Getty Tremaine Edmunds #49 of the Buffalo Bills tackles Tyreek Hill #10 of the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022.
One day after the Miami Dolphins‘ 32-29 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday Night Football, superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill reflected on his performance at Highmark Stadium in Week 15.
While the AFC East divisional showdown was one of the most exciting matchups of the season –with a heavy snowstorm starting to fall in the fourth quarter and Buffalo’s Tyler Bass kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired — it was a hard-fought battle that proved the Dolphins are true rivals of the Bills.
However, Hill, who caught 9-of-13 targets for 69 yards and one touchdown, put the loss on his shoulders. The $120 million receiver tweeted on Sunday, December 17, “I will never play like that again fins bad performance from myself last night I’ll be better ✌🏿,” a message that quickly went viral.
I will never play like that again fins bad performance from myself last night I’ll be better ✌🏿
Fans had strongly mixed reactions to the six-time Pro Bowler’s tweet. While he’s in the midst of yet another elite year with 109 receptions for 1,529 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, and broke the Dolphins’ franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season back in Week 14, many fans were unhappy with his performance against Buffalo.
One person responded, “Your apology is not enough. You let this team down when they needed you most. Waddle can’t keep carrying this offense, you need to step up and make some play,” while another person tweeted, “Get off fortnite and put in some more work you boutta not qualify for playoffs.”
👌 @Tua to @cheetah continues to be unfair
(via @MiamiDolphins)
Several fans, however, had Hill’s back. One man tweeted, “Man… you and the rest of the team have given us fans something we havent had in ages. You certainly dont have to apologize,” while another person wrote, “Bro, you the best thing to happen to this Franchise in 20 years. We love you. Relax. It’s nice to see a captain be accountable though!”
After falling to 8-6, the Dolphins can still qualify for the postseason without having to rely on another team. Hill’s teammate, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who finished against Buffalo catching 3-of-7 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, is confident the Dolphins can turn things around.
“We not into moral victories, at all,” Waddle said, per ESPN. “We’re gonna learn from it. The Bills did a good job and won the game, but we’ll learn from it and go back to the drawing board. We’ve got three more games to go out there and compete.”
Allen Said He’s ‘Pretty Positive’ Buffalo Will Face Miami in the Playoffs
GettyTua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills meet on the field after their game at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022.
The Bills (11-3) finally got their revenge over the Dolphins after taking a brutal 21-19 loss to Miami back in Week 3. With the playoffs looming, Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who finished against Miami with 381 total yards and four passing touchdowns, believes these two teams will face off against each other for a third time this season.
“That’s a really good football team,” Allen said of the Dolphins after the game. “Who knows if we’ll see them again. I’m pretty positive we will. That third quarter is not where we want to be, but again, that fourth quarter, guys made plays, stepped up, found a way to win.”
The Bills failed to score any points in the third quarter before the superstar quarterback basically took the game into his own hands. During the fourth quarter, Allen rushed for 52 yards, threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox, and just cracked the goal line for a clutch two-point conversion to tie the game. Allen’s final drive of the game, which took 5:56 off the clock, set up Bass for the 25-yarder that ultimately sent the Fins home.
Josh Allen doing everything he can
Bills head coach Sean McDermott also gave props to Miami. “It took everything we had to pull this one out tonight,” McDermott said after the game.
Buffalo has officially clinched their spot in the playoffs and held onto the No. 1 spot in the AFC, but Allen is still taking things one game at a time. “That’s the No. 1 thing Coach McDermott preaches, is playoff-caliber; can’t win the Super Bowl unless you make the playoffs,” Allen said. “So that’s goal No. 1 down. Goal No. 2 now is to clinch the division. That’s how we’ll take it. We’ll take it one game at a time. Be ready for next week.”
Bills Face the Bears in Week 16 in What Could Be Another Big Snowstorm
GettyJosh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills runs off the field after defeating the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York.
Next up for the Bills is another Saturday matchup in Week 16. Buffalo will travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears on Christmas Eve at 1 p.m. ET and can clinch their third straight AFC East title with a win/tie or with a Dolphins loss/tie in Week 16, per Syracuse.com‘s Matt Parrino.
The Bills are considered 9.5-point favorites to beat Chicago, and based on the latest reports, this matchup could be another major snowy affair.
The National Weather Service of Chicago tweeted on Monday, December 19 “A strong winter storm will impact the region Thu. into Sat., with potential blizzard conditions Thu. eve into Fri. eve. If possible, those traveling should begin to consider alternate travel plans. Bitterly cold air & strong winds will bring dangerously cold conditions Fri.-Sun.”