Bills 2010 Film Review: Week 15 At Miami (Second Half)

The second half of the Buffalo Bills' Week 15 win over the Miami Dolphins last season was very, very sloppy. Both teams put a touchdown on the board, and both teams had golden opportunities for much more. That's true of Miami in particular, but also of Buffalo, who missed some plays thanks to poor execution and dropped passes. In the end, however, the Bills hung on for a 17-14 win, their fourth and final victory of the season.

Week 15, second half: Bills hang on to edge Dolphins, 17-14 - NOTES

• Andy Levitre pulls on a play-action fake. The Dolphins are fully prepared for it, however, and Ryan Fitzpatrick forces a pass in to Stevie Johnson. Sean Smith gets two hands on it, but can't hang on for the interception.
• On third down, Dolphins blitz, Fitzpatrick reads hot and finds Donald Jones wide open underneath for an easy first down. Jones drops the ball and the Bills are forced to punt.

Week 15, second half: Bills hang on to edge Dolphins, 17-14 - NOTES (cont.

• On the punt, the Dolphins get a rusher free, and Brian Moorman has to rush to get the ball away. It's a 28-yard punt, and the Dolphins start at mid-field.
• Bills have good coverage and Chad Henne has nowhere to go. Henne held too long. Jairus Byrd gets by Ricky Williams and sacks Henne.
• Chris Kelsay plays good contain on an end-around to Kevin Curtis, but can't make the tackle on the quicker player. Still only a short gain.
• Bills dial up a blitz that confuses Henne - no defender in a three-point stance at the snap. Kyle Williams shoots a gap, Henne is flushed, and throws incomplete short of the first-down marker.
• Fitzpatrick throws into double coverage on third down. It's a back-shoulder throw to Naaman Roosevelt, who makes a great adjustment to make the catch, pick up 24 yards and gain a first down.
• Fitzpatrick hits Johnson underneath for a short first down. Dolphins ran a delayed blitz on the play, sending six, and the Bills picked it up expertly. Fitz had all day to deliver.
• Bills dial up play-action with C.J. Spiller in the backfield. Spiller handles Koa Misi well enough, but Mansfield Wrotto is toasted by Cameron Wake, who sacks Fitzpatrick.
• Johnson quickly separates from Vontae Davis on the same play-fake pivot slant that the team repeatedly burned Baltimore on. He turns a short pass into a first down by making Davis miss, then stretching for 18 yards.
• On a stretch run to the right, Spiller makes Yeremiah Bell look foolish in space, then trucks Chris Clemons out of bounds as he picks up a quick 12.
• Next running play: Spiller does good work to turn a loss into no gain. Not great blocking on the play.
• Fitzpatrick finds Johnson on his third progression for a touchdown. Terrific throw. Johnson beat Smith on the play; Smith had a shot at a pass break-up, but Johnson took it away from him. Bills lead 17-7.
• On the ensuing kickoff, George Wilson fights off a pretty weak block and stops the Dolphins returner well short of the 20-yard line.
• Brandon Marshall beats Drayton Florence on a quick slant. Florence makes an excellent open-field tackle to prevent first-down yardage.
• Davone Bess appears to push off against Terrence McGee on a back-shoulder throw for first down yardage. It's borderline, and it goes uncalled.
• Story of the day for the Dolphins: they execute a flea-flicker nicely, and Henne hits Marshall for just 14 yards. Marshall is injured on the play.
• Bess beats single coverage by Reggie Corner on a simple out route for another first down.
• Henne throws a terrible ball behind Patrick Cobbs. Florence jumps the route, but can't make the interception.
• Corner comes free on a blitz, and Henne checks down for a minimal gain to Anthony Fasano.
• Bryan Scott comes on a blitz, is stymied, but bats a Henne check-down away to force a fourth down. Henne is playing terrible football. Dan Carpenter misses a 53-yard field goal attempt, this time wide left. It's his third miss of the day.
• Bills run another play-action boot. Fitzpatrick has nowhere to go, picks up minimal yardage on a scramble, with Wake making the stop.
• Johnson separates with ease from Davis for a first down, but sacrifices a couple of yards running sideways trying to make a bigger play.
• Spiller misreads a block, knows it, and lowers his head to pick up four yards anyway.
• A Dolphins run blitzer is completely unblocked, and Spiller is stopped for a loss.
• Jones gets a step on Nolan Carroll on a fly route that could've been a touchdown, but Fitzpatrick overthrows him by a considerable margin. Bills punt, and it's another bad one from Moorman (20 yards in the air).
• Henne beats a blitz (taking a hit in the process) by hitting Bess for good yardage and a first down. Bess beat Corner easily on the play.
• Paul Posluszny can't handle Ricky Williams in coverage, and Williams picks up big yardage as Posluszny trails him. 24-yard gain.
• Cobbs beats Posluszny's coverage on a play-action fake for 13 yards and a near-first down. (Play followed a Jake Long false start.)
• From the nine-yard line, Marshall gets a sliver of space working against Leodis McKelvin, and that's all he needs. Henne hits him for a touchdown. Bills 17, Dolphins 14. McKelvin tried to jump the route.
• Spiller motions wide to the right out of the backfield, taking Tim Dobbins with him. Fitzpatrick hits Spiller on a simple screen, Spiller makes Dobbins miss, and picks up an easy first down.
• Fitzpatrick hits Fred Jackson on an out route that would've yielded a first down, but Jackson drops the pass.
• On third down, Fitzpatrick takes another shot downfield, this time trying to fit the ball between a corner and safety to Roosevelt. The ball is high, and the Bills punt again.
• Bills can't get home on a third-down blitz, and Henne fits a ball between Florence, Donte Whitner and Wilson to Marshall for a first down.
• Marshall again beats Florence on a comeback route, and it's another first down. Florence has had his hands full, to be sure.
• Fasano beats Arthur Moats' coverage for a gain of 16 on a play-fake.
• Florence makes a pretty pass break-up on an underneath throw to Bess. Forces a fourth down.
• Carpenter pushes a 48-yard field goal wide right. It's his fourth miss of the day, and the Bills still lead 17-14.
• Chan Gailey dials up three straight runs, the Dolphins shut them all down, and there's barely 30 seconds off the clock. Bills will punt, and the Dolphins will get one last shot.
• Moorman booms a punt, and Ashton Youboty is completely free as a gunner. He runs directly at Bess, doesn't track the ball, and it sails into the end zone for a touchback.
• With less than 20 seconds remaining, Henne checks down to Ricky, and McKelvin makes a great tackle to keep him inbounds and the clock ticking. (Miami was out of timeouts at this point.)
• Henne checks down to Marshall on the final play of the game, who laterals wildly. Game ends with a fumble recovery. Miami's slim playoff hopes are now nonexistent, as the Bills win 17-14.