Dolphins Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

Just when the Dolphins thought they were in, they keep taking themselves out.

A “Godfather” paraphrase might be a reach, but after digging out of an 0-3 canyon and finally reaching .500 for the season, the Dolphins’ 31-14 loss to the injury-decimated Buffalo Bills Sunday may be a self-inflicted wound the Dolphins can’t recover from come when it comes time for playoff tickets.

The Dolphins again unraveled in the fourth quarter—a quarter they owned during last year’s historic season. They’ve been outscored 49-0 in their last three losses, including 24-0 Sunday. That includes getting outscored by the Patriots 3-0 in the fourth quarter of New England’s 27-17 victory earlier this month. The 5-6 Dolphins face the Patriots Sunday in a must-win game.

“From the last drive of the third quarter through the fourth quarter there were 20 (momentum plays),” Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said of negative “momentum plays,” that keep popping up.

“It isn’t anything big. It can be a false start penalty, a pressure on the quarterback that causes something, a missed tackle in critical situations.

“We had a missed tackle and they gained six more yards and they kick a 56-yard field goal so those things all pop up. That’s happened in the fourth quarter of games. We’ve got to figure out why. Details matter.”

Sparano was referring to plays such as a couple of pressures on quarterback Chad Henne(notes) that led to two of his three interceptions on Miami’s three final drives, and also to allowing Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) run for two key first downs on Buffalo’s fourth-quarter touchdown drive that forged a 14-14 tie.

“When you have a chance to put your foot on somebody you have to be able to do it,” said guard Justin Smiley(notes). “That’s kind of been our problem the whole season. I’ve seen a stat where we’ve been outscored by (134-74) in the fourth quarter. You have to look at yourself and figure out what that says about you.”

It’s not just Miami’s offense imploding in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins 19th-ranked defense has allowed a league-high 134 points in the fourth quarter.

“We just haven’t finished,” said linebacker Reggie Torbor(notes). “It’s been big plays, not like (long) drives. It’s 60 yards here, 40 yards here and we can’t recover.

“At this point we can’t afford to lose any of them. A loss at this point, it’s over.”

NOTES, QUOTES

—The Dolphins have been outscored 49-0 in the fourth quarter of their last three losses, including 24-0 Sunday vs. Buffalo. They were outscored by the Patriots 3-0 in a Nov. 8 loss and 22-0 vs. the Saints in an Oct. 25 loss. “They played hard, physical, enthusiastic football for 60 minutes and we let up at the end. That’s what cost us the game,” WR Greg Camarillo(notes) said of the latest fourth-quarter collapse.

• RB Ricky Williams(notes) gained 115 yards on 27 carries and gained 100 or more yards for the 35th time in his career. Williams has cleared 100 in three consecutive games for the first time since 2003 when he did it against Baltimore, Washington and Dallas. His record streak is five, accomplished with the Saints in 1999 and 2000. But Williams threw a costly interception in the first quarter.

“It felt all right. It feels much better to get a win,” Williams said of his increased workload since RB Ronnie Brown(notes) was lost for the season Nov. 19. He has had 20 or more carries in each of his last three games.

• The Dolphins gave up 129 rushing yards Sunday and have now given up at least 100 yards or more in six straight games. “A lot of it has to do with the discipline of the details. … Where we put our hands, how we do it, letting the ball outside of you, keeping the ball inside, not letting it. I think all that matters. They’re not mental errors that are happening out there, there are some technique issues.”—Coach Tony Sparano on Miami’s problems on run defense

• The Dolphins converted 5-of-13 third downs Sunday and are ranked third in the NFL with a 48.2 percent conversion rate. The two teams ahead of them, Indianapolis and Minnesota, are a combined 21-1.

• OLB Jason Taylor(notes) had a one-half sack Sunday, giving him 126.5 career sacks to tie Derrick Thomas for 11th in NFL history. He had 2.5 sacks in the first meeting with the Bills and has 20 against them, the most he has vs. any other opponent.

“We dropped the ball. We had an opportunity to make a big step in this division. … We can’t blame anyone but ourselves,” Taylor said of the demoralizing 31-14 loss to Buffalo.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Player Notes  

• OL Nate Garner(notes), who took over the starting left guard job from Justin Smiley three games ago, is keeping the gig because of his play and not just because Smiley’s been hampered by his chronic shoulder injuries.

• Rookie defensive end Ryan Baker(notes) got into his first NFL game and notched a half a sack and quarterback hurry to go with two tackles on just nine snaps.

• SS Yeremiah Bell(notes), who had a team-leading 13 tackles with an interception, sustained a thumb injury. The injury was downplayed by coach Tony Sparano during his Monday presser.

• C Joe Berger(notes), receiving his first start of his five-year career, was also lauded by Sparano. Berger is filling in for injured starter Jake Grove(notes) (ankle).

• FB Lousaka Polite(notes) had a career-high 22 yards on three carries. He also converted a 4th-and-1 that led to a touchdown by Ricky Williams. Polite is 9-of-9 on third- or fourth-down-and-1 situations this year with five of those drives resulting in touchdowns.

Report Card Vs  . BILLS

Passing Offense:   D—Quarterback Chad Henne imploded in the fourth quarter, completing 4-of-14 for 50 yards with three interceptions. His longest completion was a 20-yarder to Brian Hartline(notes) and he posted a career-low 42.5 passer rating. He was only sacked once but four QB hurries led to two of his picks. Tight end Anthony Fasano(notes) finally showed up with five catches for 74 yards, and rookie Brian Hartline made two big plays, including a 20-yard TD grab, but WRs Ted Ginn Jr.(notes) and Greg Camarillo were virtually invisible.

Rushing Offense:   B-plus—The Dolphins rushed for over 150 yards (157) for the sixth time this season while RB Ricky Williams gained more than 100 yards (115) for the third straight game. However, Williams’ interception in the end zone out of the Wildcat set a horrible tone for the game. Backup RB Lex Hilliard(notes) and FB Lousaka Polite were effective, gaining 22 yards a piece on limited carries.

Pass Defense:   C-minus—Despite notching six sacks for the second time this season against the Bills, Miami’s secondary still allowed unheralded QB Ryan Fitzpatrick throw for 246 yards, including a back-breaking 51-yard TD heave to WR Terrell Owens(notes) in the fourth quarter. Owens, who beat rookie CB Vontae Davis(notes) on the TD catch, had five catches for 96 yards.

Rush Defense:   D—Despite Bills RB Marshawn Lynch(notes) limited by a shoulder injury, Miami allowed Buffalo to gain 5.2 yards per carry with Fred Jackson(notes) leading the way with 73 yards on 4.9 yards per carry, including two touchdown runs. Without NT Jason Ferguson(notes) clogging the lanes or recently released Matt Roth(notes) sealing the perimeter, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick repeatedly burned Miami on scrambles for 50 yards on seven carries, including a 31-yard TD romp in the first half.

Special Teams:   C—Punter Brandon Fields(notes) continues a stellar season with three punts inside the 20, but Ted Ginn Jr. did little to distinguish himself on four kick returns and one punt return. The Dolphins did contain Bills return men, Fred Jackson and Roscoe Parrish(notes), however, Rian Lindell’s(notes) 56-yard field goal was basically the game winner.

Coaching:   D—Even coach Tony Sparano blamed himself for not preparing his team for the Bills despite having 10 days to do so. Offensive coordinator Dan Henning committed a play-calling gaffe on Miami’s opening series when he asked a reluctant Ricky Williams to attempt a pass from the 3-yard line. It was picked off and despite dominating play in the first half, the score was tied 7-7.