Dolphins-Bills Week 9 Five Biggest Storylines...and How They Played Out

The Miami Dolphins dropped a 30-27 decision at Highmark Stadium.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws a pass with Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) nearby in the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins' record dropped to 2-6 with their 30-27 last-second loss against Buffalo at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.

The Dolphins lost at Buffalo for the seventh consecutive time and on a late field goal for the second week in a row.

We examined the five biggest storylines for this Week 9 matchup ahead of the matchup, so now it's time to revisit those and see how they played out.

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1) ALL HANDS ON DECK AGAINST ALLEN

Before the Game

The one common denominator in the Bills' recent dominance against the Dolphins and the AFC East is quarterback Josh Allen, who should be among the leading candidates for NFL MVP through the first eight weeks of the 2024 season. Allen's numbers against the Dolphins are borderline crazy, and even though he passed for only 139 yards in the Week 2 matchup at Hard Rock Stadium, he had a 107.1 passer rating. Allen threw his first pick of the season against Seattle last week, and it would be a major boost for the Dolphins' hopes if they could get one against him in this game.

During the Game

The Dolphins held Allen under a 100 passer rating and held him to 235 yards, which looks good on the surface. The problem is the defense had no answer in the second half and couldn't stop the final drive. The Dolphins did get a pick against Allen, though it was the result of rookie receiver Keon Coleman misplaying a pass into the hands of Jalen Ramsey. Allen also had a touchdown scramble taken away by a dubious holding penalty. So it was a mixed bag overall, but in the end, it was a tough outing for an injury-plagued Dolphins defense that bent too much for a second consecutive week.

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2) TIME FOR A BIG PASS PLAY

Before the Game

Here's a completely crazy stat when you think about it: In the last three Dolphins-Bills matchups, the Dolphins do not have a single pass play longer than 24 yards. That came in the 2023 season finale on a Tua Tagovailoa hook-up with Cedrick Wilson Jr. The longest completion in the first matchup in 2023 in Week 4 at Buffalo was 23 yards to fullback Alec Ingold. The longest in Week 2 this year was a 21-yarder to Jaylen Waddle. That just won't give the Dolphins a great chance to win. The Dolphins need long connections as Tua had with Waddle in each game in 2022 — 45 yards in Miami and 67 yards in Buffalo. Tyreek Hill does not have a catch of at least 25 yards in eight regular season matchups against Buffalo, so this obviously would be a great time to change that.

During the Game

It was more of the same during the game in this one, with Buffalo protecting against Hill and Waddle over the top. Tagovailoa did go over the top once, and the result was a 28-yard completion to Hill down the left sideline, but the pass was late and underthrown. That's why, even though the play resulted in a big gain, Tagovailoa was seen visibly upset afterward because he knew that easily could have been a 39-yard touchdown. And this was a drive where the Dolphins had to settle for a field goal, obviously a big difference in a three-point outcome. The Dolphins moved the ball well with their running game and short passing, but this was a rare opportunity and semi-missed.

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3) TIME TO RELY ON THE RUNNING GAME?

Before the Game

Maybe the Dolphins won't need a big play in the passing game, but that likely would be the case if the running game can produce big numbers and come through with some first downs down the stretch. The Dolphins rushed for at least 150 yards in their past three games. Still, they were 1-2 in those games because the passing game failed against Indianapolis and because the defense couldn't hold the lead against Arizona after the offense was unable to run out the clock at the end. Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane have had a big game against the Bills the past two seasons, and Jaylen Wright has the talent to break a long one.

During the Game

It was another strong outing for the running game, with Miami gaining 149 yards on 31 carries with a solid 4.8 average. That included a kneel-down by Tua at the end of the first half, along with his 4-yard scramble for a first down. While no gain was longer than 16 yards, the running game consistently picked up healthy chunks of yardage. The one negative was the failure (again!) to pick up a third-and-1 on the team's second drive, which potentially cost the Dolphins when they settled for a field goal on the next play. Again, in a game like this, the Dolphins didn't have that kind of margin for error.

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4) SPECIAL TEAMS NEED TO STEP UP

Before the Game

The Dolphins will need contributions from all groups if they pull off the upset, and something like Cedrick Wilson Jr.'s 50-yard punt return in the 2022 playoff game would help. The Dolphins also can't afford a missed Jason Sanders field goal because they'll be operating with a slim margin for error.

During the Game

There was little of note for the Dolphins on special teams, but what there was wasn't good. Jake Bailey mis-hit his only punt for 37 yards, and the Bills returned it 29 yards for a net of 8 yards. That play alone put Buffalo in field goal range. Not good.

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5) TUA TIME

Before the Game

This probably should be listed higher, but we'll save it for later. This is the opportunity for a signature game for Tagovailoa, who overall was impressive against Arizona last weekend but still was the second-best quarterback on the field that day. The Dolphins gave Tagovailoa his massive contract extension in July because they felt he was the guy who could take them where they wanted to go. Well, this is the kind of game the Dolphins will have to win, and it is where Tua needs to be the best quarterback on the field on that day. Besides, a big performance by Tagovailoa likely would make a lot of "salty" fans forget about his comments.

During the Game

Things got off to an ironically bad start when Tagovailoa fumbled the shotgun snap on the team's third offensive play, leading to a sack. However, it's possible it would have been a sack anyway, considering how quickly Gregory Rousseau got to the quarterback. That sack led to the Dolphins' only punt of the game. Tagovailoa was very sharp in executing the offense and came up big in the game-tying drive in the final minutes, with a nifty third-down completion to Jaylen Waddle followed by his touchdown pass from a different angle. The underthrow to Hill in the third quarter was painful, even with the completion, because — again — the Dolphins had such little margin for error. Overall, it's hard to find too much fault with Tagovailoa's performance.