Heading into Thursday night’s matchup against the Bills, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said a win was vital to ending the narrative that Miami can't beat Buffalo.
The game proved challenging for the fifth-year star, whose struggles were shown by three interceptions before the start of the fourth quarter, ultimately leading to Miami's defeat. Tagovailoa and the Dolphins enjoyed the home field, 82-degree weather at kickoff. But things unraveled quickly during Tagovailoa’s first drive of the game.
The Miami QB's pass intended for Grant DuBose was picked off by Bills defensive back Ja'Marcus Ingram, establishing the tone for a long night. The Bills capitalized on the turnover immediately after Bills quarterback Josh Allen led a six-play drive, completing all but one pass, with James Cook finishing it off for a touchdown.
Miami fought back and responded with Tagovailoa driving the team up the field to set up a five-yard touchdown pass to De'Von Achane , tying the game at 7-7. With the score tied, he attempted a deep throw to Robbie Chosen, but Bills cornerback Christian Benford intercepted it.
This second interception slowed Miami’s momentum as Buffalo continued to impose its will on both sides of the ball. His third and most costly interception of the night came when Ingram pulled down his second pick, returning it for a touchdown and widening the Bills lead to 31-10.
Tagovailoa’s poor showing limited Miami’s hopes of winning and fueled the narrative that he and the Dolphins struggle against Buffalo. He spoke about what the team needs to do to change that narrative in the future. "That's going to be what's written out there until we do something about that," said Tagovailoa. "That's going to be the narrative, that we can't beat the Bills. And until we do beat them, and we beat them consistently, none of that's going to change. And we have an opportunity to do that this year. We have an opportunity to do that this Thursday."
A scary moment occurred late in the third quarter when Tagovailoa attempted to scramble up the middle of the field with a lowered helmet to gain extra yardage. He collided with Bills safety Damar Hamlin, and Tagovailoa’s hands instantly appeared frozen in the air as he slowly fell to the ground.
Medical staff quickly attended to him, and he was escorted off the field. Tua was later ruled out for the remainder of the game with a concussion by the team on X.
The incident instantly concerned Dolphins fans and head coach Mike McDaniel, who was visibly shaken up on the sidelines. Tagovailoa’s concussion record includes at least three head injuries in the 2022 season, including one in a previous game against the Bills. Tagovailoa was replaced by 2022 seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson, who was almost instantly sacked for negative seven yards. He was shown walking off the field on his own power, and commentators reported that he would be taken to the team locker room.
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