After squeaking into the postseason, the Miami Dolphins faced off with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday for a chance to win their first playoff game since 2000.
However, after four hard-fought quarters, the Dolphins were defeated 34-31 at Highmark Stadium.
With Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol and Teddy Bridgewater dealing with a finger injury, rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson got the start, and he looked like a seventh-round pick. Thompson completed just 40% of his passes for 220 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
He did have more opportunities, but his targets had a number of drops that really limited their offensive chances.
It also didn’t help that they couldn’t run the ball. Miami averaged just 2.1 yards per attempt in the rushing game. 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.
The rookie quarterback and first-year head coach also had a difficult time getting plays in before the clock expired. They were snapping the ball consistently with one or no seconds left, or they were wasting timeouts. That needs to be addressed after the season.
Where the Dolphins really shined was on defense. They created forced three turnovers and another fumble that the Bills were able to jump on and recover. One of those turnovers was a strip-sack by defensive back Eric Rowe, which Zach Sieler picked up and scored.
Now, Miami ends their season with a playoff berth but nothing beyond that. There are a lot of interesting decisions that the team will have to make in the coming months to try and set them up to improve upon their first year with Mike McDaniel.
