What We Saw: Week 2

Series Navigation

Bills @ Dolphins

Final Score: Bills 35, Dolphins 0

Writer: Gary Zamarripa (@garyzam01 on Twitter)

The Buffalo Bills came into this game 0-1 after losing an upset to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Dolphins were 1-0 after traveling to Foxboro and beating the Patriots. It’s still early, but that wasn’t what anyone was expecting. It looked like it was setting up to be a great AFC East divisional match-up down in South Florida. The exact opposite happened on the field. The Bills’ defense absolutely dominated Miami, posting a shutout and taking advantage in all phases of the game.

It was notable that Dolphins starting QB Tua Tagovailoa left the game in the first quarter after suffering a rib injury. That left Jacoby Brissett as the next man up. Brissett was able to put up 169 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The Bills jumped out to an early 14-0 lead with a Devin Singletary 46 yard TD run and a 5-yard toss from Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs. That forced Brissett and company to abandon the run and to go the air to attempt to keep the game close. After the half, the Bills added another 14 points with an 8-yard TD pass to Dawson Knox and a couple of short TD runs by Zack Moss. Let’s take a closer look.

Buffalo Bills

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen: 17/33, 179 yards, 2 TD, INT | 5 carries, 35 yards

Bills’ QB Josh Allen is one of the best QBs in the NFL right now. He was in the conversation for MVP last season and led the Bills to a 13-3 record. They also made it to the AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The expectations are high in Buffalo. Fantasy football players that roster Allen were hoping for a bigger statistical output this week, but Allen did what was needed to secure the win. The first TD pass was a great play where he scrambled to extend the play and found Stefon Diggs for a 5-yard touchdown.

Digg It 😉

2012 All-American Stefon Diggs (@stefondiggs) makes the touchdown grab. #BillsMafia #AllAmericanBowl 🇺🇸

pic.twitter.com/QTySFL4BF7

— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) September 19, 2021

Allen’s next TD was a nice play-action toss to Dawson Knox.

Dawson. Knox.

📺 #BUFvsMIA: FOX pic.twitter.com/HcH8qFrM6y

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 19, 2021

Running Backs

Devin Singletary: 13 carries, 82 yards, TD | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 9 yards

Zack Moss: 8 carries, 26 yards, 2 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards

The Bills’ running game wasn’t spectacular against the Dolphins but it was effective. Singletary and Moss combined for three touchdowns and helped keep the Dolphins off the field. It appears both backs will be splitting the workload in the Buffalo backfield this season. Singletary showed off his fantastic speed on a beautiful 46-yard touchdown to start the afternoon off right. On 2nd and 10, Singletary took the handoff and ran up the middle to paydirt.

Devin Singletary with a HUGE 46 yard touchdown run! 🔥💨
pic.twitter.com/MCGNgK4OkS

— FTNNetwork (@FTNNetwork) September 19, 2021

Not to be outdone by his backfield teammate, Moss showed his power and refused to go down after an amazing collision with Miami linebacker Elandon Roberts. Moss was straight up stopped in his tracks and gave tremendous second effort to get into the endzone. He put a huge shot on Roberts before punching his way into the endzone. Moss overcame some adversity this week after being a healthy scratch in Week 1 and attending the funeral of his aunt the day before the game.

.@PresMoss2 x2️⃣#LocalsInTheNFL #NFL #BillsMafia #GoUtes @kslsports https://t.co/LMN7TxO1Tj

— Kyle Ireland (@kyleireland) September 19, 2021

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Stefon Diggs: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 60 yards, TD

Emmanuel Sanders: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 48 yards

Cole Beasley: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 36 yards

Dawson Knox: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards, TD

Stefon Diggs is far and away the best receiver on this team and one of the top receivers in the NFL right now so it’s no surprise he stepped up and delivered a great game. The clip of his touchdown from Allen shown above is a great example of a veteran wide receiver extending the play to help his quarterback. The rest of the WR room has a couple of reliable veterans in Emmanual Sanders and Cole Beasley. The fantasy football output was lacking in this game but with the upside of this offense both players could end up being a tremendous value looking back at the end of the season. At the tight end position, Dawson Knox will be a low-volume red zone receiving option but will have the potential of scoring a touchdown at any time.

Miami Dolphins

Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett: 24/40, 169 yards, 1 INT | 4 carries, 8 yards

Tua Tagovailoa: 1/4, 13 yards

There is not a lot to be excited about with the Dolphins quarterbacks. After drafting Tagovailoa in the first round in the NFL draft last year, it was presumed the Dolphins had their QB of the future. Then rumors leaked the Dolphins were inquiring about a trade for Deshaun Watson this summer. They obviously do not have the person they feel can help them win long term. It is still to be determined the extent of the rib injury Tagovailoa suffered and if he will miss any starts. He was put into a tough position after finding out his team was looking to replace him and then not having any time or protection to make plays against the Bills. If Tagovailoa misses any time, Brissett will be serviceable but not spectacular.

Running Backs

Miles Gaskin: 5 carries, 25 yards | 5 targets, 4 receptions, 21 yards

Malcolm Brown: 5 carries, 21 yards

Salvon Ahmed: 6 carries, 17 yards | 3 targets, 0 receptions, 0 yards

Since the Dolphins fell behind early, they didn’t have much opportunity to establish the running game. The stats that came out of the game Sunday leave a lot to be desired. This looks like it will be a three-headed backfield with carries being split evenly. With the team’s arrow pointing straight down it’s not hopeful there will be much fantasy production in Miami at all. The best hope will be with Gaskin taking a step forward and take over the position. Here’s a nice run to begin the second drive.

Gaskin with a nice run to begin the second drive pic.twitter.com/8gtUMi3fJU

— FinCuts (@FinCuts) September 19, 2021

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Jaylen Waddle: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 48 yards

DeVante Parker: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 42 yards

Mike Gesicki: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 41 yards

Albert Wilson: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 20 yards

Despite not scoring any points today, playing from behind gave the receivers some opportunity to make plays. Waddle was a favorite coming out of Alabama and I’m still hopeful he will have a long and productive career. Parker is a reliable target that can produce when healthy. Will Fuller was inactive for personal reasons today so his return will bolster this roster and hopefully provide a spark this team needs.