What went right, what went wrong for the Dolphins vs. Bills in Week 2

It was an early AFC East showdown, with the top two clubs in the division in both 2022 and 2023 squaring off.

The Miami Dolphins want what the Buffalo Bills have, and that's a division title.

Unfortunately for Mike McDaniel's club, his squad was not ready for primetime in Thursday night's 31-10 home setback. What went right and what went wrong for the Dolphins in Week 2?

What went right: Commitment to the run

In Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dolphins finished the game with 25 rushing attempts for 81 yards. McDaniel's club combined for a dozen carries in the first three quarters, then ran the ball 13 times alone in the final 15 minutes. Miami's offensive front started to gel as the game wore on. Even with Raheem Mostert out on Thursday night, attacking Buffalo's vulnerable run defense appeared to be the right move.

Second-year pro De'Von Achane had a huge night in a losing effort. He finished with 22 of the Dolphins' 34 running plays, and 96 of the club's 139 yards on the ground. It appeared to be the right game plan. Of course, teammate Tua Tagovailoa wound up throwing three interceptions—two in the first quarter. Going forward, that persistency when it comes to the ground attack will certainly pay off.

What went right: Solid third-down defense, but…

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver's unit perhaps deserved a better fate at home in primetime against the Dolphins' longtime divisional rival. Buffalo ran 45 plays for 247 total yards (5.5 average). That included 59 total yards in the second half, when the Bills' offense failed to find the end zone. This group seemed to pick up where it left off last week, when they held the Jaguars to four yards in the final quarter.

The Dolphins really stiffened up on third down in this primetime meeting, and it's worth giving them their due. Buffalo's offense was just 3-of-9 on the night when it came to this key statistic. That being said, just how did Sean McDermott's team score three offensive TDs in the first half? A closer look shows that Weaver's defense, which has played respectable football so far, did not come up big in other aspects.

What went wrong: Vulnerability to the big play

The aforementioned yardage total for the Bills on Thursday night read just 247. That's 105 fewer yards than Josh Allen and company managed a week earlier in the team's 34-28 come-from-behind win over the Arizona Cardinals. To put that in perspective when it comes to this rivalry, the Bills had totaled 400-plus yards of offense in each of their previous five meetings with the Dolphins, including the 2022 playoff encounter.

In their 21-point loss on Thursday night, running back James Cook scored on a 17-yard toss on fourth down from Josh Allen. Teammate Ty Johnson grabbed a pass from Allen and totaled 33 yards on the play, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Cook. Finally, Miami allowed a 49-yard touchdown run to Cook in the second quarter. So much for that impressive third down stat.

What went wrong: Tua Tagovailoa ties a personal mark

It did not end well for the five-year pro. Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday night's game vs. the Bills late in the fourth quarter with a concussion. It was a rough performance for a player who led the NFL in passing yards in 2023, and threw for the most yards in the league in Week 1 (338) in a victory over Jacksonville.

Tagovailoa connected on 17-of-25 throws (68.0 percent), but for just 145 yards. There were only two pass plays that covered 20-plus yards, and both were made by wideout Jaylen Waddle. His five-yard toss to Achane in the first quarter was Miami's only touchdown of the game. Tagovailoa threw a pair of interceptions in the first quarter and a pick-six in the third quarter. The three interceptions matched a career-high first set against the Bills in 2020. So, what does the future hold for the Dolphins' quarterback?

What went wrong: Same old horri-bill results

It's safe to say that Sean McDermott's team has the Dolphins' number. Since his arrival in Buffalo in 2017, and including that wild 34-31 playoff triumph in Orchard Park in 2022, his talented club now owns a daunting 14-2 advantage in this longtime AFC East rivalry. The Bills have now won the last five meetings. This latest victory came sans a big outing from quarterback Josh Allen, who has traditionally feasted in this series.

In the 16 overall meetings dating back to '17, Dolphins head coaches Adam Gase (0-2), Brian Flores (1-7), and Mike McDaniel (1-5) have not fared very well in this setting. The Bills have scored 30-plus points in 10 of the last 13 meetings dating back to the clubs' second encounter in 2018. Even more disappointing is the fact that the Dolphins are a staggering 2-6 at home vs. McDermott's squad. When will the misery end?

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