The Miami Dolphins aren’t going undefeated. And if they keep playing like they did Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, they’ll have more than a few losses on their record when the season ends.
Miami’s Week 4 winners and losers recap Sunday’s cold blast of reality for Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa, and the 3-1 Dolphins.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
Winners and Losers From Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills
Winner | De’Von Achane
Before we get onto the long list of bad, let’s celebrate a little bit of good from Sunday’s 48-20 thrashing at the hands of the Buffalo Bills:
De’Von Achane is a stud.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
He scored two more touchdowns Sunday, giving him six in two games. Achane also went for 101 yards on eight carries, giving him a team-best 309 rushing yards on just 27 carries (an average of 11.4 per tote).
Even with Salvon Ahmed back from a groin injury, Achane is certainly the Dolphins’ RB2 and might even be the Dolphins’ RB1, particularly after Raheem Mostert’s lackluster game (more on that in a bit).
De'Von Achane's 6th TD in the last two weeks!
📺: #MIAvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/89nMzvgMX8— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
Loser | Dolphins Pass Rush
There’s no shortage of blame to go around for Sunday’s 48-point defensive meltdown, and cornerback Kader Kohou is an easy target.
But McDaniel seemed to point the finger at a broader issue than simply making Kohou “one person the scapegoat.”
McDaniel is right (even if Kohou gave up three touchdowns to Stefon Diggs Sunday).
STEFON DIGGS: CONFIRMED DAWG.
📺: @CBS | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/lyqTy1zYVx
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 1, 2023
Kohou didn’t get much help at all from his pass rushers Sunday. Bradley Chubb, Christian Wilkins, and Emmanuel Ogbah combined for zero sacks, zero tackles for loss, and one quarterback hit Sunday.
“I think there’s a lot of people that weren’t executing a lot of times late in the play,” McDaniel said. “People can get blamed for getting beat down the field. But our expectation as a defense is to get home in those situations, too.”
Loser | Dolphins Offensive Line
The Dolphins were down two starters — Terron Armstead and Connor Williams — for much of the game. But injuries happen, and the way Armstead limped out of Highmark Stadium Sunday, the Dolphins shouldn’t expect him back any time soon.
That means the healthy guys they do have need to play better.
Tagovailoa was roughed up for the first time this season, taking four sacks and nine quarterback hits Sunday against the Bills.
Buffalo also had five tackles for loss. It has to be better.
“I would say the message from Mike was, ‘Don’t blink,'” Tagovailoa said. “There’s a lot of football left. Continue to look at the guy next to you, continue to trust him, continue to keep playing, and remember what you play for.
“So, you know, it’s tough when you lose and you lose like this. But we’re not gonna blink; we’re gonna continue to do what we do. We’re gonna go back in; we’re gonna work on the things that need to be fixed, that need to be corrected.”
Loser | Raheem Mostert
After a great first three weeks to the season, Raheem Mostert had a game to forget against the Bills.
He had season lows in carries (7) and rushing yards (9) and fumbled twice, losing one.
The contrast could not have been more stark between Mostert’s afternoon and Achane’s.
Will Sunday’s game cause the Dolphins to reorder their depth chart?
Winner | Andrew Van Ginkel
It wasn’t all bad on defense for the Dolphins on Sunday.
They got another impactful game from Andrew Van Ginkel, who has emerged as the Dolphins’ most consistent playmaker, with Jaelan Phillips dealing with multiple injuries this young season.
MORE: QB Tua Tagovailoa on the Miami Dolphins Getting Humbled
Van Ginkel led the team in sacks (2), tackles for loss (3), and quarterback hits (2) on Sunday.
He’s the only Dolphins player with more than one sack four games into the season.