Bills offense struggles in 30-13 loss to Dolphins: What went wrong

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane made a big swing for Jaylen Waddle at the NFL trade deadline, but perhaps he should have tried a bit harder to land the Miami Dolphins wide receiver.

On Sunday, Buffalo’s offense showed little life in a game that the team should have had no trouble winning against the lowly Dolphins.

Receivers struggled to get open on routes, while James Cook and Josh Allen turned the ball over in big moments. The result was a 30-13 loss to the Dolphins in Miami.

Buffalo’s loss pushed them further down the AFC East ladder with the New England Patriots defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following the Bills’ third loss of the season, here’s a look at reasons to be encouraged and worried.

ENCOURAGED

Cam Lewis: Buffalo’s jack-of-all-trades defensive back was the only player who consistently played well over four quarters for the Bills. Lewis was making immediate tackles and flying over the field.

Mitch Wishnowsky: It’s usually a bad day at the office when the punter is listed under the encouraging list. Wishnowsky, however, was terrific against Miami. Two of his four punts landed inside the 20, and the veteran ended the day with a 54.3 yards-per-punt average.

WORRIED

Josh Allen: Josh Allen is pressing. There’s no denying it. Buffalo’s weapons cannot get open consistently, and it’s forcing Allen to make poor decisions with the football. Allen threw an interception in the end zone and lost a fumble on a QB keeper on third-and-short. The latter was an instance of Allen trying to get extra yards instead of going down when he should have.

Bills “weapons”: It’s time to call it. Buffalo’s receiving group is bottom-three in the NFL. No play showed this more than Allen having to run around for his life on a third-and-16 in an attempt to give his receivers a chance to get open. It led to a 21-yard reception, but showed the issues Buffalo’s receiving group presents for Allen every week.

Miami’s game plan for Sunday was to focus on stopping James Cook in the run game, as they simply didn’t respect Buffalo’s pass catchers. It ended up being a great strategy.

Dalton Kincaid: Kincaid has been Allen’s best weapon this season, but he exited Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. There is no questioning Kincaid’s talent, but it’s also fair to question whether the Bills can count on Kincaid consistently.

Joe Brady: Joe Brady’s play-calling left much to be desired and it started early with a fourth-and-1 that resulted in a deep shot down the field after James Cook was covered on the play. Instead of going with a high-percentage play, Brady overcomplicated things.

The offensive coordinator also dusted off another run attempt for Elijah Moore. Just like previous results this season, it went nowhere.

Bills run defense: De’Von Achane is one of the league’s best young backs and he showed it on Sunday with 174 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Buffalo missed more than their fair share of tackles on Achane’s runs, but the back’s speed and vision did damage to the unit.

Tackling: Buffalo’s tackling has been tough to watch all season long. It continued against the Dolphins, with Miami breaking multiple tackle attempts in the victory. Sean McDermott and Bobby Babich deserve some criticism for Miami’s offensive explosion, but they can’t be on the field to make their players complete tackles.

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