The Dolphins saw their two-game winning streak come to an end with their 37-20 loss against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
We examine the five biggest plays of the game.
1. Allen's TD pass to Brown
The Dolphins held Buffalo to field goals after the Bills got into scoring position on their first two drives, but there was no such luck on the third possession. Three plays after Josh Allen and John Brown connected for a 24-yard gain, the two hooked up again on first-and-10 from the Dolphins 40-yard line. Allen threw a perfect pass to the right sideline over the head of cornerback Nik Needham and right into the arms of Brown, who was able to elude safety Bobby McCain to reach the end zone. Allen's accuracy has been a topic of conversation since he joined the Bills as a first-round pick in 2018, but he was right on target on that one. The extra point made it 13-0.
2. The key fumble
After Kalen Ballage’s 3-yard touchdown run brought the Dolphins to within 16-7 in the second quarter, Jason Sanders perfectly executed an onside kick when he dribbled the ball forward in the middle of the field and grabbed it himself beyond 10 yards. The Dolphins clearly had the momentum, along with a first-and-10 at their 47-yard line. On first down, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a strike down the middle of the field to wide receiver Allen Hurns at the Buffalo 35-yard line. Hurns took a couple of strides with the ball before it squirted loose from his grasp, with Buffalo safety Jorday Poyer falling on it at the Bills 25-yard line. The play initially was ruled an incomplete pass, but the Bills challenged the ruling and it was reversed to a completion and a fumble. Buffalo then drove 75 yards to score again, this time on a 23-yard pass from Allen to tight end Dawson Knox, to make it 23-7.
3. Jakeem to the house
The Dolphins responded to the Buffalo touchdown with Jakeem Grant’s thrilling 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which gave them some momentum again heading into the second half.
4. A costly penalty
The Dolphins had the ball first in the second half and got a first down before Fitzpatrick took off from the pocket on second-and-10 from their 35. Fitzpatrick found a gaping hole on the left side and got all the way to the Bills 45-yard line, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty on guard Evan Boehm that could only be described as dubious. Put in a second-and-20 hole, the Dolphins ended up punting and the Bills then drove for a touchdown that increased their lead to 30-14.
5. Roberts' 44-yard kickoff return
The Dolphins used the Wildcat to perfection on two plays after they had a first-and-10 from the Buffalo 14-yard line, with Kalen Ballage gaining 7 yards after keeping the ball and Grant then scoring from 7 yards out after taking a handoff from Ballage on second-and-3. Even after a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Dolphins trailed 30-20 with 14:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, plenty of time to pull off a comeback. But the momentum disappeared on the ensuing kickoff when Andre Roberts took the ball 6 yards deep into the end zone and returned it 44 yards to the 38-yard line. Eight plays later, Allen and Brown connected for a second touchdown and the Bills had a 17-point cushion, 37-20, with 10:38 left.
