The Buffalo Bills earned a come-from-behind victory on Sunday with a 31-yard game-winning field goal from kicker Dan Carpenter to beat the Miami Dolphins, 23-21. Despite a season-low in yardage and just 90 yards rushing, the Bills just edged the Dolphins, and that was due to poor play-calling by the Miami coaches, according to Kevin Nogle of SB Nation's Dolphins blog, The Phinsider:
Bills vs. Dolphins 2013: Miami ‘gave away a win’ in Week 7
The Bills kicked a game-winning field goal to defeat the Dolphins, but Miami blogger Kevin Nogle says it was a case of the Dolphins beating themselves in the loss.
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Where the fault lies is with the play calling. Why are the Dolphins, who were up by one point in the fourth quarter, passing the ball on 2nd and eight? Both sacks came on 2nd and eight plays, with the first coming after a two yard Brandon Gibson catch and the second, with the fumble, coming after a two yard Lama Miller run. In both cases, Miami should have been running the ball on second down to try to keep the clock running and burn some time. Instead, they took inexcusable sacks.
Throughout the week, I am sure we will look at the execution on both of those plays, and especially on Clabo, to try to lay blame at the offensive line’s feet. But, in a game where the Dolphins averaged 4.8 yards per carry, with Daniel Thomas at 5.0 yards per carry and Lamar Miller at 4.8 yards per carry, the execution does not really matter. What matters is why the coaches were putting the team in that situation?
While Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill managed to throw a season-high three touchdown passes in the loss, it was one of his worst performances of the season, as he completed just 51 percent of his passes and tossed two interceptions.
Causing troubles for Tannehill was the play of Bills defensive end Mario Williams, who finished the game with two late sacks, including a strip sack that set Buffalo up for a game-winning field goal. Brian Galliford of SB Nation’s Bills blog, Buffalo Rumblings, said the showing was strong enough to warrant Defensive Player of the Game honors:
Mario Williams recorded two more sacks (and nearly had a third on Miami’s final, desperation Hail Mary), including a massively important forced fumble (recovered by Kyle Williams) that set up the Bills’ go-ahead field goal. Williams now has 10 sacks through seven games - he had 10.5 a year ago, remember - and was dominant in the victory.
Williams is now tied for second in the NFL in sacks with Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher Justin Houston. Both trail Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts, who already has a career-high 11.5 sacks through seven games.
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