MIAMI _ It was back to the beginning for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
After reeling off two straight wins and playing well for more than a month straight, the Dolphins reverted back to early-season form against a division rival in Miami Gardens. Their offense was mostly nonexistent. Their defense was almost entirely ineffective. The Dolphins fell behind by two touchdowns early and never clawed back into striking distance in a 37-20 loss to the Bills _ their most lopsided since a 20-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in September.
Miami had a chance to cut the lead to one-score in the fourth quarter after Jakeem Grant ran for a touchdown on a direct snap to running back Kalen Ballage. Buffalo's lead was down to 30-20 and the Dolphins lined up for a two-point conversion with 14:35 remaining. Out of a bunch formation, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a shovel pass to Allen Hurns and the wide receiver got stuffed at the 1-yard line. The Bills hung on to their two-score lead and responded with a game-icing eight-play, 62-yard touchdown drive. Miami turned the ball over on downs on the next possessions and most of the Dolphins fans among the 64,187 at Hard Rock Stadium streamed to the exits with more than eight minutes to go.
There were moments of promise for Miami, sort of like the ones the Dolphins (2-8) managed to string together in the five previous games. Fitzpatrick completed 32 of 45 passes for 323 yards and connected for two passes of 45-plus yards to wide receiver DeVante Parker. Grant returned a kick for a touchdown, making him Miami's all-time leader in return touchdowns. The Dolphins even recovered the second successful onside kick in the NFL all season.
All these momentary successes were wiped away by whatever followed almost immediately. A 50-yard catch by Parker late in the second quarter set up a touchdown and eventually the successful onside kick, but Miami fumbled away the ball on the first play after the recovery. Grant's return sent the Dolphins into halftime down only 23-16, but Miami quickly punted on its first drive of the half and Buffalo (7-3) answered with a touchdown to push the lead back to 30-16.
The Dolphins finished with only 303 yards of offense _ including 117 on the final two garbage-time drives _ and allowed 424. Miami's offensive line gave up six sacks and its defensive line didn't sack Bills quarterback Josh Allen once.
After two straight weeks of playing the cleaner game than their opponent, the Dolphins finally ran into a potential playoff team playing and full strength and were overmatched.
It took Miami's offense more than a quarter to show any signs of life against Buffalo. On their first 10 offensive plays, the Dolphins amassed 110 total yards. At the end of the first quarter, Miami had 11 total yards _ and negative-7 outside of an 18-yard pass from Fitzpatrick to Hurns. At one point, the Bills were outgaining the Dolphins, 212-11.
It flipped all at once for Miami. After four straight punts to start the game, the Dolphins faced another third down to start their fifth and Fitzpatrick found DeVante Parker wide open in the middle of the field. The wide receiver raced to the left sideline then chugged all the way to Buffalo's 12-yard line after a 50-yard gain. Two plays later, Kalen Ballage punched in a 3-yard touchdown run to cut the Bills' lead to 16-7.
The run put Ballage at zero yards and a touchdown on six carries. The starting halfback finished with 9 yards on nine carries with the touchdown.
The Dolphins kept the pressure on, but it only lasted a few more moments. Kicker Jason Sanders recovered a surprise onside kick to give Miami a chance to cut the lead to one score before halftime and Fitzpatrick nearly made it happen. The quarterback connected with Hurns on a deep post, only the receiver simply dropped the ball. The play was initially ruled an incomplete pass before replay review determined Hurns actually caught the ball and fumbled it away. Buffalo took over at its own 25-yard line and marched down the field for a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
Hurns, who signed a two-year contract extension Saturday, finished with four catches for 53 yards and the fumble, plus another drop on a play which could have resulted in a sizable gain.
Even after Grant returned the ensuing kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown, the Dolphins could never get the lead down to one possession. The Bills took a 23-16 lead into halftime and extended it in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter.
For all its flaws, Buffalo had a massive advantage in the trenches. Tackle Julien Davenport, Miami's starting left tackle, hadn't played since Week 1 and just came off injured reserve Saturday. Defensive end Taco Charlton, the Dolphins' most productive pass rusher with six sacks, sat out with an elbow injury.
With an unstable offensive line going against the Bills' stout defense, the Dolphins had 13 plays go for negative yardage. With no semblance of a pass rush from Miami's front seven, Allen picked apart the Dolphins, going 21 of 33 for 256 yards and three touchdowns, and running for another 56 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
A day before this all, star Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, a potential target for Miami in the 2020 NFL Draft, went down with a devastating hip injury. The Dolphins once again looked like a team which could be in position to take a prospect like him.
The future is as murky as ever for Miami, only this Sunday there was no victory to celebrate, either.
