DETROIT -- A few thoughts on the Miami Dolphins' 20-16 loss Sunday to the Detroit Lions:
What it means: Miami has been very competitive on the road but had its three-game win streak snapped on the final drive when Lions running back Theo Riddick caught the winning touchdown over safety Reshad Jones with 29 seconds left in the game. The Dolphins couldn't do enough to hold a lead in the fourth quarter. The defense kept getting stops, but the offense couldn't score or put up long drives with consistency. The Dolphins gained just 236 yards of total offense. Similar to the last-second loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 6, this is another loss Miami could look to at the end of the season and wish it had back. The Dolphins are now 5-4 and two games behind the first-place New England Patriots (7-2) in the AFC East.
Stock watch: In terms of rising stock, Miami's defense did its job to hold the Lions' high-powered offense to just 20 points. The defense cleaned up a lot of messes from the offense, which struggled to sustain drives and had two turnovers. Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes had a tough assignment against Lions receiver Calvin Johnson; Grimes grabbed an astounding one-handed interception defending Johnson and also gave up a 49-yard touchdown. It was another hot-and-cold day for Miami's special teams. The Dolphins' third phase gave up a fake punt on the opening drive that led to three points for Detroit. Miami also tried a fake punt and failed because of an illegal shift. But a blocked field goal in the third quarter and subsequent 50-yard return by Dion Jordan gave the Dolphins second-half momentum.
Big loss of Albert: Dolphins starting left tackle Branden Albert suffered a potentially serious right knee injury in the second quarter and did not return to the game. Teammates looked on with concern as the medical staff called in a cart to take Albert off the field. He could not put any weight on his knee as he was being helped on the cart and taken into the tunnel. Miami signed Albert to a $47 million contract, and he was its biggest free-agent signing this past offseason.
Game ball: Defensive end Cameron Wake was a headache for the Lions. Wake recorded two sacks of Matthew Stafford and had two additional quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. With his pair of sacks, Wake moved into fifth place on Miami's all-time sack list with 60 in his career.
What's next: The Dolphins have a short turnaround in Week 11. Miami has just four days to prepare for its next game against the Buffalo Bills at Sun Life Stadium. Buffalo (5-4) has had the Dolphins' number the past two years. The Bills are 3-0 against Miami in the past three meetings and have won four of the past five games in this divisional matchup.
