When the game was still within reach in Week 2, Miami Dolphins defenders were still in a trash-talking mood against the Buffalo Bills.
Maybe that was a mistake.
Early in the second quarter with the game tied at seven, Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. got into it with Bills quarterback Josh Allen after making a tackle.
Allen—voted the league’s biggest trash-talking quarterback—responded savagely by literally checking Long’s nameplate on the back of his jersey to see who, in fact, Long actually was.
The moment was, effectively, a sign of things to come. The Dolphins would score just three more points all night, while Long’s defense would repeatedly fail to stop Allen, who wound up 13-of-19 for 139 yards with a touchdown in the 31-10 rout.
Worst of all for Long, his Dolphins are now 1-1 and blew their chance at proving they belonged near the top of the AFC with the Bills. His defense will have to deal with Allen and the Bills in Buffalo on November 3.
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