American Heritage grad Isaiah McKenzie’s career day helps crush Dolphins’ playoff dreams
When Isaiah McKenzie sat down back at his locker after the Buffalo Bills’ 56-26 thrashing of the Miami Dolphins, his phone was flooded with text messages.
“Why did you do that to the Dolphins?” McKenzie’s friends and family from South Florida wanted to know.
“I did what I had to do,” the Bills wide receiver said.
Before the weekend began, McKenzie had four touchdowns in his entire career. On Sunday, he scored three in the first half — two on receptions and one on a punt return — to help crush the playoff hopes of his hometown team and likely keep Miami out of the postseason for the fourth straight year.
The Dolphins (10-6) failed in virtually every area Sunday in Orchard Park, New York, and McKenzie almost singlehandedly put them in a three-score hole in the first 25 minutes.
McKenzie, who overcame a difficult childhood in Miami Gardens and starred at American Heritage School in Plantation, finished with six catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns, plus the punt-return touchdown. He helped star quarterback Josh Allen break out of his first-half funk in the second quarter, then broke the game open heading into halftime.
Each time he crossed the plane, he smiled a massive smile and danced the salsa in the end zone at Bills Stadium. It’s what he does after every touchdown — not that there have been many in his four-year career — and this week he did it while stunning his hometown team.
Back when he was playing at American Heritage, McKenzie earned the nickname “Joystick” because of the game-breaking, video game-worthy moves he made at just 5-foot-8 and about 170 pounds, and he put the entire package on display Sunday with an increased role because of an injury to Buffalo wide receiver Cole Beasley.
For his first touchdown, McKenzie ran a basic out route and simply outran cornerback Nik Needham to the pylon in the front right corner of the end zone to put the Bills (13-3) ahead 7-3 with a 7-yard touchdown. On Buffalo’s next drive, McKenzie capitalized on a free play when the Dolphins jumped offisdes, and he got away from Needham again for a 14-yard touchdown catch and 14-3 lead after the Bills’ offensive line gave Allen plenty of time to dissect the defense.
On his third touchdown, he was the “Joystick” from his high school days, fielding a punt at his own 16-yard line and weaving through Miami’s coverage team to score his first career return touchdown and give Buffalo a 21-3 lead with 5:44 left in the first half.
The second-quarter tour de force is the shining moment of the former fifth-round pick’s still-young career so far and it helped the Bills clinch the No. 2 seed in the American Football Conference.
“He’s a winner,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said. “He’s continued to show when the deck is stacked against him, he gets it done.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 5:53 PM.
