MIAMI DOLPHINS AT BUFFALO BILLS
AFC WILD CARD
HIGHMARK STADIUM
JAN. 15, 2023 | 1 PM ET
POSTGAME NOTES
HILL POSTS NINTH CONSECUTIVE POSTSEASON GAME WITH 50+ REC. YARDS
• WR Tyreek Hill led the Dolphins with seven receptions for 69 yards (9.9 avg.) today. It marked the ninth consecutive postseason game he’s participated in with at least 50 yards receiving.
• Hill becomes just the sixth player in NFL history to have at least nine straight playoff games with 50+ receiving yards:
PLAYERS WHO HAVE 50+ RECEIVING YARDS IN NINE OR MORE STRAIGHT POSTSEASON GAMES
Rk. Player Teams Cons. Games w/
50+ Rec. Yds.
- Julian Edelman NE 13
- Gary Clark Was. 10
Jerry Rice SF 10 - Tyreek Hill KC/Mia. 9
Julio Jones Atl./Ten. 9
Wes Welker NE 9
• In 14 career playoff games, Hill has totaled 91 receptions for 1,150 yards (12.6 avg.) and five touchdowns.
• He has at least five receptions in each of his past nine playoff games and 12 of his 15 career postseason contests.
DEFENSE TOTALS SEVEN SACKS – A DOLPHINS PLAYOFF RECORD
• Miami’s defense had several big plays in today’s game, totaling seven sacks and three takeaways.
• The seven sacks were the most the Dolphins have ever recorded in a playoff game, topping the previous record of six sacks on Jan. 9, 2000 at Seattle.
o It’s just the fifth time since 2019 that an NFL team has had at least seven sacks in a postseason contest.
o The last time the Dolphins had seven sacks in any contest was on Dec. 27, 2021 at New Orleans.
• Seven different players recorded at least half a sack for the Dolphins, led by DT Zach Sieler, who had two.
o Sieler is the first Dolphins player to record at least two sacks in a playoff game since DE Trace Armstrong had three on Jan. 9, 2000 at Seattle.
o Other Dolphins with sacks today included S Eric Rowe (1.0), LB Jerome Baker (1.0), DT Christian Wilkins
(1.0), LB Bradley Chubb (1.0), LB Jaelan Phillips (0.5) and DB Elijah Campbell (0.5).
MIAMI HAS THREE TAKEAWAYS AND DEFENSIVE SCORE
• The Dolphins defense also had three takeaways, intercepting Buffalo QB Josh Allen twice and forcing an Allen fumble that was returned five yards for a touchdown by DT Zach Sieler.
• Sieler’s fumble return for a touchdown was the first by a Dolphin ever in a playoff game.
o The last time Miami had any defensive score in a postseason contest was LB A.J. Duhe, who had a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown on Jan. 23, 1983 vs. the N.Y. Jets.
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT BUFFALO BILLS
AFC WILD CARD
HIGHMARK STADIUM
JAN. 15, 2023 | 1 PM ET
POSTGAME NOTES
• Miami also had two lengthy interception returns by CB Xavien Howard (49 yards) and S Jevon Holland (29 yards).
o Howard’s 49-yard return was the second-longest in Dolphins playoff history behind only S Jake Scott’s 55-yard return in Super Bowl VII on Jan. 14, 1973 vs. Washington.
o Holland’s was the sixth-longest interception return in Dolphins playoff history.
LONGEST INTERCEPTION RETURNS IN DOLPHINS POSTSEASON HISTORY
Rk. Player Date Opp. Int. Lg.
- Jake Scott 1/14/73* vs. Was. 55
- Xavien Howard 1/15/23 at Buf. 49
J.B. Brown 1/17/93 vs. Buf. 32 - Nick Buoniconti 1/14/73* vs. Was. 32
- Brock Marion 1/9/00 at Sea. 31
- Jevon Holland 1/15/23 vs. Buf. 29
- Geno Atkins 12/30/95 at Buf. 26
- Super Bowl VIII
• It was the second postseason interception for Howard, who recorded his first NFL pick as a rookie in Miami’s AFC Wild Card matchup at Pittsburgh on Jan. 7, 2017.
• Howard also had two passes defensed, marking his third consecutive game with at least one.
DOLPHINS MAKE KEY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYS
• WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. returned a punt for 50 yards in the second quarter. It was the longest punt return in Dolphins postseason history.
o The previous high was a 45-yard return by WR Jeff Ogden on Jan. 6, 2001 at Oakland.
• K Jason Sanders made all three of his field goal attempts – from distances of 40, 48 and 37 yards.
o His three made field goals tie the Dolphins playoff record.
Other Dolphins kickers who made three field goals in a playoff game are K Olindo Mare on Jan. 2,
1999 vs. Buffalo (four attempts) and K Uwe von Schamann on Jan. 20, 1985 vs. San Francisco (three
attempts) in Super Bowl XIX.
INJURIES REPORTED IN THE PRESSBOX
MIAMI DOLPHINS
• WR Jaylen Waddle, first quarter – shoulder (questionable)
• DB Elijah Campbell, second quarter – knee (questionable)
• RB Salvon Ahmed, second quarter – evaluated for a head injury (questionable)
• T Terron Armstead, second quarter – hip (questionable)
BUFFALO BILLS
• CB Dane Jackson, second quarter – knee (questionable)
CAPTAINS
MIAMI DOLPHINS
• WR Tyreek Hill, S Jevon Holland and LB Elandon Roberts
QUICK HITS
• There were 70,651 tickets distributed to today’s game.
• QB Skylar Thompson became the second Dolphins rookie to start a playoff game at quarterback, joining QB Dan Marino in 1983.
o He also joined San Francisco QB Brock Purdy as the only rookies selected in the seventh round or later to or be undrafted to start a postseason game in the common-draft era.
• Dolphins LS Blake Ferguson and Bills LS Reid Ferguson became the first brothers to play against each other in an NFL playoff game since Jan. 6, 2019 when Chicago’s Kyle Long faced Philadelphia’s Chris Long, according to Elias
Sports Bureau.
• This was the first playoff game for 27 Dolphins players: RB Salvon Ahmed, LB Jerome Baker, DB Elijah Campbell, LB Bradley Chubb, DT Raekwon Davis, OL Michael Deiter, LB Sam Eguavoen, S Clayton Fejedelem, LS Blake Ferguson, TE Mike Gesicki, S Jevon Holland, OL Robert Hunt, FB Alec Ingold, OL Robert Jones, CB Kader Kohou, T Greg Little, TE Hunter Long, S Verone McKinley III, LB Jaelan Phillips, K Jason Sanders, DT Zach Sieler, TE Durham Smythe, QB Skylar Thompson, LB Channing Tindall, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, WR Jaylen Waddle and DT Christian Wilkins.
• RB Jeff Wilson Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was Miami’s first postseason rushing touchdown since Jan. 9, 2000 when RB J.J. Johnson had a 2-yard touchdown run at Seattle.
• QB Skylar Thompson connected with TE Mike Gesicki for a 7-yard touchdown near the end of the first half.
o It was the first touchdown reception by a Dolphins tight end in a playoff game since TE Jed Weaver had a 9- yard score with 34 seconds left of regulation in Miami’s eventual overtime win vs. Indianapolis on Dec. 30, 2000.
