Who’s hot, who’s not after the Dolphins’ loss to the Bills
The Dolphins struggled on defense and sputtered on offense in a 48-20 road loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Here’s a look at who’s hot — and who’s not — after the defeat.
Who’s hot
▪ Running back De’Von Achane: Not much went right for the Dolphins’ offense after opening the game with a pair of touchdown drives. But the third-round pick continued to be a bright spot for Miami after a breakout performance in Week 3. Achane provided two of the offense’s three touchdowns, scoring on a pair of runs in the first half. Achane totaled 122 scrimmage yards, which included a 55-yard run early in the fourth quarter. After it appeared the rookie could be caught in a logjam in the position room, he continued to make a case to have an increased role in the offense.
“I’ll take a look at the tape before I hesitate to crown anybody,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “You’re looking at each individual play. I know he made some plays; the game is not too big for him. He’ll continue to have a role, for sure, for our offense moving forward. What does that look like in terms of ratios and touches? That will be something that I would be remiss if I didn’t wait to see the tape before making judgments like that.”
▪ Andrew Van Ginkel: There were very few positives to come out of a defensive performance in which the Bills scored 48 points. But Van Ginkel continued his strong start in the first month of the season. Filling for the injured Jaelan Phillips, Van Ginkel recorded both of Miami’s sacks and added three quarterback hits and five tackles. Through four games, Van Ginkel has been the Dolphins’ top pass rusher with three sacks and one of the unit’s best players.
Who’s not
▪ Cornerback Kader Kohou: The former undrafted rookie was a revelation for the Dolphins’ defense last season and has proven himself to be a capable starter. But matched often with All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Kohou had probably the worst game of his young career. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio moved Kohou from the nickel position to a permanent outside corner role in Week 3 and in the lead-up to the Week 4 matchup, he said he likely wouldn’t shadow Diggs with corner Xavien Howard. Buffalo took advantage of that, frequently lining up Diggs on Kohou’s side of the field. Kohou was in coverage for a pair of touchdown catches for Diggs, who recorded 120 receiving yards. Kohou was also flagged for three penalties, two of which were accepted.
“I feel like I could’ve played a lot better from the technique standpoint,” he said. “That’s not the type of game I want to play, so I feel like I could’ve been a whole lot better technique-wise. He’s a good receiver nonetheless, but I could’ve been better technique-wise.”
▪ Defensive front: Quarterback Josh Allen is one of the toughest players to game plan for in the NFL, with a dual-threat skill set that allows him to impact the game with his arm or legs. And his 6-5, 240-pound frame makes it tough to bring him down with one defender. But if the Dolphins want to come away with a key win over Buffalo, they have to force Allen into mistakes. And that starts with the pass rush impacting him. But the pass rush has been inconsistent through four games and outside of Van Ginkel’s contributions, the Dolphins weren’t able to rattle Allen. Miami only sacked Allen twice and hit him three times. But there were too many times when he was able to extend plays with his legs and sustain drives with his playmaking ability. The Dolphins were playing without outside linebacker Jaelan Philips, who was sidelined by an oblique injury, but the defense needs players such as Bradley Chubb and Christian Wilkins to get the quarterback more consistently.
