The decision to sign Jordan Poyer over retaining Deshon Elliott in the 2024 offseason took an unfortunate turn in their tough loss to the Buffalo Bills. Through nine weeks, Poyer had mostly blended into the background alongside Jevon Holland, but on Sunday, he made a costly mistake that ultimately helped Buffalo secure the win.
Poyer had previously missed a tackle that led to a Bills touchdown, but in a critical moment on Buffalo’s final drive, he hit receiver Keon Coleman high, resulting in a penalty for unnecessary roughness. This foul turned an incomplete third down into a fresh set of downs for Buffalo, who would have otherwise been forced to punt, potentially sending the game into overtime.
Buffalo capitalized on the extra opportunity, and Tyler Bass sealed the deal with a game-winning 61-yard field goal, handing the Bills their seventh win and dropping the Dolphins to six losses. Although Miami’s season isn’t over, their playoff hopes are now hanging by a thread.
In an otherwise stellar performance by Miami, the defense fell short in crunch time, unable to regain possession for the offense in the fourth quarter’s back-and-forth battle. It was a thrilling Dolphins-Bills matchup, almost setting Miami up for a dramatic win, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.
Ironically, Poyer’s blunder did more to aid his former team than he’s managed for the Dolphins all season. With a challenging schedule still ahead, Miami may look to the trade market to reposition their roster and consider their strategy for 2025 as they regroup for the remainder of the season.
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