The Numbers Behind Miami’s Tough Day In Buffalo
Syndication: Democrat and Chronicle
What began in Buffalo as an offensive display by two teams fighting for first place quickly devolved into a one-sided, 48-20 beatdown. The Miami Dolphins, hot off scoring 70 last week, seemed out-schemed and out-manned as the Bills proved they are still the team to beat in the AFC East. Here are some of the numbers that contributed to the Dolphins’ big loss.
4 – After only allowing one sack in their previous three games, the offensive line allowed four against Buffalo.
2 – Of those four sacks, two of them came on fourth down, effectively ending Miami’s scoring opportunities.
35 – After putting up 142 yards and two touchdown on their first two drives of the game, the Dolphins’ offense mustered only 35 yards and no first downs the entire rest of the first half.
3 – Kader Kohou was the primary defender on all three of Stefon Diggs’ touchdowns.
7 – Josh Allen is now 7-0 against the Dolphins at home and 9-2 overall.
75 – Perfect weather conditions are rare when traveling to Buffalo, but 75 degrees made it feel like home for Miami. They squandered a beautiful day in a place where they are normally met with harsh, frigid conditions.
52.5 – What were the oddsmakers thinking putting the over/under at 52.5? The over was almost achieved by halftime with 45 points, and the game ended with a total of 68.
12 – Josh Allen has now thrown for two or more touchdowns in 12 consecutive games against the Dolphins.
19 – Despite a top rushing attack, Miami only ran the ball 19 times on Sunday. With Buffalo taking away most of the passing lanes, coach McDaniel went away from the rush early and often (one of the biggest complaints from his first season as coach).
101 – The lone bright spot was De’Von Achane running for 101 yards on only eight carries.
5.1 – The difference in yards per pass between Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen. Allen 11.5 had and Tua put up 6.4.
0 – The Dolphins went 0/3 on fourth-down conversion attempts in the second half.
0 – The Dolphins’ defense has been a bend-don’t-break unit with the ability to make crucial game-changing plays. On Sunday, they didn’t have a single significant impact play while appearing exposed on all three levels.
Will this humbling experience lead to the collapse of the high-flying Miami Dolphins, or will it simply be a lesson learned that can propel the team forward as they shore up the exposed weaknesses? Time will tell, but at this early stage in the season, sitting at 3-1, Miami has a lot of tread left on their tires and they will have plenty of opportunity to right the ship before they see Buffalo again.
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