NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Buffalo Bills 35, Miami Dolphins 0

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa exited the game in the first quarter with a rib injury and did not return, resulting in a lackluster performance from the Miami Dolphins offense. Both teams combined for five first-half turnovers, but the Buffalo Bills ultimately cruised to a 35-0 victory.

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Buffalo Bills

Quarterbacks

Despite throwing for two touchdowns, Josh Allen has yet to reignite the fire that made him an MVP candidate last season. Allen completed 52% of his passes for 179 yards and a career-high 10.8% turnover-worthy play percentage.

To its credit, the Dolphins secondary made some great plays but, at the same time, Allen had a handful of questionable throws that could have resulted in more than just one interception.

Running Backs

Buffalo gave up on the run game last week but was determined to run the ball efficiently against Miami. Devin Singletary’s opening carry went for a 46-yard touchdown and despite an early fumble from Zack Moss, he made up for it in the fourth quarter, fighting his way to the end zone for two touchdown runs.

Singletary finished with a game-high 82 rushing yards on an efficient 6.8 yards per carry.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Similar to Singletary, Stefon Diggs scored a touchdown on his first touch of the game, scoring from four yards out. Diggs wound up leading the team in receiving yards with 60, mostly due to a long fourth-quarter completion. Overall, it was a tough day for the Bills receivers to create separation, as Diggs had the highest yards per route run at a measly 1.76.

Offensive Line

It was not a stellar performance from the Bills offensive line, as it allowed 12 total pressures but kept the pocket clean enough for Allen to find his receivers. Daryl Williams allowed the only sack for the game.

Defensive Line

Buffalo’s pass rush proved to be an issue from the opening snap, as the unit got to Tagovailoa twice on the first drive of the game. Later in the first quarter, A.J. Epenesa hit Tagovailoa as he threw on a fourth-down play, which forced the Miami quarterback out of the game. As a whole, the Bills pass rush combined for six sacks and 38 total pressures, led by Epenesa with eight.

Linebackers

Matt Milano played 58 defensive snaps and was particularly dominant as a pass rusher and run defender. Milano created pressure on six of his eight pass-rush snaps and finished with a team-high four defensive stops.

Secondary

Buffalo’s secondary was causing issues everywhere. Micah Hyde and Taron Johnson helped with the pressure, as each recorded a sack in the opening quarter off blitz packages. In coverage, the secondary combined to only allow five first downs while also forcing four incompletions.

Levi Wallace intercepted Jacoby Brissett in the first quarter and is set to have the best coverage grade on the team (91.8) upon first review.

Miami Dolphins

Quarterbacks

Tagovailoa threw just four passes before exiting the game with a rib injury from an Epenesa hit. Brissett entered the game in relief and couldn’t get anything going because of the constant pressure in his face. Twenty-four of his 45 dropbacks were pressured, which resulted in Brissett finishing with a 6.3-yard average depth of target and 60.1 passer rating.

Jacoby Brissett stats:

Running Backs

After going down two touchdowns early, the Dolphins mostly relied on the passing game to move the ball, which resulted in another quiet performance from Dolphins running backs. Myles Gaskin led the team in rushing yards (25) and had the team’s only explosive rushing play.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Even after Tagovailoa went out, the Dolphins receivers struggled to corral the ball and maintain possession. Both Jaylen Waddle and Jakeem Grant fumbled in key situations while DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson combined to drop three passes.

Despite the fumble, Waddle was Miami's best receiver, leading the team with six passes for 48 yards.

Offensive Line

In back-to-back weeks, the Dolphins offensive line allowed pressure on a consistent basis, and this time, it resulted in an injury to their starting quarterback.

Ultimately, Buffalo’s pass rush proved to be too much to handle, as four of the five starters allowed at least four pressures each. For what it’s worth, Michael Deiter only allowed one pressure on 54 pass-blocking snaps. Liam Eichenberg was the only offensive lineman with a pass-blocking grade above 40, upon first review.

Defensive Line

The Dolphins pass rush did the best it could to get after Allen, but it wasn't consistent enough to get the defense off the field. Andrew Van Ginkel and Emmanuel Ogbah split the only sack.

Linebackers

Jerome Baker was the only linebacker to receive significant snaps in the game with 61. Upon first review, he finished with a 67.9 defensive grade that consisted of two pressures, one forced incompletion and one defensive stop.

Secondary

Miami’s secondary was the lone bright spot in the game. Xavien Howard intercepted Allen inside Buffalo's own 20-yard line, which set up a scoring opportunity for the offense. Despite that, Howard allowed three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.