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The Miami Dolphins’ offensive struggles were on full display before an injury to Tua Tagovailoa forced him to exit the team’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.
Tagovailoa finished 17-of-25 for 145 yards and a touchdown, although he was picked off three times. The third interception for the 26-year-old was especially costly, as Bills cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram returned the ball for a touchdown.
NFL @NFL
The @BuffaloBills THIRD interception goes for a PICK-SIX!#BUFvsMIA on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/lJLnCpwJH4
Tagovailoa’s night came to an end shortly afterwards, as he was tackled on a scramble late in the third quarter and stayed down on the field. The Pro Bowl passer was eventually able to walk off under his own power and enter the locker room, but he was later ruled out with a concussion.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Tua goes down after a hit to the head.
Praying he’s okay đ pic.twitter.com/iOmdg6Fada
Carlos Gil @carlosgil83
Prayers up for Tua. đđŒ It’s tough to see such a hardworking and inspiring athlete face another setback.
Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa, completing eight of his 14 pass attempts for 80 yards. He was also sacked once.
The Dolphins were able to generate 351 yards of offense, but they were repeatedly kept off the board due to their inability to move the sticks when they needed to. Miami converted just one of its five opportunities on fourth down.
Defense was also an issue for the Dolphins, as the team failed to stop Bills running back James Cook. Cook racked up 95 yards from scrimmage on just 12 touches, scoring all three of his touchdowns in the first half.
Fans were disappointed in the overall performance from the team, criticizing Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
Matthew Bové @Matt_Bove
Sean McDermott has coached circles around Mike McDaniel tonight. I’m not saying McDermott is without flaws, I certainly don’t feel that way, but tonight he has absolutely out-coached the guy on the other sideline.
HĂ€nsel @UberHansen
Injuries aside, this was always the nightmare scenario for the #Dolphins.
The effect on your mentals of getting blown out at home by a banged up #Bills team isn’t something you can come back from.
This was always Buffalo’s division, Miami is at best playing for second.
B/R Gridiron @brgridiron
Dolphins defense trying to guard James Cook pic.twitter.com/WouRlI82Zg
Mat Mlodzinski @MatMlodzinski
The only play in Mike McDaniel’s playbook pic.twitter.com/VjeXPfxfMz
Jameson Hutchison @Jamesonrulez
The Dolphins any time they have to face a decent football team pic.twitter.com/7Nw2EqNLOs
Jon Linder @LinderShowMiami
#Dolphins Mike McDaniel will likely step to the podium after the game and take full blame for tonight’s loss because that’s the kind of guy he is & while Tua did have a bad night, this loss is more about McDaniel IMO so he’s right. Terrible game plan & this team folded up quickly
The Dolphins fell to 1-1 after the loss, while the Bills moved to 2-0.
