John Murphy: Latest Bills beatdown of Dolphins a reminder how one-sided this rivalry has become

That’s not Dan Marino over there. He’s got a nice seat in a private suite.

That’s not Duper and Clayton either. God knows where they are. And that’s certainly not Don Shula with curly hair and glasses.

That’s the 2024 edition of the Miami Dolphins – weak, outcoached, and now without a quarterback after their 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills Monday Night.

The Bills rode three touchdowns from James Cook, two interceptions from Ja’Marcus Ingram, and a superior coaching effort to victory over their division “rivals.”

“We played our style of football,” Sean McDermott said after the game. “We’ve got things to do ... to continue to groove our [style of] football and what we’re trying to become.”

Miami appeared lifeless in the early going and disinterested by the second half. The Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, left the game and is in concussion protocol after a hard hit by Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin in the third quarter. There’s no word on his return.

Miami seemed exhausted and deflated by the short week of practice while the Bills were energized, helped by two first quarter interceptions. It didn’t matter that the Bills were forced to play backups with injuries ravaging their defense.

“They want to be coached,” McDermott said, “they want to prepare, they want to be good -- all the way up and down the depth chart that way.”

Ingram had two interceptions as the team’s new dime corner, part of the shuffle in the secondary due to Taron Johnson’s injury. He took his second one 31 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter for the game’s final score.

Baylon Spector, Buffalo’s seventh-round pick two years ago, was pressed into service when Terrel Bernard left the game with a pec injury and didn’t return. After a slow start, all Spector did was tie for the team lead with 10 tackles. Both Spector and Ingram may be playing a lot more due to injuries. Both are testaments to Brandon Beane’s scouting staff and player development.

Cook made the biggest impact of the “new” Buffalo Bills with his three touchdowns in the first half. The last one was a 49-yard run in the second quarter that saw Cook outrace several Dolphins to the end zone, including former teammate Jordan Poyer.

“Awesome, hat trick,” Josh Allen said of Cook’s performance.

Allen's performance was solid, helped by a defensive touchdown and short fields to produce 31 points.

And the Bills defense, despite all the injuries, was sensational holding Miami to a meager eight conversions on 20 third- and fourth-down chances.

The Bills get a week and a half to rest and recover after Thursday’s win. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami’s victims last week, are their next opponents.

Dolphins fans will spend the next week and a half wondering if they’ll ever beat the Bills. Thursday’s loss was Miami’s 12th in the last 13 matchups between the teams.

Or they could watch old videos of Marino and Shula.