The difference in quarterback play in the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Miami Dolphins Sunday was obvious. Josh Allen outplayed Tua Tagovailoa by a mile.
The difference in offensive tackle play was almost as big. The Bills got outstanding pass blocking from Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams. Miami tackles Liam Eichenberg and Jesse Davis struggled.
Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes had five pressures and beat Eichenberg for a sack. Defensive end Greg Rousseau had five pressures, according to Buffalo News charts. Mario Addison had three pressures, including a sack against Eichenberg.
Eichenberg is a second-round pick from Notre Dame who allowed only one sack his last two years of college. But he doesn’t have elite athletic tools by NFL tackle standards, which is why some draft scouts thought he’d be a better fit at guard. However, he was switched to tackle when Austin Jackson, a first-round pick in 2020, was demoted from tackle to guard. Jackson is a finesse player who did not look good in run blocking vs. the Bills.
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The Dolphins might have to undertake a wholesale rebuild of its offensive line again after the season.
Here are the position-by-position grades for the game, based on video review and on a scale of 0 to 5:
Defensive line (4.5): Ed Oliver also shined on the defensive line, with three hurries and stout run play. He beat Jackson on a third-down run stuff late in the first half, and he was too quick for big guard Robert Hunt. In addition to his pressures, Rousseau had an early run stuff when he dominated tight end Adam Shaheen at the point of attack. It was a strong day at the 1-technique spot for Star Lotulelei and Harrison Phillips. Keep in mind the level of competition. Miami shows no willingness to play physical up front. The Dolphins rank 30th in rushing yards.
Linebackers (4.5): Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano played tough filling gaps against the run. Tagovailoa did not handle pressure well. The Miami QB was just 3 of 10 on plays in which either Edmunds or Milano rushed the passer. Overall, the Bills blitzed (rushed five or more men) 14 times, and Tagovailoa was only 6 of 14 for 32 yards on those plays. It didn’t help the Dolphins that their deep threat (Will Fuller) has been hurt almost all season or that No. 4 wideout Preston Williams sat out the game. Miami played 12 personnel (two tight ends) virtually the entire game, essentially using tight end Mike Gesicki as a big wideout. But that only enhanced the horizontal nature of their pass offense.
Defensive backs (4.5): Tre’Davious White was outstanding, allowing just three catches for 20 yards on 11 targets. Levi Wallace gave up some underneath hitches when the Bills were blitzing. The 40-yard pass to Gesicki on man coverage by Micah Hyde was the longest completion for Tagovailoa in 14 career starts. Rousseau got his helmet knocked off by Davis on the play but there was no call for illegal hands to the face. Jordan Poyer led the Bills with nine tackles and seemed to see the soft toss down the middle from a mile away on the final interception.
Quarterback (4.0): The Dolphins got back to their attack personality. Miami sent five or more pass rushers at Josh Allen on 25 of 48 dropbacks, according to Buffalo News charts. That’s the highest rate Allen has seen all season. He was just 3 of 8 passing in the first half vs. the blitz. But in the second half, Allen was 12 of 15 for 102 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins did a good job dropping linemen back on zone dogs and rallying to the ball to contain the Bills’ quick “now” passes to wide receivers. Allen was sensational at eluding pass rushers in the second half.
The Bills used a little less play action than usual (10 times), but both touchdown passes came off play-action run fakes.
Receivers (4.0): While the Dolphins got strong games from their two outside cornerbacks, Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, slot corner Nik Needham couldn’t handle Cole Beasley, giving up four catches for 66 yards to the Bills veteran. Beasley’s third-and-14 conversion looked like Cover 2 with man underneath. The next two third-down catches came vs. man coverage and six-man blitzes. Howard got a fair amount of safety help in covering Diggs, but he had no help on the 19-yard TD pass. The Bills showed confidence in tight end Tommy Sweeney, flexing him out in a slot position on 15 plays. He missed a blitz pickup in the second quarter and was beaten at the point of attack by Brennan Scarlett on a third-quarter run stuff. But he came back with a nice catch on a cross against Brandon Jones, and he drew a key pass interference call before the first TD.
Offensive line (2.5): Dawkins gave up no pressures, blocking a lot against rookie edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, the 18th pick in the draft. He also locked up Emmanuel Ogbah on the third-and-14 pass to Beasley. On the third-and-1 run failure early in the second quarter, Jon Feliciano was beaten at the point of attack by Zach Seiler. Feliciano got pushed back by Ogbah on a bat-down of an Allen pass and by Christian Wilkins on a bat-down. He also had a hold on a run play. Kind of a long day for Feliciano. Mitch Morse fared better, getting good blocks on back-to-back runs of 7 and 13 yards in the third quarter. Morse did a nice job passing off Adam Butler and picking up Phillips on the third-and-13 pass to Beasley. It was tough run blocking against first-round DTs Raekwon Davis and Wilkins. Ike Boettger fared pretty well in pass protection.
Running backs (2.0): The Bills now are 5 of 9 when running on third-and-1 situations. Devin Singletary and Zach Moss combined for 15 carries for 47 yards (3.1 a carry). Blitz pickup was the bright side. Moss missed an early one. But he picked up Brandon Jones on the TD pass to Gabe Davis and on a third-and-11 conversion. Singletary picked up Jones on the third-and-13 conversion.
Special teams (3.0): The muffed punt by Isaiah McKenzie brings down the grade, although hustle by Siran Neal and Jake Kumerow allowed the Bills to get a touchback. Matt Haack hit three good punts but the other was a 19-yard shank. Taiwan Jones and Poyer made good coverage plays to pin Miami inside the 25 on two kickoffs. Tyler Bass has been so good, one almost takes his 57-yard field goal for granted. What a great draft pick he was. His play brings up the grade.
