The Miami Dolphin defense had its best showing all season on Sunday, holding one of the best teams in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills, to only three points, and a tie, at the half. But, it didn't last.

The two division rivals went head to head on Sunday, with the Dolphins looking for a major upset and to avoid losing their seventh game in a row. 

These two teams met earlier in the season where the Bills took down the Dolphins 35-0. This go-round, it was a better game overall, but it was the Bills finding a way to come through when it mattered and leaving their home stadium with the 26-11 victory.

Dolphins Limited Bills to 3 Points in First Half

It was a strong defensive performance for both teams in the first half. No team could score more than a field goal for the first 30 minutes of the game. 

The Bills struck first in the first quarter when kicker Tyler Bass connected on a 57-yard field goal. They carried a 3-0 nothing lead into the second quarter until the Dolphins responded with a 51-yard goal themselves from kicker Jason Sanders. However, prior to that, Sanders missed a 37-yard field goal that could've given Miami a 6-3 lead at the half.

The game would be tied at three at halftime and that's when the Bills would wake up offensively.

Bills, Allen Do What They Do and Pulled Away in Second Half

In the third quarter, quarterback Josh Allen marched down and managed to throw an eight-yard pass to wide receiver Gabriel Davis for the 10-3 lead, and first touchdown of the game - one that definitely came a lot later than expected, as Buffalo opened as 14.5-point favorites for the game. 

In the beginning of the fourth, Allen managed to find WR Stefon Diggs from 19 yards to put the Bills up 17-3. 

But, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took the Dolphins down to the endzone himself a few minutes later, scoring on a one-yard run to bring the score to 17-11, after a successful two-point conversion. The thinking? Rely on the defense who has played its best all season and only need the distance for two field goals. 

But, that would be the last time the Dolphins would score on the day. 

Bass would kick another field goal with three minutes left in the game, and Allen would run into the end zone for the 26-11 lead - and the dagger. That score would hold to be the final.

Miscommunication, Missed Opportunities a Killer for Miami, Again

"Miscommunication, lack of execution, obviously there was a big play in the game," Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said. "We struggled at the end of halves with turnovers. Unfortunately we had another one today, and we lost out on points that ended up being big points at the end."

Tagovailoa finished the day completing 21-of-39 passes for 205 yards and one interception. Allen, on the other hand, managed to complete 29-of-42 passes for 249 yards and two scores. The second half proved to be the difference maker between the two QBs, and teams, despite both finding the end zone.

"Different personnels, different groupings, it's tough in a loud environment and we knew that that's what was going to give us some problems," Tagovailoa said following the loss on not getting into a groove. "It's just trying to communicate and guys were hearing different things and that's something we have to fix."

Third-Down Conversions Sunk Dolphins

Defensively, the Dolphins allowed the Bills to get into a better third-down conversion situation, being successful 6-of-13 times, compared to Miami's 4-of-14. 

While Miami did a much better job of limiting Buffalo to 351 yards of offense, a much better number than recent previous meetings, it only managed 262 of its own.

"We couldn't get off the field, on third down we expected to get off the field, and give it back to the offense and we couldn't do that today," cornerback Xavien Howard said after the game.

Miami Takes on Most Winnable Game of Season in Week 9

The Dolphins, who are now 1-7 on the year after finishing last season 10-6, will have the opportunity to perhaps snap their losing streak against a struggling Houston Texans (1-7).

The only win the Dolphins had was back in week one against the New England Patriots. 

Kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. eastern.

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– Daniel Roberts is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. Like and follow on and Facebook.