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The 2022-2023 Miami Dolphins season comes to an end
There was a lot of doubt for Miami Dolphin fans heading into the playoffs because of the mounting injuries which included QB Tua Tagavailoa and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater. This left rookie QB Skylar Thompson with a massive task of entering Highmark Stadium and taking down division rivals the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Thompson did a lot better than most people expected and that's all Miami fans could've hoped for from this matchup.
This game was definitely not QB Josh Allen's best outing with three turnovers and a collapse of a lead allowing Miami back into it. A third quarter fumble from Allen resulted in a scoop and score that would put the Dolphins up 24-20.
Allen would redeem himself finding Cole Beasley and Gabe Davis with 3:11 left that would give the Bills the lead.
The Dolphins had one more shot at coming back just down 34-31 but miscommunication is what would infuriate Miami fans the most. Miami would waste all three timeouts and receive delay of game penalties for not getting the play off on time. In such a critical moment of the game with your season on the line, this is something that cannot happen.
A potential 4th&1 turned into a 4th&6 because of the delay of game penalty making it much more difficult with the ravaging noise of Bills mafia and a defense ready to do anything to get the stop.
Thompson could not connect with Gesicki turning the ball over on downs with Buffalo only needing one first down with 2:22 remaining to end this game.
Devin Singletary would bulldoze his way on a 7-yard gain to earn the first down that would seal the deal for the Bills. It wasn't the prettiest victory but it got the job done and sends Buffalo on its way to face the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.
For the Dolphins, it was heartbreak as just for a single moment they had the entire city believing that they could do this. Moral victories aren't something that should be sought after but it was a valiant fight put up by Miami. Skylar Thompson deserves a lot of credit with the way he played and not giving up after Buffalo went up 17-0.
The focus for the Miami Dolphins this offseason should be cleaning up those silly mistakes, staying healthy, continue to build the O-line, and a continued question mark at the QB position. Miami has committed to Tua Tagavailoa for next season but the question is, will he be healthy? Especially when you have a QB like Lamar Jackson potentially on the market with ties to South Florida. That's an option that cannot be ignored and must be explored.
Written by: Daniel Torres
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