It’s not often that a coach is happy to see his quarterback throw interceptions. But Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after Sunday’s game that he was happy with both of the interceptions thrown by Tua Tagovailoa.
That’s because both of them were deep balls on third-and-long that served as arm punts: Interceptions that were better for the offense than throwing an incompletion and then punting on fourth down.
Tagovailoa’s first interception came on third-and-11. The pass was picked off 41 yards downfield, and the Bills didn’t gain any yardage on the return. So it was the same as an incompletion followed by a punt with a net of 41 yards.
Tagovailoa’s second interception came on third-and-9. The pass was picked off 43 yards downfield, and the Bills actually lost 11 yards from there thanks to a penalty on the return. So it was the same as an incompletion followed by a punt with a net of 54 yards.
Effectively, Tagovailoa’s two interceptions were two arm punts with a net average of 47.5 yards. Across the NFL, the average punt nets 40.9 yards. So Tagovailoa’s interceptions were both actually better than an average punt.
McDaniel explained after the game why he liked seeing that.
“I was actually really pumped. I told Tua on some third down calls to let it rip down the field and operate it as an opportunity ball to act as a punt,” McDaniel said.
Both interceptions did act as punts, pinning the Bills in their own territory on a day when the Dolphins controlled the game and pulled off a big upset.
It’s been a rough season for the Dolphins, but the club got a respite with a big win over a division rival on Sunday.
With some timely takeaways and solid offense, Miami defeated Buffalo 30-13 for the club’s third victory of the season.
The Dolphins went up 13-0 in the first quarter with consecutive touchdown drives, with Tua Tagovailoa connecting with Malik Washington for a 9-yard score and Jaylen Waddle for a 38-yard touchdown. While he missed an extra point wide right, Riley Patterson then put the Dolphins up 16-0 with a 46-yard field goal late in the second quarter.
The score stayed that way until the fourth quarter, when quarterback Josh Allen connected with receiver Keon Coleman for a 35-yard touchdown to cap an eight-play, 98-yard drive. The Bills had previously missed scoring chances with a pair of giveaways, as James Cook fumbled deep in Miami territory in the first half. Allen then tossed an interception in the end zone in the third quarter to keep Buffalo off the board.
Allen had his second giveaway later in the fourth quarter, when he converted third-and-1 with a sneak but kept moving down the field until the ball got punched out for a fumble. Miami recovered it, with De’Von Achane effectively putting the game away with a 59-yard score.
The Bills scored again with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Jackson Hawes. But after a failed onside kick, Achane again put the game on ice with a 35-yard touchdown run.
Achane finished the game with 174 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns, plus six catches for 51 yards.
Tagovailoa was 15-of-21 for 173 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Waddle five receptions for 84 yards with a TD.
On the other side, Allen finished 28-of-40 for 306 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and a lost fumble. With the game out of hand, Mitchell Trubisky took the last few offensive snaps in mop-up duty. Cook was held to 53 yards on 13 carries with a lost fumble. He also had five catches for 24 yards.
Now at 3-7 after defeating Buffalo for the first time since Sept. 2022, the Dolphins will be in Spain to face the Commanders next Sunday.
The 6-3 Bills will have another tough matchup coming, as they’ll play the Buccaneers at home in Week 11.
It’s been a bad day for Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The Dolphins have turned an Allen fumble into a De’Von Achane touchdown, giving Miami a 23-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
After Tua Tagovailoa’s second interception of the day, the Bills were driving. But when Allen converted third-and-1 with a sneak, he kept going down the field until Jordyn Brooks punched the ball out 15 yards down the field.
Minkah Fitzpatrick — who had a big tackle on a two-point conversion attempt — picked up the loose ball to give his offense an extra possession.
The Dolphins quickly took advantage of the opportunity, with De’Von Achane taking a handoff 59 yards to the end zone for the score.
The two-play drive took 39 seconds off the clock, but also severely reduced the chances of a Bills comeback.
At long last, the Bills have gotten on the board.
Quarterback Josh Allen connected with Keon Coleman on a deep pass down the left sideline, with the receiver taking it in for a 35-yard touchdown.
But the two-point conversion was no good, keeping Miami’s two-possession lead with the score at 16-6.
It was Coleman’s third touchdown of the season. He now has three receptions for 46 yards on the day.
It was an eight-play, 98-yard drive for Buffalo to produce the team’s first points of Week 10. Though the team got into the red zone on its first second-half drive, Allen threw an interception to end the chance to score.
Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has been downgraded to out with a hamstring injury.
The Bills have not played well against the Dolphins on Sunday and things may get more difficult offensively.
Buffalo tight end Dalton Kincaid is questionable to return with a hamstring injury.
Kincaid went down midway through Buffalo’s first drive of the second half, hopping on one foot to get off the field before heading to the sideline medical tent for further evaluation.
The Bills had their best chance to score later on that possession. But quarterback Josh Allen tossed an interception to safety Ifeatu Melifonwu in the end zone to cut off the scoring chance. Allen had previously made an incredible play to convert third-and-16, scrambling all around the backfield before firing a pass to Curtis Samuel for a 21-yard gain.
But Allen’s effort on the possession was not enough to get on the board.
