Secondary shoulders blame for defensive woes

The Dolphins lost cornerback Byron Jones, their highest-paid player, on the first series of their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

So, they depended on their second-highest paid player and a first-round draft pick to shoulder the load among others in the secondary.

And it was a rough day at the office for cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Noah Igbinoghene after Jones suffered a groin injury in the first quarter and did not return in Sunday’s 31-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for 417 yards with four touchdowns as Stefon Diggs led all receivers with eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown, including a 47-yard go route down the right sideline while guarded by Igbinoghene, the No. 30 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Igbinoghene allowed Diggs to run right past him during a pivotal drive for the Dolphins defense, after Ryan Fitzpatrick led the offense to a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. The play set up a touchdown pass from Allen to receiver Gabriel Davis with 5:55 left that helped Buffalo regain the lead.

“It’s definitely a teaching moment. I learned a lot today, not only about this team but about myself,” Igbinoghene said introspectively after the game.

“Of course, I didn’t play up to my standard at all. I’ve got to move past it and move on to the next game. That’s all I can do, just learn from it.”

Howard could have kept the game close, too.

Howard dropped what would have been an interception with less than four minutes remaining after Allen threw a pass intended for receiver John Brown following some miscommunication between the two Bills players.

One play later, they were back on the same page as Allen threw a 46-yard touchdown to Brown that gave Buffalo a 31-20 lead with 3:09 remaining. Brown beat Howard badly on the play and safety Bobby McCain was left as the last line of defense.

“He ran to the open space and that was my guy. I take the blame on that one,” Howard said.

Dolphins defensive back Nik Needham, starting in the slot cornerback position ahead of Jamal Perry, also had a rough day in coverage as the Bills ran multiple crossing routes on offense to confuse the Dolphins defenders.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores did not have an injury update after the game for Jones, who signed fiveyear, $82.5 million deal with Miami in the offseason.

Jones grabbed his groin after he was clipped by a Bills player on a pick play on a third down, which saw Allen overthrow Diggs, ending the first series of the game.

Howard, who signed a five-year, $75.25 million deal with Miami in 2019, played into the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game as he continues to play his way back from knee surgery last December.

And Igbinoghene, the third of three Dolphins’ first-round picks in April, will continue to find his way as his NFL career begins in Miami.

“It’s the league. It’s going to happen. It happens to everybody,” Igbinoghene said of his performance. “I hold myself to a high standard, so of course I didn’t want that to happen but it did happen and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just have to move on as a man and that’s what I’ll do.”

Broadcast interrupted

Fans watching Sunday’s Dolphins home opener against the Bills on television were forced to miss some of the action — which included two touchdowns — after an apparent power outage at Hard Rock Stadium.

CBS said a power outage to half the stadium caused them to switch away from Miami’s game to a matchup between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers while they tried to rectify the situation.

Before the broadcast resumed, Dolphins fans missed the end of the first quarter where DeVante

Parker scored a touchdown to tie the game, 7-7, and the first half of the second quarter where the Bills retook the lead (14-7) on a touchdown by Diggs.

Dolphins kicker Jason Sander then hit a 53-yard field goal as Miami went into halftime down, 17-10.

Parker plays

Devonte Parker, who has been nursing a hamstring injury since late August, played the entire game Sunday after being marked questionable and considered a game-time decision. He finished with five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter.

Parker finished third in receiving for the Dolphins against the Bills with tight end Mike Gesicki (eight catches, 130 yards, one touchdown) and receiver Isaiah Ford (seven catches, 76 yards) leading the way.

Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin led the team again in rushing with seven carries for 46 yards, despite Jordan Howard scoring a short touchdown run for the second time in as many weeks.

— Rookie receiver Lynn Bowden Jr., who the Dolphins acquired in a trade a week before the season began, made his NFL debut in Sunday’s game and caught a pass, but for a loss of one yard.

Bowden was a thirdround pick, who played running back, receiver, quarterback and returned punts and kicks at Kentucky.

— The Dolphins were without linebacker Elandon Roberts, who was in concussion protocol this past week, and safety Clayton Fejedelem, who has been dealing with a pectoral injury.

Rookie receiver Malcolm Perry, rookie defensive end Jason Strowbridge and offensive tackle Adam Pankey were also inactive for the Dolphins.

— Bills quarterback Jake Fromm, running back T.J. Yeldon, linebackers Del’Shawn Phillips, Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano, offensive guard Ike Boettger and tight end Lee Smith were inactive for Buffalo.