BUFFALO — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was not pleased with how officials handled the final play of the first half in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills.
After the Dolphins scored a touchdown to tie the game, 14-14, the Bills were merely lining up for a kneeldown in the final seconds before halftime.
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen mishandled the snap for a fumble. He started to take the snap with his right knee on the ground, fumbled as he lifted that knee and then quickly put his left knee down and back up as he began to pick up the loose ball.
With Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler and cornerback Jack Jones still alertly tracking Allen and the football, Allen suavely ran backward with the ball to toss it to the head referee as officials blew their whistles.
“I saw it. I knew what happened,” McDaniel said in a Friday web conference with reporters following Thursday night’s 31-21 defeat in Orchard Park. “I also saw the whistle blow and I saw them run in, so then I ran in to prepare for the second half knowing that he just fumbled — or I thought they did at least.”
It may have been inconsequential, even if it were ruled a fumble and the Dolphins recovered, because time expired on the play after there were only two seconds left in the first half to start the down. But if the whistles weren’t blown and the referee didn’t catch the ball as Allen tossed it backward to him, Jones might’ve had a chance to return the fumble for a touchdown. In an alternate universe, it would’ve been a brutal mental lapse by Allen, last year’s MVP.
McDaniel said the Dolphins will be in contact with the league over the ruling.
“I haven’t gotten any feedback yet, but live-speed, it appeared to me that it was a fumble,” he said. “It was of the assumption that it was a clean center-quarterback exchange, but we’ll see how the league rules it.”
On the field in the moment, McDaniel decided there was nothing officials could do to change the ruling, so he opted not to argue as the teams and officials ran inside for the intermission.
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“It was a great exercise in my mental discipline,” the Dolphins coach said. “I really work at not expending emotional energy on past things that I can’t fix. I’ll get mad on game day if I think whatever I’m getting mad at will have an effect on stuff moving forward. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s appropriate for everyone to wait around while I have an adult temper tantrum. I ran inside and worked on the plays coming out of the half.”
Running back usage
The Dolphins, who ranked last in the NFL in rushing attempts entering Thursday, ran 25 times Thursday and did successfully, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
Starting running back De’Von Achane rushed 12 times for 62 yards. Behind him, rookie power runner Ollie Gordon II had nine carries for 38 yards. He capped Miami’s opening drive with a touchdown on one of his four attempts that series.
“It was pre-planned,” McDaniel said of getting Gordon involved early.
The coach said he was easing Gordon, who only had three rushes his first two games, into more playing time because he doesn’t like to throw a rookie in too early when he hasn’t yet grasped all his assignments.
“I was proud of his production,” McDaniel said, “and I’m going to continue to challenge him to grow so we can have him out there as much as (possible).”
Possibly becoming a factor now is the renewed health of fellow running back Jaylen Wright.
Wright missed the first two games recovering from a preseason knee injury. He was active Thursday but did not see a snap.
“The one thing that is certain is that competition brings out the best in people,” McDaniel said of Wright getting into the mix. “How much I can use those guys is entirely up to them. I have firm belief in both those guys.
“It puts competitive pressure with Jaylen Wright to be on his stuff. I’m sure his game is going to rise, and if Ollie doesn’t continue to make steps forward, you can adjust. But right now, I was happy with what Ollie did. I do plan on incorporating Jaylen. He’s a guy we believe in.”
