Dolphins at Bills: Good, Bad, Ugly as Dolphins get beat down again

Stop me if you have hear this before: The Miami Dolphins were destroyed by the Buffalo Bills this weekend. At least this week's beat down was not nearly as bad as the one the Dolphins were given when the Bills came to Miami in Week 3. This Week 9 beatdown was at least a little closer than the last one, with Buffalo winning 33-17 instead of 41-14. I guess that is something. There was not a lot of good for the Dolphins, but we still look at the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Dolphins this week.

The Good

I wanted to give this to quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who threw for 309 yards on 27-for-36 passing, giving him a 100.3 passer rating on the day. There are a lot of people who seem to want to blame Tannehill for this loss, but he actually played well. Even the deep ball made an appearance, with Tannehill finding Kenny Stills for a 46 yard reception, which is usually most of the complaints against Tannehill. This week, however, the good goes to rookie running back Jay Ajayi, who made his NFL debut. After sitting on the Injured Reserve - Designated to Return list all year, Ajayi, widely considered a first round running back talent that fell to the fifth round due to concers over a knee injury, ran hard and looked good. He finished the game with five carries for 41 yards, with a long of 23 yards, giving him a 8.2 yards per carry average. In comparison, starting running back Lamar Miller had 12 carries, and only ran for 44 yards (of course, Miller also caught seven passes for 97 yards as the Dolphins worked screen passes throughout the game). It was a great start for the rookie, who will hopefully start to see more playing time, and more carries, as he gets into better and better shape.

The Bad

Brent Grimes was off on Sunday. Maybe it was the matchup, with him just losing the battle to Sammy Watkins, maybe the injuries are catching up to him, or maybe he has lost a step, but whatever the case, Grimes was not OptimusGrimes against the Bills. According to Pro Football Focus' stats, Grimes was targeted five times, allowing five receptions, for 143 yards and a score, giving up a perfect 158.3 passe rating. That is not the Grimes we are used to seeing, and hopefully it is something that he snaps out of quickly.

The Ugly

The Dolphins' rush defense was non-existent in this game. If you do not believe me, take this fun fact as proof: Karlos Williams ran for 110 yards, and was not the Bills' leading rusher. LeSean McCoy ran for 112 yards on 16 carries with a score, averaging 7.0 yards per attempt. Williams carried the ball nine times for his 110 yards, with two touchdowns, giving him a 12.2 yards per carry average. Then, quarterback Tyrod Taylor added 44 yards on ten carries. Robert Woods did not gain a yard on his one attempt, so that is something. In all, the Bills ran for 266 yards on 36 carries with three touchdowns, racking up an absurd 7.4 yards per attempt for the game. Miami had a lot of issues on Sunday, but not being able to stuff the run was probably the ugliest thing on the list.

(Stock) Loser this week

I have not been doing a Stock Up/Stock Down post lately, but wanted to give my (stock) loser of the week, and this appeared to be a good place to do it. The Dolphins need to generate a pass rush to replace Cameron Wake, who missed his first game of the season this weekend after tearing his Achilles tendon against the New England Patriots last week. The team is expecting Derrick Shelby, Terrence Fede, and Chris McCain to pick up the slack, and maybe they will. It is too bad the Dolphins have not recently used a third overall pick, a pick for which they traded up to obtain, on a defensive end, someone who can use his freak-of-nature athleticism to get after opposing quarterbacks. Someone who could probably feast nest to the doubles teams of Ndamukong Suh. If they had used that pick on a defensive end, I bet he would be an awesome option to increase the team's pass rush abaility without Wake. Oh, wait, I think they did. That Dion Jordan guy seems to fit all of the requirements. Jordan would have been a great option to add to the defensive line rotation this week, and the rest of the year, as Miami looks to replace the sacks Wake should be getting for the club. He is suspended for the year, however, as he continues to have issues with drugs. That makes Jordan our (stock) loser of the week.