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What Dolphins S Jordan Poyer said after late penalty on Bills WR Keon Coleman

Miami Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer spoke about his late hit on Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman that resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty.

Kyle Silagyi

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The Buffalo Bills got an unintended assist from an old friend in their Week 9 divisional bout with the Miami Dolphins, as former Bills and current Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer took an unnecessary roughness penalty on a Buffalo third-and-long late in the fourth quarter that not only extended the team’s final drive, but helped place it in position for Tyler Bass’ 61-yard game-winning field goal. 

Poyer, who manned the Bills’ defensive backfield for seven seasons before being released and signing with Miami in the spring, took the penalty with under a minute remaining in the contest; Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen attempted to find rookie wideout Keon Coleman deep down the field on a third-and-nine, with Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith providing primary coverage. Poyer attempted to provide an assist and break the pass up while Coleman was in the air, and while he did interrupt the completion, he initiated contact with his helmet, his attempt resulting in a head-to-head collision. This led to the unnecessary roughness penalty and ultimate Bills field goal.

While Poyer’s hit certainly wasn’t made with malicious intent, there was certainly head-to-head contact on the play, albeit unintended. That said, the veteran safety still feels as though it was a clean play, telling reporters after the game that he didn’t necessarily agree with the flag.

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“I thought it was a clean play,” Poyer said, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “I feel like I put my helmet right in his chest. Just playing football.”

That’s quite a liberal usage of the word “clean,” as the crown of Poyer’s helmet undoubtedly collided with Coleman’s chin and forced his head back. It’s also an interesting word choice given that the rookie was injured on the play; it looked as though his hand was crunched underneath Poyer’s helmet on the hit, and he left the game with a wrist injury that will require further testing on Monday.

Questionable play and subsequent defense aside, the Bills (barring a trade) will not see Poyer again this season, as they've already defeated the Dolphins in both of their 2024 matchups. The team will have to cross its fingers that Coleman did not suffer a significant injury and that it will not feel long-lasting ramifications from the last-minute penalty.

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Kyle Silagyi
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