Onside kick failed in worst possible way
The Miami Dolphins had a halftime lead and had their fair share of chances to retake the lead late.
But two costly turnovers cost coach Brian Flores and his players a chance at their first win of the season on Sunday in Buffalo.
Miami remains winless and in contention for the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins (0-6) performed in Sunday’s 31-21 loss to the Bills (5-1):
Passing game: B
Ryan Fitzpatrick led two touchdown drives in the first half, helping the Dolphins lead at halftime for the first time all season. Also, Fitzpatrick has led four touchdown drives in the past five quarters he has played, leading the Dolphins offense. He was sacked only once, a credit to the offensive line, which is also finding its footing this season. DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki and Preston Williams made productive plays outside of the Williams fumble that proved to be costly in the fourth quarter. Miami played its best game offensively — which also included a 16-play, 10 minute drive that they should have scored on before Fitzpatrick threw an interception.
Running game: B
Mark Walton continues to take first-team reps in the Dolphins offense, ahead of Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage. But the Dolphins players have carved out roles for themselves, similarly to how the New England Patriots utilize their running backs. Walton uses his quickness and vision to be a steady hand as he finished with 14 carries for 66 yards. Drake was used to spell Walton and as a pass catcher (nine touches, 58 total yards), while Ballage scored his second shortyardage touchdown, despite getting less than five carries in each of the past two games, for the second straight week. Fitzpatrick also scored a rushing touchdown in Buffalo. The Dolphins still need more, but it was an encouraging performance.
Defending the pass: D
Second-year quarterback Josh Allen helped the Bills improve to 5-1 against this Dolphins defense, throwing two touchdowns in the second half to propel Buffalo. Allen shined as the Dolphins played without rookie tackle Christian Wilkins (ejection), cornerback Xavien Howard (knee) and safety Reshad Jones (chest). The Dolphins defense featured a myriad of new, inexperienced secondary players, trying to support a developing front of six or seven players near the line of scrimmage. Maybe this defense looks better with some time to mature and develop. In the interim, Allen took advantage, completing 61.5% of his passes for 202 yards with two timely touchdowns.
Defending the run: D
Josh Allen may be known for his dual-threat capabilities, but he didn’t have to use them against Miami. He did score a two-point conversion, but ran just four times for 32 yards. Frank Gore was disappointed he finished with 11 carries for 55 yards, while former FAU standout Devin Singletary had seven carries for 26 yards. Miami may have held Buffalo to 117 yards rushing, about 53 yards below their season average, but the Bills averaged 5.1 yards per carry, which allowed
Allen to be more effective when he needed to be down the stretch. Maybe having Christian Wilkins in the defensive line mix would have made a difference, but the Dolphins fared okay overall against the run.
Special teams: F
You can praise the 0-6 Dolphins for improving in certain areas, but you can’t excuse an onside kick returned for a touchdown. That’s what happened to Miami, immediately after Ryan Fitzpatrick trimmed the deficit to three with 1:45 left, quickly ending Miami’s comeback effort. Flores, special teams coach Danny Crossman and the Dolphins staff has a lot of work to do to correct their glaring special teams mistakes at critical times this season.
Coaching: D
The Dolphins failed to convert inside the 2-yard line for the second time in as many games, potentially costing them two wins in a winless season. After Kenyan Drake’s drop on a failed two-point attempt last week, Miami‘s best play-call idea was a fake punt run with punter Matt Haack when they needed to put an exclamation point on their longest drive of the game, which lasted the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Sure Haack fell forward and got a first down. But that was a critical play where the Dolphins needed to score a touchdown, and it came back to haunt them. Fitzpatrick was sacked and then threw an interception on the next two plays.
Stock up: Parker
DeVante Parker is quietly having one of the best seasons of any Dolphins player. He plowed past a defender to score a 12-yard touchdown, marking his third straight game with a touchdown. It’s the longest touchdown streak of Parker’s career, since being Miami’s first round pick in 2015. Parker leads Miami with three touchdowns, and is second on the team to rookie Preston Williams with 18 catches for 284 yards. Parker is healthy, producing and could continue to benefit from Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter this season.
Stock down: Wilkins
The Dolphins drafted Christian Wilkins in the first round this year and believe undrafted rookie Preston Williams could be a team’s No. 1 receiver at some point. They need to prove it by playing better. Wilkins uncharacteristically punched an offensive lineman to get ejected on the second play of the game. He needs to channel his recent aggression into production on the field. Williams needs to run crisper slant routes after the Dolphins turned the ball over twice in the past two games based on a poorly ran route. Williams fumbled at a key moment Sunday and his poor route on a pass resulted in a Josh Rosen interception last week. The Dolphins need both players to make standout plays.