Dolphins at the Half: The Big Story

The short-handed Miami Dolphins defense is shutting down Josh Allen.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) is tackled by Miami Dolphins linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah (91) in the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins figured they would need a huge performance from their offense to have any shot at defeating the Buffalo Bills because of their injuries on defense, but it didn't play out that way in the first half.

Quite the opposite, actually.

The defense provided a 10-6 halftime lead, giving the Dolphins a realistic shot of pulling off the massive upset at Highmark Stadium, a victory that could be significant beyond words.

Major kudos go to defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who devised a scheme that slowed down Dolphins killer Josh Allen, thanks to some good fortune and big plays by Emmanuel Ogbah and Jalen Ramsey.

Ogbah tackled Allen for a 7-yard loss on a third-and-3 from the Miami 15-yard line after the Bills took advantage of a bad punt by Jake Bailey, and a long return set them up at the Miami 37.

Ramsey's play was even bigger. He caught a deflection when Allen's pass to rookie Keon Coleman bounced off his shoulder, turning a potential touchdown into an interception off the carom.

The Dolphins held Buffalo to a meager 118 yards, helped in large part by a running game that sparked a 97-yard touchdown drive after the Ramsey interception, which consumed 8:21 of the second quarter.

But make no mistake — this first half was about the defense. We played without starters Zach Sieler, Jevon Holland, nickel back Kader Kohou, and Storm Duck.

Weaver made a switch at linebacker, with Anthony Walker, Jr. replacing David Long Jr., and the result was obviously positive.

This was a half in which everybody chipped in, from Chop Robinson getting around left tackle, Dion Dawkins, to force a third-down incompletion to Calais Campbell again being a factor against the run.

This was quite a nice rebound effort after the collapse against the Arizona Cardinals when the defense couldn't hold a 27-18 lead.

OFFENSE SOLID, CAN BE BETTER

The offense didn't turn the ball over in the first half but was far from perfect.

The most notable issues were Tagovailoa's dropped shotgun snap, which led to his being tackled for a 7-yard loss, and another failed third-and-1 run, which forced the Dolphins to settle for a field goal.

But overall, this was a good first half, particularly considering how Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were again taken out of the game by the Bills, with one catch for six yards (for Hill) between them.

The Dolphins caught a couple of breaks in the half thanks to some dubious officiating calls from the officials, including two holding penalties, with one nullifying a touchdown run by Allen. Still, nobody is going to complain about those.

All things considered, this was a very encouraging first half for Miami. They put themselves in position — they got the ball first in the second half — to pull off the big upset and get this much-needed victory at Highmark Stadium.