Special teams failures, penalties and turnovers are not a good recipe for winning a football game.  The Buffalo Bills played well enough on offense and defense to beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, but they did plenty to beat themselves in a 21-17 loss.

Still the Bills were in position to win the game in the final minute but a fourth down pass from Josh Allen fell a foot short of a wide open Charles Clay in the end zone.  Not a great pass by Allen, but it's probably one Clay should have caught.

Steven Hauschka who has been nearly perfect this season missed on an extra point for the first time since arriving with the Bills.  He also was wide on a 55-yard field goal to end a streak of 16 straight successful field goals.  But the most damaging special teams play was Isaiah McKenzie's muff of a punt in the first half that set up a Dolphins touchdown.  McKenzie also fumbled on a kickoff, but recovered.

It all spoiled an incredible day by Josh Allen.  After 99 yards rushing in the previous game, Allen ran 9 times for 135 yards, more than twice the rushing yards of the entire Dolphins team.  And other than a 32-yard Hauschka field goal, Zay Jones accounted for all of the Bills scoring on 15 and 25-yard touchdown passes and a two-point conversion from Allen.

The Bills rolled up 415 yards in offense, while the Bills defense held the Dolphins to 175 total yards.  But the Dolphins made those yards count with Ryan Tannehill throwing for three touchdowns.

It's a game the Bills could have won and maybe should have won if they didn't do everything they could to beat themselves, especially 13 penalties for 120 yards and the three turnovers.

The Bills are back home next week against the Jets.

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