Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images
Audio By Carbonatix
Benjamin Franklin once said there were only two things in life that are certain: death and taxes. But if Ben had lived long enough, it’s a good bet he would have amended the list to add painful late-season Miami Dolphins losses in frigid Buffalo. Especially after having witnessed Saturday night’s excruciating 32-29 defeat.
Let’s lean into the pain Dolphins fans experienced this past weekend and recap all the damage inflicted on the team’s playoff chances.
Without further ado:
Bills Fans throwing snowballs pic.twitter.com/2lycjYfSQY
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) December 18, 2022
Bills Fans Chose Violence
You’d think a fanbase that complained the Dolphins’ 21-19 Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills should be protected owing to the sun being too hot being a possible OSHA violation would be better hosts, but no such luck.
Early in the second quarter, Bills fans decided to assume the role of the home team’s 12th man to extreme levels by pummeling players on the field during plays as well as the Dolphins’ bench throughout the game.
The situation grew so bad that the stadium announcer eventually warned that the team would be penalized 15 yards if the behavior continued and that any fan caught in the act would be arrested.
This message now displayed at Highmark Stadium with Bills fans told by head official that a snowball hitting a player will result in a 15-yard penalty against Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/f3xjiQRlWx
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) December 18, 2022
The #Bills also announced that any fan caught throwing snowballs will be ejected and subject to arrest. https://t.co/FcghUJe0ey
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 18, 2022
Game Recap: Crucial Plays
The first half of Saturday night’s game can be summed up in a single word; chaotic. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead, Miami fell behind 14-6 before clawing back to down 14-13 after a second-quarter Salvon Ahmed score.
Unfortunately, the Bills would get the ball back, and their All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen would go on to do impossible things just as time expired to send the Bills into halftime up 21-13, pretty much flipping the script on the story of the preceding 29 minutes.
JOSH ALLEN IS A CHEAT CODEpic.twitter.com/ZDhPquJzyV
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) December 18, 2022
The Dolphins quickly answered the call coming out of the half, forcing a Buffalo three-and-out, then following it up with a 67-yard Jaylen Waddle score. Naturally, the man known for his penguin touchdown celebration was going to break it out in the snow.
JAYLEN WADDLE 67 YARDS TO THE HOUSEpic.twitter.com/QRmgvj5gsW
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 18, 2022
Jaylen Waddle doing the Waddle while Bills fans throw snowballs at him pic.twitter.com/gL1zJ9hplc
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) December 18, 2022
If you thought Miami would instantly soil the sheets in classic “turd quarter” fashion… you thought wrong. The Dolphins weren’t done in the third quarter, adding a Tyreek Hill touchdown to the scoreboard to surge ahead, 26-21.
Tua knew where he was going the second he saw the coverage pic.twitter.com/CBKMuDy0dA
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) December 18, 2022
After a fourth-quarter field goal put the Dolphins up by 8, Josh Allen and Buffalo marched right back down the field to answer with a touchdown of their own. A successful two-point conversion knotted the score at 29.
Nobody ever said beating Buffalo in a late-December game in the snow would be easy.
dawson knox Td pic.twitter.com/gEGiVMcplj
— josh houtz (@houtz) December 18, 2022
After a three-and-out by the Dolphins on the ensuing drive, Buffalo once again did annoyingly predictable Buffalo things, driving the length of the field for a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Final score: 32-29. Pain. Indescribable pain.
Elite celebration. pic.twitter.com/9OBba8JHMU
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 18, 2022
Up Next
After a brutal, winless three-game road trip that took Miami from two weeks in California to one in hell-on-earth Buffalo, the Dolphins finally head home for a Christmas Day matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
A massive quantity of playoff implications will be on the line – suffice to say the Dolphins can make matters much easier on themselves heading into the last two weeks of the season with a win.
