The Buffalo Bills ensured a 31-21 win over the Dolphins. But it wouldn’t have been possible without linebacker Terrel Bernard. With Miami trailing 28-21 and driving to tie the game, Bernard intercepted quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the Buffalo 21-yard line on a pass intended for WR Jaylen Waddle. It was an important play for the Bills’ defense that had struggled to contain Miami’s offense. However, Coach Sean McDermott also credited another player, defensive tackle Deone Walker for the moment.

“That won’t show up on the stat sheet, but that could have been as big of a play as (Terrel Bernard’s),” the coach said of Bernard’s clutch interception during the press conference. The coach wasn’t the only one.

After the coach, a few more joined him to praise Walker’s pressure on the QB, despite having limited snaps, which ultimately helped the Bills with the interception. “We always talk about rush and coverage working together. That might not stand out on the stat sheet, but that might’ve been a bigger play than TB’s,” Alex Brasky wrote on X.

Even Bernard shared the sentiment.

As Dan Fetes reported, the linebacker shared, “The first thing Ed [Oliver] told me when I got to the sideline was that Deone [Walker] won quick and made them get the ball out quick.” Now, apart from the tackle, the coach also spoke highly of the linebackers coach. “I want to give a shout-out to Al Holcomb, the linebacker’s coach. He put it on tape a few times. We’ve worked that play. Our offense runs that play. And, he basically told me, like, if I see it, go…We’re in a three-deep zone and just saw it and broke on it,” the linebacker.

While there were costly mistakes, the Bills were able to get the outcome in their favor. Kicker Matt Prater sealed the win with a 48-yard field goal. Now, while the Dolphins were playing right for most of the time, they couldn’t recover after this major blow. Speaking of this crucial play, even Tagovailoa admitted, “Ten of 10 times if we are looking at that same thing, I think I’d still try to work that timing of hitting that.”

Well, late slip-ups like this have become a bit of a pattern for the QB.

Familiar troubles for Tua Tagovailoa

Tagovailoa’s mistake wasn’t appreciated by the fans. “The Tua contract is probably the worst one in the NFL,” one wrote on X. Tua has thrown nearly 4 interceptions across three games. After he led the league in passer in 2022 and passing yards in 2023, this wasn’t his best performance.

Even in the previous game, the Dolphins were down 30-27 and staring at a 4th-and-9 from their own 48 with just over two minutes left. Tua had a shot at hitting TE Julian Hill, who was open, but went for WR Malik Washington instead, and that throw ended up getting picked off by linebacker Marte Mapu.

Thursday’s interception meant Tua has now gone three straight games with at least one pick. When asked about the interception, the Dolphins’ head coach, Mike McDaniel, said that the QB was in a difficult situation. He explained that protecting the ball is the quarterback’s responsibility, but he also admitted it’s tough when pressure is right in the quarterback’s face. Rather than putting all the blame on Tua, he said that the whole team needs to play better. Even the coach’s job can also be at risk if the Dolphins don’t improve this year.

However, after a 0-3 start to the season, it won’t be an easy task for the Dolphins to bounce back.