MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — This was an all-time bad night for the Miami Dolphins.
Not only did the Dolphins get hammered — again — by the Buffalo Bills, they lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the foreseeable future with yet another concussion.
Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins Takeaways: What We Know About Tua Tagovailoa
The final score — 31-10, Bills — was inconsequential.
The Dolphins have far bigger concerns after Tua suffered his (at least) fourth concussion since his days at Alabama.
Tagovailoa got hurt while scrambling for a first down in the third quarter Thursday night. Instead of sliding after he gained the first down, he lowered his head into the side of Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Before Tagovailoa got hurt, he threw three interceptions, including a terrible pick-six to Ja’Marcus Ingram to extend Buffalo’s lead to three touchdowns.
Find a No. 3 WR Stat
Bad things this season have happened when the Miami Dolphins have thrown the ball to Braxton Berrios, Durham Smythe, Grant DuBose, and Robbie Chosen.
DuBose and Chosen were both targeted once in the first half. Each pass resulted in a Tagovailoa interception.
Tua’s pick when targeting DuBose was 100% on the receiver. He didn’t turn his head around in time to catch a perfect ball from Tagovailoa, and the ball ricocheted into the hands of Ingram.
Later in the half, Chosen and Tagovailoa weren’t on the same page, with the wide receiver sitting down while the QB expected him to release to the outside.
The result? A Christian Benford pick.
Gettin’ Cooked
What a homecoming for James Cook.
The Dolphins had no answer for the Bills’ explosive running back, who grew up in South Florida and attended nearby Miami Central High School.
Cook, in the first half alone, scored all three Bills touchdowns.
He caught a 17-yard pass out of the backfield on Buffalo’s opening drive, powered in a 1-yard score, and then broke off a 49-yard scoring run that essentially put the game away.
Slippery Situation
There’s no nice way to say this: The playing surface stunk Thursday night.
A heavy pregame rain certainly didn’t help. There were divots everywhere, and players couldn’t keep their footing.
But this is Miami. There should be a way to drain the field and keep it somewhat together during probably the biggest home game of the season.
Offensive Line’s Painful Night
The Dolphins replaced Robert Jones with Lester Cotton at halftime after the former left with a shoulder injury. That information certainly provided context to what was an ugly first two quarters by the Dolphins’ starting left guard.
He struggled in pass protection and couldn’t get to the second level in the Dolphins’ screen game.
Cotton’s worst moment? Getting bullied by Ed Oliver for a sack on fourth-and-3 late in the second quarter. On the next play, Cook broke off his 49-yard touchdown run.
Making matters worse? Terron Armstead left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return. Kendall Lamm took his place in the lineup.