Live: Miami Dolphins trail Buffalo Bills in second quarter, needing win to make NFL playoffs
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The Miami Dolphins have one goal today against the Buffalo Bills: win, and get into the NFL playoffs.
The Dolphins and Bills kick off at 1 p.m. If Miami wins, they return to the postseason for the first time since 2016-17. If they lose, the Dolphins need either the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns or Indianapolis Colts to lose in order to play another week.
Tua Tagovailoa is expected to remain at quarterback all game, as Ryan Fitzpatrick was placed on the COVID reserve list this week. The Bills might decide to rest starters including Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs.
Scroll down for the latest updates from the game, and keep scrolling for news from the Palm Beach Post’s team of Dolphins reporters.
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2:36 p.m. | Dolphins in danger at halftime
Tua Tagovailoa hit only one of three pass attempts before the game went to halftime after a punt.
Tua ended the half 12 of 19 passing for 89 yards. He was sacked once. Myles Gaskin had five carries for 12 yards, adding three catches for 46 yards. Lynn Bowden had six catches for 29 yards.
Josh Allen was 18 of 25 for 224 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Stefon Diggs led the team with seven catches for 76 yards.
Score: Bills 28, Dolphins 6 at halftime
Elsewhere, the Bengals opened the second half against Baltimore down 17-3 and drove to their 40-yard line before facing fourth-and-13. The Browns lead the Steelers 10-6.
If both the Ravens and Browns win and the Dolphins can’t come back, Miami would need the Colts to lose later this afternoon to the 1-14 Jaguars in order to sneak into the playoffs.
2:30 p.m. | Josh Allen drives quickly, finding John Brown for 3rd touchdown
Josh Allen came back in the game and started with a quick strike to Stefon Diggs to get the ball to the Bills’ 41-yard line. He then hit John Brown on a deep pass to the sideline to get in scoring range with over a minute left.
After an incompletion, Allen struck again on a slant-and-go to Brown to put the Dolphins in even deeper trouble.
Score: Bills 28, Dolphins 6, 1:00 left in 2nd quarter
The Browns lead Pittsburgh 10-6 at halftime, while the Ravens have a 17-3 lead over Cincinnati.
2:25 p.m. | Dolphins settle for Jason Sanders field goal
On second-and-goal, Lynn Bowden got busted on a jet sweep to make it third down from the 14-yard line. Tua Tagovailoa had a miscommunication with DeVante Parker on a fade attempt in the corner of the end zone. Parker had changed his route.
Jason Sanders came out for a short field goal. Matt Barkley again was seen warming up on the sideline.
Score: Bills 21, Dolphins 6, 1:44 left in 2nd quarter
2:22 p.m. | Lynn Bowden connects with Myles Gaskin on trick play
The Dolphins moved the ball a little better after getting it back, though again with short passes. Lynn Bowden took the first 10 yards, then Myles Gaskin took a screen 8 yards after a 3-yard carry. Tua Tagovailoa tried to hit Mike Gesicki over the middle and got a pass interference call to get into Bills territory.
The Dolphins finally broke out with a double pass, as Lynn Bowden threw across the field to Myles Gaskin for 32 yards down to the 9-yard line.
Gaskin ran up the middle for a short gain before the 2-minute warning.
Score: Bills 21, Dolphins 3, 2:00 left in 2nd quarter
Elsewhere, Pittsburgh got another field goal to make it 10-6 Browns with 1:07 left in the half. The Bengals got on the board with a field goal just before halftime to make it 17-3 Ravens.
2:13 p.m. | Dolphins offense continues to struggle, Isaiah McKenzie returns punt for touchdown
After two straight short passes to Lynn Bowden for a combined 3 yards, Tua Tagovailoa tried a deep pass to Mike Gesicki but overthrew him. With an announcement from CBS play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan that Bills backup QB Matt Barkley was warming up, Isaiah McKenzie continued his big day by returning the punt 84 yards for a touchdown.
Score: Bills 21, Dolphins 3, 5:22 left in 2nd quarter
2:05 p.m. | Josh Allen finds Isaiah McKenzie again for a touchdown
Starting from the 12, Josh Allen came out with the Bills offense again, starting with a slant to Stefon Diggs for 8 yards. Dawson Knox took the next pass 10 yards down the left sideline.
Diggs took the next pass 16 yards down the middle. Christian Wilkins was called with a late hit on a sliding Diggs, making helmet-to-helmet contact from which the receiver was slow to get up.
Allen danced around the pocket after an incompletion before finding Isaiah McKenzie at the 20-yard line. On third down, a Dolphin jumped offsides, and Allen found McKenzie for a 14-yard touchdown.
Score: Bills 14, Dolphins 3, 6:56 left in 2nd quarter
Elsewhere, the Steelers finally got on the board with an 11-play drive that ended with a 29-yard field goal. They trail the Browns 10-3 with about 4 minutes left in the first half.
The Ravens jumped to a 17-0 lead after Lamar Jackson’s second TD of the game, an 18-yard pass to Marquise Brown.
1:57 p.m. | Adam Shaheen picks up 23, but Dolphins stall again
After a touchback and a 3-yard run by Salvon Ahmed, Tua Tagovailoa tossed a short pass to Adam Shaheen, who turned it into a 23-yard gain.
A stuffed Ahmed run and an underthrown pass to Mike Gesicki followed. Tua connected on a screen to Lynn Bowden on third-and-10, but the Bills swarmed him for just 3 yards, bringing out the punt team from the Buffalo 46-yard line.
Score: Bills 10, Dolphins 3, 9:43 left in 2nd quarter
Elsewhere, the Browns kicked a field goal to go up 10-0 with about 10 minutes to go in the first half. The Ravens still lead 10-0 with 8 minutes left in the half and were driving past midfield again.
1:50 p.m. | Josh Allen gets to work, finding Isaiah McKenzie for touchdown
Stefon Diggs began stepping it up on the drive with two straight catches for 26 total yards. Isaiah McKenzie finished the drive off with a 7-yard TD catch to put the Bills ahead and the Dolphins in trouble.
Score: Bills 7, Dolphins 3, 12:09 left in 2nd quarter
Elsewhere, Akeem Davis-Gaither intercepted Lamar Jackson around midfield, but the Bengals couldn’t do anything with the ball. Baltimore leads 10-0.
The Browns have the ball inside the red zone with a chance to build on their early lead.
1:43 p.m. | Dolphins can’t escape shadow of end zone, Bills start second quarter past midfield
Tua Tagovailoa took a QB sneak to get some breathing room — he could make it only to the 2-yard line. Myles Gaskin just barely got out of the end zone on second down. Tua found Lynn Bowden underneath for just 7 yards to bring out the punt team again, the Dolphins’ second straight three-and-out.
Matt Haack nearly had his punt block, but the ball rolled out to midfield for the Bills’ next possession.
Score: Dolphins 3, Bills 0 after 1st quarter
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1:38 p.m. | Dolphins and Bills trade three-and-outs
After a false start by Durham Smythe, Tua Tagovailoa missed DeVante Parker on a slant, throwing too low. The next play was a screen to Myles Gaskin that got it to third-and-9. Tua completed an out to Parker, but Parker had to come back shy of the first-down marker, forcing a punt back to Buffalo. The Bills start with the ball around their own 40-yard line.
Isaiah McKenzie took a jet sweep 3 yards on first down, followed by Devin Singletary off the right side for 3 more. Allen tried to hit Stefon Diggs on a deep pass on third down, but the pass went out of bounds, giving Miami the ball inside the 1-yard line on an incredible punt by Corey Bojorquez.
Score: Dolphins 3, Bills 0, 2:40 left in 1st quarter
Elsewhere, the Steelers stay pinned deep in their own territory with time winding down in the first quarter, while Baltimore is back in possession with 2 minutes left in the first. The Ravens and Browns, both of whom are fighting with the Dolphins for playoff spots, both lead.
1:30 p.m. | Dolphins force another punt while Browns and Ravens expand leads
Running back Zach Moss started the Bills’ drive with a 4-yard run, then a tackle-breaking 14-yard reception after Josh Allen just barely got the ball off under pressure. Allen overthrew tight end Dawson Knox over the middle on second down, then missed him again on a deep attempt.
Something to watch: Xavien Howard, the Dolphins’ hopeful for Defensive Player of the Year, is now shadowing star Bills wideout Stefon Diggs.
Malcolm Perry is returning punts in place of the injured Jakeem Grant. The kick went into the end zone for a touchback.
Score: Dolphins 3, Bills 0, 5:50 left in 1st quarter
Elsewhere, the Steelers once again punted back to Cleveland down 7-0, while the Ravens went up 10-0 on a 43-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Miles Boykin.
1:19 p.m. | Jason Sanders puts Miami on the board
After the interception, Tua Tagovailoa dumped a play-action pass to Durham Smythe on second down. Bills defensive back Taron Johnson hit teammate Matt Milano on the tackle attempt and was injured on the play.
Two plays later, a miscommunication led to Tua missing Lynn Bowden on a screen attempt. Tagovailoa was sacked on the next play by Trey Edmunds. Jason Sanders put the Dolphins on the board with a 49-yard field goal.
Score: Dolphins 3, Bills 0, 8:07 left in 1st quarter
In Cleveland, Nick Chubb took a 47-yard run to the house to put the Browns up 7-0. The Ravens lead the Bengals 3-0.
1:12 p.m. | Byron Jones intercepts Josh Allen on Bills’ first possession
The Dolphins won the coin toss and chose to defer to the second half, so the Bills start with the ball. Josh Allen started under center for Buffalo after the touchback.
Well, he started on the field anyway — the Bills’ first play was a direct snap to Devin Singletary with Allen spread out wide. Singletary took it up the middle for 5 yards, then Allen took the next snap and found John Brown over the middle for a first down.
Isaiah McKenzie caught a 7-yard pass over the middle, and after Singletary was stuffed for a loss, Stefon Diggs got involved for the first time with a catch at the sticks.
Andrew Van Ginkel followed that up with a sack straight up the middle. Byron Jones nearly intercepted the next pass on the sideline, but the officials ruled he did not control the ball before falling out of bounds.
Brian Flores called for a review and it was overturned, giving Miami the ball at the Buffalo 41-yard line.
Elsewhere, the Steelers punted to the Browns on their first possession, while the Ravens kicked a field goal vs. the Bengals.
12:57 p.m. | Bills without CB Tre’Davious White, WR Cole Beasley
The Bills will be without star cornerback Tre’Davious White and slot receiver extraordinaire Cole Beasley, both of whom were placed on the pregame inactive list.
12:53 p.m. | Weather update for Buffalo shows little chance of snow
The forecast for Orchard Park, N.Y., today: cold and wet, but probably not snowy.
Weather.com says the temperature in Orchard Park, where Bills Stadium is located, is 35 degrees 10 minutes before kickoff. There is a 15% chance of rain, and while the chance of precipitation rises as high as 60% throughout the game, it likely will not lead to snow.
12:35 p.m. | DeVante Parker in, Jakeem Grant out
The Dolphins have top wideout DeVante Parker back in the lineup after he missed the past few weeks with a hamstring injury. Fellow receiver Jakeem Grant, however, is out with an ankle injury.
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Live updates from Dolphins vs. Bills
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Live: Miami Dolphins trail Buffalo Bills at halftime, needing win to make NFL playoffs