Can Miami’s Unanswered Questions Against Buffalo be Found in Vegas?

Just about nothing went right for the Miami Dolphins in their home opener in week two.

The Dolphins hosted the Buffalo Bills to Hard Rock Stadium looking to prove last season’s 30-point season finale loss was a fluke. It didn’t take long to see that wasn’t the case.

Big Hit from Bills Sends Tua Packing, Brissett to Start Week 3

Early in the game Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went down with an injury after taking a big hit from Buffalo’s A.J. Epenesa. The Miami offensive line had already allowed two sacks and multiple pressures not even a quarter in at the time of Tagovailoa’s departure. We now know, following further tests, he has suffered fractured ribs and will miss at least week three in Las Vegas.

Backup QB Jacoby Brissett subbed into the game and the Bills continued taking advantage of the Dolphins after that.

Buffalo Scores Twice Early

The Bills reached the end zone twice in the first quarter. The first touchdown came off of a 46-yard run from running back Devin Singletary with more than 12 minutes left in the period. The score came on Singletary’s first carry of the game.

Five minutes later, after again getting the Dolphins off the field, Buffalo QB Josh Allen took the team down the field and fired a 5-yard pass to wide receiver Stefon Diggs to take a 14-point lead. 

Dolphins Almost Get on the Board Multiple Times

Brissett tried to get the team going, but on his second drive, he threw an interception after misreading defensive coverage. He was looking for tight end Mike Gesicki down the right sideline and attempted to pull the defender into the middle of the field, but he didn’t jump the pass, and instead jumped Gesicki for the easy pick.

The very next drive for the Dolphins resulted in another turnover after piecing together a 13-play drive. 

Neither team scored in the second quarter, despite the Dolphins being in field goal range multiple times and having a red zone turnover.

Bills Get Scores from All Over Offense

The Bills more than finished the job in the second half, piling on three more TDs to win by a 5-TD margin. Allen found tight end Dawson Knox for the third score of the game in the third quarter and RB Zack Moss put the game out of reach with his scores in the fourth. 

Moss would score TDs on seven and one-yard runs to finish the shutout pounding of the Dolphins.

“Give Buffalo credit, they’re a good team,” Miami head coach Brian Flores said after the week two loss. “They played well in all three phases. We need to do a better job from an execution standpoint, give ourselves an opportunity to be in the game.”

Flores Takes Responsibility, But Also Places Rightful Blame on Players

Flores also took responsibility in the post-game press conference for not having his team ready and prepared to play. Something he said, begins with him.

He also didn’t hold back on saying different units of the team needed to play better, most notably, the offensive line and wide receivers. Flores called out lineman Austin Jackson specifically, who allowed the most pressures, as well as the receivers. DeVante Parker dropped a TD, Jakeem Grant and Jaylen Waddle fumbled, while Albert Wilson and Malcolm Brown dropped critical fourth downs that were in their hands, across the first down marker.

“It’s hard to put your thumb on it, obviously everything didn’t go right but everything didn’t go wrong, but we just got to find a way to see what we did well and build off of that,” Brissett said during the postgame press conference. “It’s going to be very important that we watch this film, be critical of ourselves, and try to build off of our good plays.” 

Allen finished the day going 17-for-33 for 179 yards and two scores. Singletary finished the day with 13 carries for 82 yards to lead the running game, but Moss reached the end zone twice. He finished with 26 yards.

For the Dolphins, Tagovailoa finished the day completing only 1-for-4 passes before he fractured his ribs. Brissett went 24-for-40 for 169 yards and one interception. 

How Do the Dolphins Bounce Back in Las Vegas?

Flores and team members say that they have to bounce back from their loss after studying film and seeing what went wrong for them on Sunday.

But how will they do that?

The obvious answer is to catch the football. But Miami needs its offensive line to provide more time against a suspect Raiders defense. Despite a 2-0 start, Las Vegas has given up 44 points through two games. The Dolphins have surrendered 51 in a mostly even slate.

Providing added time on Sunday saw Brissett escape the pocket and provide somewhat of a mobile attack for the Dolphins when the receivers couldn’t find separation. However, the biggest key, will be the WRs finding that separation. 

It’s Fuller Time

The Dolphins will see WR Will Fuller V make his aqua and orange debut in a time Miami couldn’t need him more. The deep threat will look to do what he does best, burn defenses deep and force secondaries to stay honest in coverage.

Brissett may be a backup, but he’s no rookie. The 6-year veteran is one of the best backups in the league, and the fresh set of legs on Fuller should help provide an example in the WR corps for those around him. The OL may still have work, but Fuller V should be able to, and eager, to catch the football.

A new face with no Dolphins game tape to work with for the Raiders could be one of the biggest advantages for Miami early in the season. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. on Sunday in Miami’s first game in Las Vegas.

Kayla Morton contributed to this article.

– Daniel Roberts is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. Like and follow on Follow @dantheman1892 Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.

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