The Lost Weekend: Miami Dolphins’ 35-0 humiliation vs. Buffalo a new low for Flores era | Opinion
Not in their foulest mood could a screenwriter or a sadist have concocted a more desultory, depressing lost weekend of football for Miami’s two big teams.
You thought it couldn’t get worse than the Miami Hurricanes’ lay-down performance on Saturday, right?
Wrong. So wrong. The Miami Dolphins on Sunday surrendered in every way to the rival Buffalo Bills, 35-0, in the worst home-opening effort and result in the franchise’s 56 years. It made UM’s 38-17 loss to underdog Michigan State seem like a valiant fight to the finish.
“We didn’t play well in any area,” said third-year coach Brian Flores, of his worst defeat. “We beat ourselves. Missed Tackles. Dropped passes. Missed assignments. Didn’t execute. It was across the board. Not good enough — and that’s across the board.”
Dolphins and Canes fans are left to argue which fandom has the better case for oh-poor-us at the moment.
Hard Rock Stadium may be haunted, or at least cursed. Can you prove it is not? Do you have a better explanation for this dual desecration of hope? Perhaps the ghost of Joe Robbie has belatedly decided to exact wrath over his name being stripped all those years ago from the house he built.
Anyway, the weekend sucked, robbing the spirit and hurting the soul of two sets of fans who’ve been a long time waiting for a reprise of the glory days both teams once knew. Or at least the whisper of a hint they may be close at hand.
The weekend sent knee-jerk Canes fans to the predictable and familiar “Fire everybody NOW!” place.
It should have left Dolfans verklempt over the massive talent differential between the Dolphins and the Bills — the one AFC East rival Miami must most figure out a way to beat ... or at least compete with.
It isn’t happening. Sunday’s final score was no aberration. Of late, it has been the norm.
Buffalo has now won six games in a row and eight of the past nine over the Fins. Worse, the Bills have averaged 38.7 points per game in the six-game streak — and won by an average margin of 20 points.
This was men against boys, varsity vs. JV stuff. It was embarrassing. Dumbfounding.
A sold-out crowd of 65,040 witnessed this mess. And for the second straight day in this stadium, the only ones left at the end were the opposing team’s fans — howling with delight at the home team’s expense.
Almost forgot to mention: Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went out early, after two series, with a rib injury and did not return. (X-rays were negative so it doesn’t seem serious.)
“We’re hopeful that Tua’s back [for the next game],” said Flores.
Almost forgot to mention Tua went out because what did it matter, really? Bills were already up 7-0 and steaming toward 14-nil when Tua was carted off.
That many Dolfans likely welcomed backup Jacoby Brissett into the game as a needed spark only underlines the idea Tagovailoa is in such a fragile spot, yet to firmly prove he was worth that fifth overall draft pick. Leaving injured after opening 1-for-4 wasn’t the ammo his supporters wanted. (Neither was last week’s opening win at New England, forged by strong defense and some timely luck more than on Tua’s back.)
Of course — predictable as UM fans lapsing into fire-everybody mode — Sunday’s loss and Tua’s minimal role in it caused the immediate regurgitation of Deshaun Watson speculation. (Good gawd.)
“We were prepared for [what Buffalo’s defense brought],” said Brissett afterward. “Obviously, it didn’t look like we were prepared for it.”
Miami had won five of its past six home games before this thud of a reality check.
Don’t pin this on the defense, at least not mainly, despite the score.
Miami had a defensive takeaway (two) for the 24th straight game, the NFL’s longest streak since 2013. Josh Allen struggled, managing only 179 passing yards from 33 attempts. There was plenty wrong on defense, but it wasn’t where this calamity started.
Futile, flaccid, inept offense was the glaring culprit.
The offensive line stunk. Receivers kept dropping passes — including DeVante Parker literally letting a touchdown slip right through his hands. Even penalties hurt, not the norm. Miami has been the least penalized team in the NFL since Brian Flores took over in 2019, but Sunday the Fins had nine for 83 yards. It seemed like more.
It was an indication of desperation. Frustration. Feeling overmatched. Having no answers.
Sunday didn’t say a great deal of Miami’s chances moving forward, at 1-1 with only two of 17 games in the books and a trip to Las Vegas next.
But what Sunday did say — rather screamed — is that Miami is miles from figuring out how to beat the one team it must.
This story was originally published September 19, 2021 at 5:21 PM.
