Miami Dolphins Game 2 — The Five Biggest Plays
The Miami Dolphins dropped a 31-28 decision against the Buffalo Bills in their home opener at Hard Rock Stadium, and we break down the five biggest plays of the game.
1. Gabriel Davis’ 6-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter: The touchdown that gave the Bills the lead for good was nothing short of a magnificent effort by the rookie from UCF, as he dove to grab the ball just before it hit the ground. That actually a poor throw by Josh Allen because Davis was open in the end zone and he was running in the same direction as Allen. Without that spectacular catch, the Bills would have been forced to settle for a field goal and a 20-20 tie.
2. Josh Allen’s 47-yard completion to Stefon Diggs in the fourth quarter: Once the Bills got from their 25 to the Dolphins 28 in just one play, it almost seemed inevitable the drive would end in a Buffalo touchdown. This play was demoralizing because it was the first snap from scrimmage after the Dolphins had taken their first lead of the game. Diggs took advantage of Noah Igbinoghene's eagerness with a quick stop-and-go move that got the rookie biting.
3. Allen’s 46-yard touchdown to John Brown: The Dolphins were looking at the opportunity of getting the ball back with a chance to take the lead when Buffalo had a third-and-9, but the defense let John Brown get open deep. What made the play disappointing — and surprising — is that Brown got open on a deep crossing route on the previous play, but Allen expected Brown to run a post. They went back to the same play, and that time it worked to perfection.
4. The fourth-down drop by Preston Williams: This one would rank higher in terms of how it played into the final outcome if the Dolphins defense hadn’t produced a three-and-out right after and the offense hadn’t gone ahead and scored. Still, there’s no downplaying the disappointment of failing to get points after having first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. On that fourth down, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw behind Williams, but he still should have caught it.
5. Jordan Poyer’s sack in the fourth quarter: This was the play that derailed the Dolphins’ drive between the two Buffalo touchdowns that turned a 20-17 Miami lead into a 31-20 deficit. After getting a free first down with an illegal contact penalty on Tre'Davious White, the Dolphins had a first down at their 30 when Poyer broke free on a safety blitz. He dropped Fitzpatrick for a 9-yard loss and a second-down incompletion left Miami in a third-and-19. The Dolphins then called for a safe short pass to Myles Gaskin, who was able to gain 11 yards but not get anywhere near the first down. Buffalo got the ball back and scored another touchdown to increased its lead to 11 points.
