Bills Have the Last Laugh With Dolphins' "Thinking Emoji"

The Bills gave the Dolphins a lot to think about in the Sunday rout.

October 2, 2023

Image: Josh Allen celebrates a fourth-quarter touchdown run against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on October 1, 2023.

Josh Allen celebrates a fourth-quarter touchdown run against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on October 1, 2023. Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images

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The Miami Dolphins were the league's darling following their 70-20 home win over the Denver Broncos last week. There was talk of their offense being one of the best the NFL has ever seen and their collective unit emerging as a Super Bowl favorite. It was one big Dolphins party, and fans were having a good time celebrating the team's success.

The Buffalo Bills didn't get an invite or the memo that the Dolphins are the NFL's next big thing.

Buffalo pulled the emergency brake on the Dolphins hype train with a convincing 48-20 win over Miami to kick off October. The game featured a Dolphins squad soundly dominated in all facets of the game, looking nothing like the team that laughed its way to a 50-point win the week prior.

The guys really said 🤔 pic.twitter.com/bbOMuJYuNi
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 30, 2023

Well Played, Josh

Before the game, the Dolphins' social media team posted images of multiple players walking off the plane wearing matching T-shirts emblazoned with the "thinking emoji." While there wasn't a consensus on the meaning behind the gear, it could be inferred that the Dolphins had taken some comments — possibly about their 3-0 start and 70-point Week 3 performance being overhyped — to heart.

The shirts went viral. Everyone had a good chuckle, wondering what they meant. Then the game started, and Bills quarterback Josh Allen laughed at the message himself, but for different reasons.

https://t.co/q8XMaQEeqi pic.twitter.com/F8qdW7D06t
— Jenna (3-1)🦬🏳️‍🌈🤟🏻 (@cookedbykincaid) October 1, 2023

After the game-sealing touchdown, Allen mimicked the thinking gesture in an end-zone celebration that doubled as an excellent troll job on the Phins. Bills wide receiver Stephon Diggs, who had three touchdowns on the day, got in on the action, mocking the thinking-emoji motion as well while standing next to Allen on the Buffalo sideline.

Hey — funny is funny. If you can't take it, don't dish it out.

https://t.co/WRFNXIbRJ8 pic.twitter.com/j9iNoUKB9z
— Bruce Nolan (@BruceExclusive) October 2, 2023

Humble Pie

What's next? A week full of folks saying the Dolphins aren't the greatest football team ever assembled — whoops! Besides that, Miami heads home to lick its wounds, where they'll stay for the next two weeks for games at Hard Rock Stadium against the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers — matches in which they should be heavy favorites.

Chances are they won't score 70 again, but they likely won't get beat like a drum as they did on Sunday in Buffalo.

Ryan Yousefi, a sports journalist and MBA holder in business healthcare management, has been a dedicated weekly contributor to the Miami New Times since 2013. Beyond his sports journalism career, he's held leadership roles in web3 gaming companies. He enjoys southeast Asia travel, pho, and whiskey, but most of all, being Lincoln's dad.

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