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Ryan Tannehill finally solved the Buffalo Bills defense, Kyle Orton and an anemic offense could not counter, and the Miami Dolphins picked up a fairly easy (and therefore supremely annoying) 22-9 win on Thursday Night Football.
Buffalo, as is their custom, sacked Tannehill early and often, bringing him down five times in total - with Mario Williams accumulating 3.5 of those. Problem is, when he wasn't being sacked, Tannehill was sharper than he's ever been against Buffalo. Two second-half touchdown passes quickly erased a 6-3 Bills halftime lead, and he finished the evening completing 26-of-34 passes for 240 yards and the two scores.
On the other side of the ball, Buffalo continued to struggle mightily; they have now played seven straight quarters without scoring a touchdown. Orton (22-of-38, 193 yards) took a key intentional grounding in the third quarter that resulted in a Dolphins safety, and after Dan Carpenter missed a potential game-tying, 47-yard field goal on the next drive, the game quickly got away from the Bills.
How bad was Buffalo's offense? They scored nine points despite the Dolphins spotting them with two turnovers. They ran for 54 yards. And most importantly, after converting six of their first eight third down opportunities in the first half, they were 0-for-9 combined on third and fourth downs as the Dolphins were rattling off 19 unanswered points. This was a truly pathetic performance.
Buffalo has now lost two straight winnable games to fall to 5-5, and they are officially back to afterthought status in the AFC playoff chase. Let the long, cold winter in Western New York begin. We'll have more on this game tomorrow; prepare your stomachs, and take two preventative painkillers.