connecting twice with tight end Mike Gesicki and receiver DeVante Parker in the midst of a 16-play drive that dominated the third quarter.
The Dolphins got first-and-goal after using a fake field goal on fourth-and-1 at the 3-yard line with punter Matt Haack moving the pile on a run.
But that was as close to the goal line as the Dolphins would get until late in the fourth quarter after scoring two touchdowns earlier in the game.
Fitzpatrick was sacked by former Dolphins second-round pick Jordan Phillips for a loss of 10 yards, then intercepted on his pass intended for Isaiah Ford, ending the drive that lasted a second short of 10 minutes.
The Bills responded behind Allen, who threw a 20-yard touchdown to receiver John Brown to begin the fourth quarter and found Cole Beasley for a 3-yard touchdown with 6:31 remaining to seal the Dolphins’ fate.
“We are playing better in spurts, but we have to continue to learn how to win and not have those critical mistakes,” said Fitzpatrick, who completed 23-of-35 passes for 282 yards, a touchdown, an interception and an 88.0 passer rating.
Flores said after the game that Fitzpatrick will start again next week for the Dolphins in Pittsburgh.
The Dolphins started Fitzpatrick over second-year quarterback Josh Rosen to spark the offense. But Miami had to play without several starters, including starting cornerback Xavien Howard for the second straight game, longtime safety Reshad Jones and veteran center and captain Daniel Kilgore.
The Dolphins also lost rookie defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who was ejected after he struck an offensive lineman after the second play of the game.
The Dolphins secondary was led by veteran safety Bobby McCain and a slew of young, inexperienced newcomers this season like Jomal Wiltz, Chris Lammons, Ken Webster, Nik Needham and cornerback Ryan Lewis, who started after joining the team last week.
With Evan Boehm at center and undrafted rookie Shaq Calhoun at right guard, the Dolphins offensive line was able to keep Fitzpatrick upright, get running back Kalen Ballage into the end zone for the second straight week on a 3-yard run, and hold its own against Buffalo’s respected defense.
Parker scored a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter, marking his third straight week with a touchdown catch. He had previously done so twice in his five NFL seasons before Sunday.
The Dolphins’ early touchdowns marked the second and third times, respectively, where Miami held a lead all season. Miami had its first lead at halftime this season, its first since hosting Buffalo in Week 11 last season at home.
But once the second half began, the Dolphins were unable to build on their impressive first-half start, succumbing to the Bills.
The Dolphins will play their second straight road game next week, visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 28 for Monday Night Football.
“We played the first half, came out strong, played together,” linebacker Jerome Baker said, “but the mistakes we were making, as far as winning — turning the ball over, missed tackles, not getting aligned right — at the end of the day, it cost us.”