MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The wildest play of the NFL’s 272nd and final game should have been called back by penalty.
That’s according to Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who met with reporters Wednesday for the first time since his team lost the division championship to the Buffalo Bills.
The difference in that game was a touchdown. The Bills got a first-half touchdown on a catch by Trent Sherfield on a deflected pass that Fangio insists should have been negated by the officials.
“That’s a little bit of buzzard’s luck,” Fangio said. “Eli [Apple] could’ve kept competing because once the ball is tipped, there’s no more pass interference. But it happens that fast. They had linemen downfield on the play clearly. I mean way downfield because it was an RPO. Unfortunately, the officials didn’t catch it.”
Trent Sherfield kept his feet in! 😱
📺: #BUFvsMIA on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/GqJJdyI3EW pic.twitter.com/mS8msPpjUg— NFL (@NFL)
Miami Dolphins’ Vic Fangio Readies for Chiefs
The Dolphins will need those kinds of breaks to go their way, and not against them, to beat the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at their own home Saturday night.
While the Chiefs’ offense isn’t the same as it’s been in years past, they still have Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
For a Dolphins defense pulling pass rushers in their mid-30s off the street Tuesday to play Saturday, it’s a tough challenge.
But there’s some reason for optimism. They just forced three Josh Allen turnovers and held the Bills to 14 points.
“We hung in there,” Fangio said. “We got some takeaways in the red zone. We gave up a lot of yards, but we didn’t give up the points. They are a great offense. They’re going to move the ball on everybody. So you have to come up with some plays, and our guys battled, and we got some plays. It was under duress. They had a lot of plays. Our guys just played really good overall.”
Is that the Dolphins’ blueprint for Saturday?
“You hope. We’d like to not let them drive it as long as Buffalo did, but they’re obviously very capable of that with Mahomes at quarterback and the talent they have on offense. I mean, I think if we hold them to 14, that would be good.”
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
