Instant analysis from Dolphins’ heart-breaking wild-card loss to the Bills
The Miami Dolphins made it into the playoffs after barely making it to the finals. On Sunday, they faced the Buffalo Bills for a chance at winning their first playoff game since 2000.
The Dolphins fell short of victory at Highmark Stadium, where they lost 31-31 after four intense quarters.
Skylar Thompson, a rookie quarterback, was given the start with Teddy Bridgewater in concussion protocol, and Tua Tagovailoa suffering from a finger injury. He looked almost like a seventh-rounder. Thompson only completed 40% of his passes for 220 yard, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Although he had more chances, his targets suffered from a lot of drops that severely limited their offensive opportunities.
It also didn’t help that they couldn’t run the ball. The rushing game saw Miami average just 2.1 yards per attempt. Buffalo has been stout against the run this season, so it wasn’t all that surprising, especially considering Raheem Mostert missed the game with a broken thumb.
It was also difficult for the rookie quarterback and head coach to get plays in before time runs out. They were either snapping the ball with no time left or they were wasting timeouts. This needs to be fixed after the season.
Defense was the area where the Dolphins truly excelled. They forced three turnovers, and one fumble that was recovered by the Bills. Zach Sieler was able to score a touchdown on Eric Rowe’s strip-sack.
Miami finishes their season with a playoff spot, but nothing more. In the months ahead, the team will have many interesting decisions to make to improve their first year with Mike McDaniel.
Liste
Dolphins 2022 regular season snap leaders at every position
