3 Takeaways from Dolphins' Week 17 Loss

Entering Week 17, the Miami Dolphins controlled their playoff destiny. If they beat the Buffalo Bills, they'd be heading to the postseason. There were also scenarios in which they could lose and still make the playoffs.

However, nothing unfolded in Miami's favor on Sunday. The Dolphins lost to the Bills 56-26 at Bills Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, and with the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts all winning, Miami missed out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Miami ended the season at 10-6 after it was swept in its series against Buffalo. The Bills also beat the Dolphins 31-28 in Week 2 in Miami.

This time, Buffalo built a 28-6 lead by halftime and had the opportunity to rest some of its starters before heading to the playoffs next week. The Bills, who won the AFC East title, finished at 13-3, three games ahead of the second-place Dolphins.

Here are three takeaways from Miami's loss in Sunday's season finale.

After getting selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa flashed his potential at times during his rookie season with the Dolphins. But he also showcased some of the areas in which he'll need to improve moving forward in his career.

On Sunday, Tagovailoa went 35-for-58 for 361 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions. Although Tagovailoa had struggled to move the offense in earlier games, he had only two interceptions over his nine previous contests. He particularly had trouble on third downs, as the Dolphins went 3-for-14 on third-down attempts after they started the game 0-for-11.

Earlier in the season, Miami twice pulled Tagovailoa from games he started and brought in veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. That happened as recently as Week 16, when Fitzpatrick led a comeback win over the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Fitzpatrick wasn't available on Sunday after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

And at some point, the Dolphins will need Tagovailoa to take steps forward, especially with the 38-year-old Fitzpatrick likely nearing the end of his career. Plus, Tagovailoa was drafted to be their franchise quarterback.

"That's not the way we wanted to go down. There are a lot of things to learn from," Tagovailoa said, according to John Wawrow of the Associated Press. "All I can do is continue to grow, continue to get better."

Perhaps Tagovailoa will as he continues to gain experience in 2021.

The Dolphins' defense had some impressive showings during the 2020 season, and their special-teams unit mostly played solid, too. However, Miami struggled in both areas on Sunday, and it couldn't have come at a worse time, considering the stakes of the matchup.

Buffalo compiled 455 total yards of offense, and it built an early lead by scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter. Three of those came via wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who had a pair of receiving scores and an 84-yard punt return touchdown.

Even when the Bills put in their backups, the Dolphins still couldn't keep them off the board. Buffalo had three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, its final score coming on a 56-yard pass from Matt Barkley to Gabriel Davis with six minutes, 18 seconds to go, extending the Bills' lead to 56-19.

It didn't help that Miami's offense committed four turnovers, each of which led to a Buffalo touchdown.

Still, the Dolphins' defense showed that it was better than this numerous times throughout the season. They just didn't have answers for the Bills' high-powered offense.

Many years, 10 wins is enough to get a team into the playoffs. By finishing 10-6, the Dolphins had more wins than two teams that reached the postseason in the NFC—the Chicago Bears (8-8) and Washington Football Team (7-9). Miami was also the first 10-win team to miss the playoffs since the 2015 New York Jets.

After opening the season 1-3, the Dolphins won seven of their next eight games, putting themselves in position to remain in the playoff chase up until the final week. They had some tough matchups down the stretch, as their final two losses came against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Bills.

Although Miami couldn't get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season, it had bright spots throughout the year. And that should be an encouraging sign for coach Brian Flores' team moving on to 2021 and beyond.

"I feel like we’ve got something here," Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard said, per Wawrow. "Everybody believes in Flores. Even though we came up short, I feel like the future is bright for us."

Over the past 19 seasons, Miami has only reached the postseason twice. And it hasn't won a playoff game since the 2000 campaign. But if the Dolphins add more strong players to their roster and continue to take steps forward, there could be postseason success in their future.