Top 3 things we learned from Bills vs. Dolphins

The Bills defense had their share of troubles trying to get off the field on third down, even when they were able to force a long down and distance situation. But when Buffalo was faced with some ‘got to have them’ third down stops they delivered.

Shaq Lawson had a big third down stop when his sack and strip fumble forced Miami to settle for a field goal in the first quarter. They were also fortunate when Trent Sherfield dropped a touchdown pass on third-and-goal from the three-yard line leading to another field goal drive.

But Miami converted three third downs on their first touchdown drive of the game and by halftime were at a 50 percent conversion rate (4-for-8).

Come the second half, however, Buffalo’s defense clamped down allowing just one third down conversion for the rest of the game though it went for a 67-yard touchdown on a pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle.

Tre’Davious White forced an incompletion on a 3rd-and-2 that led to punt in the third quarter and led the team with three pass breakups.

“It’s been a process,” said White as he is still settling back in to the weekly routine off his ACL injury from last season. “Still got work to do but it was good to get a win. It’s good getting around the ball and make some plays for the team. So anytime we can do that it’s a good day.”

White’s third down stop was followed by two more turned in by Taron Johnson on consecutive Miami possessions. First, he foiled a 3rd-and-3 pass from Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill in the right flat. On the very next Miami possession he dropped TE Durham Smythe for a two-yard loss as he read the play and made the tackle behind the line of scrimmage to force a long field goal and limit the damage after a Bills’ fumble at midfield.

“T’s been doing that since he’s come to Buffalo,” said Poyer of Johnson. “He’s really established himself within this defense. He’s really one of our key players on defense that really does everything. I think he plays probably the hardest position in our defense just because he’s asked to do a lot. He’s asked to cover. He’s asked to tackle. He’s asked to blitz. He’s asked to fill the ‘A’ gap. And so having him play the way that he does, it’s such a huge asset for us. And we’re going to continue to need him down the stretch, and I’m glad he’s on our team because I think he’s the best nickel in the game.”

Miami would have just one more third down opportunity in the game as they watched an eight-point fourth-quarter lead disappear in the final 12 minutes of regulation. On a 3rd-and-12 Tagovailoa’s pass to Waddle fell incomplete and would’ve been negated anyway by an illegal shift penalty. The Dolphins finished the game just 5-for-14 on third down.

“Yeah, I mean, obviously we’d like to be better,” said Jordan Poyer. “It’s kind of been a point of emphasis all season long, but when we needed to make the stops, we did. There’s some plays that we all wish we had back, but then we made the stops we had to.”