Bills GIF Recap: Week 3

Hey everyone,

This is a GIF recap of the Bills’ game against the Miami Dolphins. Here’s what happened.

Ndamukong Suh looks… different.

This season the Dolphins’ punter is Matt Darr, who graduated from Tennessee last year. Darr was a huge part of my championship Puntasy Football team last season but I didn’t get a chance to grab him in this year’s league.

I also didn’t get Riley Dixon, who was on my squad last year but went to SB Nation’s Peter Berkes one pick before me this year. Thankfully, Berkes is giving the Syracuse punter the recognition he deserves.

14:06 — Tyrod Taylor throws 9-yard pass to Charles Clay (0-0 tie)

approve

13:36 — Taylor throws 24-yard pass to Clay (0-0 tie)

yesssss…. yessssssss….

12:36 — Taylor throws 25-yard pass to Robert Woods (0-0 tie)

go go go

12:03 — Taylor throws 25-yard touchdown to Clay (7-0 Bills)

This is what it’s like to have an athletic, game-changing tight end in the National Football League. And it is good. Clay broke away from the linebacker chasing him, then made a remarkable move to beat a man in the secondary and hit paydirt. Dude got paid this offseason and there was a lot of talk about whether he would be worth the investment. So far, so good.

Again, good start.

9:50 — Dolphins go nowhere, punt after a single first down (7-0 Bills)

Bills got a lot more pressure on the quarterback in this game. That quarterback, mind you, also held onto the ball longer than two seconds per play, so…

8:46 — Taylor throws 39-yard pass to Sammy Watkins (7-0 Bills)

This was Sammy’s only catch on the day, and he left the game with an injury. He appears to be OK to play moving forward. Another great throw from Taylor, who had plenty of time in the pocket. Much improved effort from the offensive line in this one, too.

6:07 — Taylor throws 10-yard touchdown to LeSean McCoy (14-0 Bills)

This play was so interesting. McCoy was split out wide with Watkins on the right. Watkins rubbed the corner and Shady had an easy route to the end zone for the score. Cool design on a 3rd and 5. Great execution. Bills rolling early.

2:00 — Dolphins punt, Bills punt (14-0 Bills)

just gotta keep watching

1:48 — Tannehill intercepted by Preston Brown (14-0 Bills)

Tannehill had a really bad game, but this wasn’t his fault. I’m not sure if Landry actually made “A FOOTBALL MOVE” on this play but he totally should have caught it. Two Bills nearly fought over the ball in the air.

1:40 — William Karlos Williams ran for 18-yard gain (14-0 Bills)

“Yeah well Fred Jackso-”

/crushed by Saturn V rocket

Points are fine. Let’s move on.

7:11 — Tannehill fumbles, the Dolphins are bad, Darr punts (17-0 Bills)

just hangin’ poolside with my bros

4:48 — Taylor throws 18-yard pass to Harvin on 3rd and 10 (17-0 Bills)

Here’s something you don’t usually see from the Bills: a wideout making a move and turning a short pass into a long third down conversion. The cutback Harvin made here was really impressive. This drive didn’t go anywhere, but that catch prevented a punt deep in Bills territory and let them flip the field on a hapless offense.

1:53 — Tannehill intercepted by Preston Brown for 47-yard touchdown (24-0 Bills)

Dear god the Dolphins are trash. What happened to this team? They didn’t have a great defense last season but they went out and acquired Suh. Now there’s rumblings that he’s “freelancing” and things are not well? Also that crowd was dead and the team appears to have zero running backs. What is going on down there? Is Joe Philbin even alive?

1:17 — Tannehill sacked by Stephon Charles, fumbles. Dolphins recover (24-0 Bills)

Seriously? Is it my birthday? What is happening?

0:54 — Tannehill intercepted by Ronald Darby (24-0 Bills)

No freaking way. This was a good call to go for it on 4th and 4 at midfield, but it was a truly awful throw. Also, I recall the days where there were concerns about Ronald Darby. I do not wish for them to return.

0:08 — Carpenter kicks 51-yard field goal (27-0 Bills)

That’s Prince doing… Prince things. Whatever the Bills are winning by 27.

Also:

I had pancakes during the early games and pizza and wings during the first half on Sunday.

YOU GET NOTHING AND LIKE IT DOLPHINS FANS I AM NOT SORRY

I know we’re supposed to be worried about Kicker Jesus/Kick Rock/Hair Metal Kicker guy and his misses, but I’m more concerned with how much time they took off the clock to start the second half here. That’s something they’ve been very good at with a lead: working the clock with slow, methodical drives.

This offense has gears, and it knows how to play with a lead. A 27-point lead is helpful, sure, but it feels like they would be able to do the same with 6 or 7 points with 10 minutes left on the clock in the fourth. Encouraging all around.

5:46 — Tannehill throws 21-yard touchdown to Rishard Matthews, 2-point conversion good (27-8 Bills)

Not ideal, but think about how different this game looks if it’s 27-8 with five more minutes on the clock here. Also, the next Bills drive (aided by a dumb penalty on a punt) finishes off this quarter. That’s how you win.

Let’s take another look at this:

This was a remarkable throw and some truly bad defense. I really like Taylor’s willingness to throw the ball downfield and trust his receivers to get open in single coverage. The DB certainly thought safety help was there. It wasn’t, and suddenly the Bills have a quarterback who can make a defense pay for those mistakes.

So that’s exciting.

12:42 — Tannehill sacked and fumbles, recovered by Jerry Hughes, BUT called back on defensive holding (34-8 Bills)

Rex took this… not well. But really, it’s good to see the team still invested in this game. They are winning by 26. The game is over. The Dolphins are dead. And the Bills want more.

Things got a bit wonky later, but I love seeing the defense coming at the quarterback hard late in these games. Rex is known as a player’s coach, and right now it’s clear the players love him. Let’s hope it never changes.

10:17 — Tannehill throws four straight incomplete passes after 1st and goal at the Buffalo 2 (34-8 Bills)

This was awesome and featured two straight passes defended by Jerry Hughes, who hopes you find him delicious. Speaking of delicious, I wrote about La Hacienda, a pizza place in Niagara Falls you should visit before it is sold or closes within the next few years. I’m really enjoying the chance to write about food for Gusto. If you have any ideas, you should drop me a line.

8:57 — Bills go 3-and-out, punt (34-8 Bills)

This was a short one, but it’s important to note that Taylor made no major mistakes on Sunday. Last week against New England he felt the pressure and threw some balls up for grabs. Almost every pass he threw on Sunday was clean, accurate, and only available to his receivers. I’m sure more in-depth film study will reveal some things to correct, but it was a really strong bounce back after seeing some adversity against what’s likely the best team in the league. High marks.

8:11 — Tannehill throws 46-yard pass to Matthews, who rolls into the end zone for a touchdown (34-14 Bills)

This was weird, but whatever. Let’s talk about how bad a game Tannehill had: I was watching with someone who is definitely a Bills fan. Tannehill, who looks 14 in uniform somehow, became a sympathetic character in his eyes. He started to feel bad for him. Like Bambi or something. The forest is on fire in Miami and hunters are everywhere. The highway to Disney is closed. This will not end well.

6:54 — Williams rushes for 41-yard touchdown (41-14 Bills)

PANCAKE PARTY

This run was so good, and the blocking is better. Let’s talk about Richie Incognito here, because I have avoided it all game. Dude played well. Do I think he’s a good person, a reformed individual who will go on to be a model citizen in this league and in society in general once he retires? Is he a figurehead for the systematic issues that plague football, masculinity, and society at large? No. And then yes. But the Buffalo Bills employ him because it does not matter what I think. I’m just the GIF guy on Mondays, man.

If this is the new normal, life is good.

Get some color in while you can. See you next Monday.