The Miami Dolphins still had a shot at at least tying the game against the Buffalo Bills late in regulation Sunday night, but a woeful error by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa doomed his team's chances of scoring a comeback victory. Tagovailoa got picked by Bills safety Taylor Rapp with just a little over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter to virtually seal the game in favor of Buffalo, which is once again the champion of the AFC East division after a 21-14 win over Miami.
Tagovailoa was looking to connect with wide receiver Chase Claypool on the play, but Rapp seemingly had a good read of what was going to happen.
“They played two high. Tried to anticipate the throw and that was the result,” the Dolphins quarterback said after the game (h/t Henry McKenna of FOX Sports).
Tagovailoa had a forgettable performance overall in a crucial contest. He finished with just 173 passing yards and a touchdown on 17/27 completions. He was picked off twice and concluded the game with only a 73.3 QB rating. His poor play versus the Bills was not a good sign for the Dolphins heading into the playoffs, though, there's still time for him to work on a rebound.
With their loss to the Bills, the Dolphins did not just let Buffalo win the AFC East for the fourth season in a row, but also saw themselves slide all the way down to the No. 6 seed in the conference. That means Miami will have a date with the reigning Super Bowl champions and AFC West division kings Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium this coming Saturday.