What to like and dislike from Miami Dolphins loss to Bills
Like: Miami Dolphins show they can run the ball
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has made a name for himself with his passing offense being one of the best in the league. Running the football has been less of a factor, but with the forecasted weather showing cold and snow, he made the adjustment and leaned on the running game and it worked.
Miami ran the ball 25 times for 188 yards and a touchdown while averaging 7.5 yards per carry, making it the best rushing performance of the season. Running back Raheem Mostert had his best game of the season, carrying the ball 17 times for 136 yards for an eight-yards-per-carry average. His speed is obviously what makes him dangerous, but his physical runs were what jumped out.
It’s first-and-10 for the Dolphins on their 25-yard line. The play is a normal handoff to Mostert to the right side and he runs for about seven yards before first contact. If he’s tackled, it’s a respectable gain on first down to set up a second-and-three situation. Instead, Mostert breaks the tackle, gets past the first down marker, proceeds to shed two more tackles, and sprints up the sideline before being horse-collar tackled at the Buffalo eight-yard line. A seven-yard run turned into a 67-yard run because of Mostert.
The one thing missing from Mostert’s big night was a trip to the end zone. That trip was given to backup running back Salvon Ahmed on an 11-yard run. Ahmed finished with season highs in carries (six), yards (43), and yards per carry (7.2) and scored his first touchdown since January 3, 2020. With Jeff Wilson Jr. out for this game, Ahmed filled the role of backup running back well.
Both Mostert and Ahmed wouldn’t have the success they had without the offensive line having its best run-blocking performance of the season. According to Pro Football Focus, four of Miami’s five starting offensive linemen earned grades of 70 or higher, the best performance by the unit this season. Left tackle Terron Armstead, who has been battling injuries the last few weeks, was Miami’s highest-rated offensive player who recorded a minimum of 20 snaps, earning a grade of 80.1 overall. Not to mention his run-blocking grade of 77 led the team by almost four points.
Miami is still in a battle to reach the postseason, but the newfound success running the ball against Buffalo shows that this team can get physical and grind out yards when it matters, something all playoff teams can do.
Dislike: Shying away from the run in short down-and-distance situations
As much as McDaniel embraced the running game as a whole, there were situations in the fourth quarter where he just couldn’t fight the itch to pass. In the final quarter of the game, Miami had two third-down situations where a running play would have been the right call.
It’s the first play of the fourth quarter, and the Dolphins are up 26-21. It’s third-and-three on their 17-yard line. Instead of running the ball, McDaniel calls a pass play, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throws a short pass to Tyreek Hill that falls incomplete. Miami is forced to punt.
After Buffalo’s one-play drive where quarterback Josh Allen is sacked and loses the fumble, Miami’s offense is back on the field in Buffalo territory. Mostert carries the ball on two straight plays for 11 and six yards and Miami is at the Buffalo 30-yard line with a second-and-four situation. A three-yard completion to Hill sets Miami up with a third-and-1on Buffalo’s 27-yard line. McDaniel calls a pass play and Tagovailoa throws it to tight end Durham Smythe for a loss of two. Miami settles for a field goal and extends the lead to 29-21.
Two different situations where Miami could have extended drives ended with a punt and a field goal. Even with Mostert averaging eight yards a carry, McDaniel elected to get the first down through the air and failed. The offense still had to execute and get those yards, but the way the Dolphins had been blocking and running the ball proceeding those plays showed they were more than capable. Sometimes the easy answer is the best answer and leaning on the efficient running game was the best option.