MIAMI — It was a valiant effort ... which we too often say in defeat.

There is no consolation prize up here in the NFL, where close doesn’t count. There is no second-place ribbon here, no pat on the back for almost or “good try.”

The Miami Dolphins lost at Buffalo on Sunday 30-27, lost excruciatingly on a 61-yard Bills field goal in the final seconds to deny overtime.

It was a great game. But only for one team.

Miami did so much right. Did practically everything but win.

So a Dolphins season sinks to a 2-6 record as playoff hopes recede fast in the rear-view mirror, almost so small now they can no longer be seen.

And the Buffalo Curse goes on.

Sunday’s was the Bills’ sixth consecutive victory in this tilted AFC East rivalry, and the 13th in the past 14 games including playoffs. It was Buffalo’s ninth consecutive win in western New York.

“I think we’re taking a step in the right direction,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said afterward. “This is the ball we want to show on Sundays. We just gotta find a way to beat ‘em, that’s it”

Coach Mike McDaniel: ”There’s no moral victories. We did show some progress, albeit not enough.”

Miami has lost to the Bills in Miami in Week 2 , 31-10, and it wasn’t a contest.

This was.

And it hurt all the more.

The first half spooled out like a Dolfans’ dream. Well, a realistic Dolfan looking for any way to end the Buffalo jinx.

Miami’s 10-6 lead felt like close to domination in a textbook half of how to win on the road: With great defense, a big running game and a 1-0 advantage in turnovers. Efficiency, in other words.

Bills led 3-0 early on a 40-yard field goal but Miami quickly equalized with their own 39-yarder.

Then came the drive of the season — a 97-yard Dolphins possession that began with Jalen Ramsey’s interception near Miami’s goal line and ended with De’Von Achane’s 14-yard scoring run with a Tagovailoa screen pass. It was the Fins’ longest drive in 6 1/2 years.

A last-second Bills 49-yard field goal for 10-6 did not dampen what was a great all-round half for the Dolphins.

Of course at that point just about all of Miami and South Florida is fretting whether the Dolphins can hold on in the second half, right?

My wife, lifelong Dolfan, texted me, “At least we aren’t being embarrassed” — true sentiment of a fan whose team was 2-5 and trying to beat the Buffalo Curse.

Came the second half, and Dolfan reality.

Buffalo up 12-10 on a Bills TD catch by ex-Dolphin Mack Hollins then a missed extra point.

Miami back up 13-12 on a settled-for short field goal.

Bills 20-13 on Ray Davis’ 63-yard catch and run. score.

Dolphins 20-20 on Achane’s 8-yard TD run.

Bills 27-20 on Quintin Morris’ 2-yard scoring pass.

Miami 27-27 on Jaylen Waddle’s 7-yard TD pass with 1:38 left. Fins considered going for two.

“We were prepared to go for two but it felt like there was too much time left,” McDaniel said.

Then ... the Buffalo Curse.

Before the 61-yard field goal, there was a crucial unnecessary roughness penalty by Jordan Poyer, the ex-Bill, to extend the drive. Of course there was.

The weather in Buffalo was gorgeous. No excuse there.

Tagovailoa was great: 25 for 28 for 231 yards and two TDs. No excuse there.

The running game was solid: 149 yards. No excuse there.

It was 1-1 on turnovers. Raheem Mostert’s lost fumble hurt. But no excuse there.

Miami was missing three injured defensive starters in corner Kadeer Kohoi, tackle Zach Seiler and safety Jevon Holland. Are we looking for excuses yet?

Bottom line? The Buffalo Curse lives on.

The Bills are running away with the division,

And the Dolphins season is crumbling.

Miami played well Sunday, but have become a broken record talking about correcting problems.

“The thing that can become very discouraging is [when the] message starts to sound redundant,” said Tagovailoa. “What are we going to do about it as a locker room, as a group of guys, and how do we want to change what that looks like coming this Sunday?”

McDaniel: “The biggest opponent that we have to overcome is ourselves, really. I believe that we have the right guys to get that fixed and so we’ll press forward with no other thought [than] to be proud of the game we put out there and understand what it takes for this team to win against any opponent. Long season. It’s front-loaded with results that nobody’s accepting and we have a lot of guys that are trying to be the reasons for the solution and not the reasons of the problem.”

Maybe the Dolphins can be proud of the game they put out there Sunday?

Maybe that makes this loss hurt even more.

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