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NFL Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins’ Stellar Defense Vital To Playoff Hopes

By @CouchGuyRants

Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills

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The Miami Dolphins used a dominant defensive performance in the second half on Thursday night to defeat the Buffalo Bills, ending a three-game losing streak to a team that had been the bane of its existence, and kept playoff hopes alive. Although the defense ranks among the NFL’s best, it was unclear whether or not the unit could close out a tight game. That is, until last night.

In the stands, throngs of Buffalo fans had bloodied and harpooned dolphin shaped stuffed animals and were at times loudly quoting Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin’s now infamous guarantee of victory, but that was early in the game. As the second half progressed, the stuffed animals were hidden under seats, and the realization set in that Buffalo’s offense simply couldn’t move the ball against Miami’s defense. The Dolphins held the Bills to 65 total offensive yards in the second half, with only six of those yards on the ground, proving that this Miami defense’s high ranking is warranted.

The Dolphins found the key to stopping Buffalo’s offense by blitzing Kyle Orton on a third of his drop-backs and limited him to 193 yards through the air and a 69.7 passer rating. At the same time, the Fins limited the Bills’ depleted running back corps to a total of 54 yards on 19 carries, making Buffalo go one-dimensional and perpetuating the cycle of pressuring the passer.

Offensively, Ryan Tannehill was able to overcome five sacks and a number of knockdowns to throw for 240 yards and two touchdowns. The piecemeal offensive line looked absolutely terrible at times, and Tannehill took the brunt of the storm, but Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas rode to the rescue, rushing for 86 and 23 yards, respectively. The effectiveness of the running game provided just enough of a respite to keep the Bills’ defense honest and opened up opportunities to throw the ball down the field.

Going forward, the Dolphins need to build on the positives and the confidence gained from last night’s game. The defense again proved that it is among the best in the NFL and was able to overcome the late-game collapse that resulted in the loss last Sunday to the Detroit Lions. If Miami is to make it to the playoffs, the Dolphins will need to go 4-2 in the last six games of the season, and the only way that will happen is if the defense continues to carry the load.

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