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Dave Hyde: Dolphins have a day against Bills to show why Achane, Waddle stayed
MIAMI GARDENS — What, now?
Fire Chris Grier again?
Mention trading players this week, too?
The Miami Dolphins gave everyone the kind of November afternoon you once might have expected from the them, but then didn’t expect at all as this season played out.
De’Von Achane ran behind a dominant offensive line. The Dolphins defense shut out Buffalo for three quarters. Mike McDaniel coached like he’d discovered the formula to beating Buffalo after seven consecutive losses — and it was running on the Bills’ suspect defense from the start and never stop running.
Of course, running the ball was made easier by having the lead, because Buffalo’s Josh Allen was roughed up by this defense rather than the other way around like for so many years.
You didn’t have to be seduced by the Dolphins 30-13 win. One game doesn’t change the season, or the looming decisions over this franchise. In fact, the less said about how Sunday fits into the season or some certain future, the better. It doesn’t fit.
Just enjoy it. Just take it in with a smile, like Achane did, leaning against a wall under Hard Rock Stadium as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa answered a question about what Achane meant to the day.
Related Articles- Chris Perkins: Dolphins trounce Bills by playing the way they should have played all season
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- Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills
- Hyde10: Defense dominates, Achane’s day, Waddle not a Bill — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ win over Buffalo
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“He had two touchdowns,” Tua said. “I think that affects the game. Every time you can get someone like that, a playmaker, on your team, you get him the ball in his hands and you know what he’s capable of doing.”
“That’s right,” Achane said softly, smiling.
“But it’s not just that. It’s also in the pass game where he helps us thrive as well. Having someone like that who can align at running back, who can align at slot or at receiver, I think that tells you a lot about the playmaker he is.”
Achane had 174 yards rushing, averaging 7.9 yards a carry. He had another 51 yards receiving. That’s why some team offered a second-round pick for him at last week’s trade deadline, according NFL Network.
He’s worth more in the here and now. It doesn’t matter if he’s a running back looking to get paid this offseason. There’s not a more electric player in the league, and the Dolphins holding on to him said as much.
They ran him, too, in a way McDaniel abandoned when Buffalo expanded its lead earlier this season in Orchard Park, N.Y. Maybe that’s a lesson learned. Maybe it’s too late to be talking of lessons learned in a 3-7 season.
Sunday also explained why the Dolphins didn’t trade Jaylen Waddle to Buffalo for a second-round pick in 2026 and a first-round pick in 2027. It wasn’t just because of Waddle’s burst of speed and good catch of a nice Tagovailoa pass for a 38-yard touchdown that made it 13-0 in the first half.
“It was a good play, great play,” Waddle said, adding, “It’s good when a play comes to life on Sunday.”
The Dolphins couldn’t trade Waddle because it was to Buffalo, too. You can’t help your top rival get a prime piece it’s missing. Buffalo has no good receiver with speed. Allen has a couple of tight ends and a running back, but the Dolphins didn’t worry too hard even with a suspect secondary about a receiver going deep on them.
Allen did find Keon Coleman deep for a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. But it wasn’t like backup cornerback Ethan Bonner wasn’t on him. Coleman just made a play. It happens.
So, at the end of a crazy week for the Dolphins, the craziest part of all was this game against Buffalo. Maybe it starts a run of good Dolphins play against struggling teams like Washington, New Orleans and the New York Jets.
But that gets them, where, to 6-7?
Haven’t we lived that close-enough-to-dream idea too many seasons?
Sunday was a surprise. A nice win. A good win. The kind of win that in another November would have you thinking big thoughts about the Dolphins. But this day just asked to be enjoyed for what it was, like Achane’s smile afterward.
Show Caption1 of 32Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks celebrates a fumble recovery Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)ExpandDolphins Deep Dive: ‘Achane’s the MVP of the team’ . . . breaking down shocking win over Bills | VIDEO
In this Dolphins Deep Dive video, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s David Furones and Dave Hyde discuss Miami’s stunning performance against the Buffalo Bills, who had beaten the Dolphins seven consecutive times before Sunday. They also touch on whether this victory means the Dolphins (3-7) are ready to go on a run, or if this is just a one-off.
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Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills
MIAMI GARDENS — Apparently the Pop-A-Shot basketball game, former general manager Chris Grier and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips were what was ailing the Miami Dolphins this season.
Granted, that’s a joking explanation for the Dolphins defeating Buffalo, 30-13, on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, ending a seven-game losing streak to the Bills and capping one of the most tumultuous weeks of the season. But speaking with tongue planted firmly in cheek, it’s the only thing that makes sense. The Dolphins removed the Pop-A-Shot game from their locker room, fired Grier and traded Phillips to Philadelphia, and then they did something they hadn’t done since 2022 — beat Buffalo.
The Dolphins (3-7) controlled the Bills (6-3) for the entire game, forcing turnovers, scoring in key situations and not having the mindless penalties, blown coverages and operational errors that have plagued them all season. It was a smooth game. The Dolphins’ brain trust of owner Steve Ross, president and CEO Tom Garfinkel, interim general manager Champ Kelly and executive Brandon Shore, the senior vice president of football and business administration, gleefully gathered on the sideline in the final minutes to celebrate.
Here’s what we learned Sunday:
Waddle and Achane starRunning back De’Von Achane had 174 yards rushing on 22 carries and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle had five receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown to lead the Dolphins offense against Buffalo. Achane scored on runs of 59 and 35 yards while Waddle had a 38-yard touchdown reception. Those two were the offensive threats the Dolphins needed to stave off the Bills and put fear into their defense. — Chris Perkins
Tua has good day overallQuarterback Tua Tagovailoa (15 of 21, 173 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) bounced back nicely after starting out roughly with an interception on his first possession. Tagovailoa had touchdown throws on his next two possessions to wide receivers Malik Washington and Waddle.
Tagovailoa entered Sunday’s game 136 of 197 for 1,397 yards, 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 91.28 passer rating against Buffalo.
Allen has bad dayBuffalo quarterback Josh Allen had his worst game against the Dolphins in the coach Mike McDaniel era, finishing 28 of 40 for 306 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and a fumble. Allen was ineffective all day.
In the previous eight games of the McDaniel era, Allen was 201 of 291 for 2,322 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions for a 110.93 passer rating against the Dolphins.
The Dolphins’ coverage was good Sunday and so was its pass rush. Allen often had nowhere to throw or run.
Related Articles- Chris Perkins: Dolphins trounce Bills by playing the way they should have played all season
- Dave Hyde: Dolphins have a day against Bills to show why Achane, Waddle stayed
- Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Achane’s the MVP of the team’ . . . breaking down shocking win over Bills | VIDEO
- Hyde10: Defense dominates, Achane’s day, Waddle not a Bill — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ win over Buffalo
- Dolphins stun Bills, snap long losing streak against Buffalo
There were lots of Buffalo Bills fans at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. It’s unclear whether that was preferable to the empty seats that were apparent during the Dolphins’ previous home game against Baltimore.
Regardless, before the game Bills fans took over a corner of the Hard Rock Stadium parking lot at 27th Avenue and 199th Street with a flag and lots of excited fans. Bills fans were loud at the very start of the game but they were silenced very quickly and for an extended period.
Dolphins were the so-called ‘trap game’Buffalo, you could argue, was playing the proverbial “trap game” Sunday. The Bills defeated Kansas City last week and host Tampa Bay next week. In between were the Dolphins, who the Bills had defeated seven consecutive times entering Sunday. It’s called a trap game because teams fall into the trap of thinking it’ll be an easy opponent.
Sieler gets first sackDefensive tackle Zach Sieler, who got a three-year, $64 million contract extension during the offseason, got his first sack in the second quarter when he tackled Allen for a six-yard loss shortly before the two-minute warning. Sieler is coming off back-to-back 10-sack seasons, which is a big reason he got the extension. Of course, in those seasons he played alongside defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and Calais Campbell.
Brents starts in shuffled secondaryCornerback JuJu Brents, who had a key fumble recovery in the second quarter, started at cornerback in place of Rasul Douglas (foot/ankle), apparently leapfrogging Ethan Bonner and rookie Jason Marshall Jr.
Brents left the game in third quarter briefly due to an injury.
The secondary was missing Douglas and safety Ashtyn Davis (quad). The Dolphins started Brents and Jack Jones at cornerbacks and Minkah Fitzpatrick and rookie Dante Trader Jr. at safeties. The reserves were safety Iffy Melinfonwu, Bonner and Marshall.
Dolphins defense comes up with big TOsBrents recovered a fumble deep, Melinfonwu had an interception in the end zone and Fitzpatrick recovered a fumble as the Dolphins turned away potential Bills touchdown drives in the second, third and fourth quarters.
Brents recovered a fumble by Buffalo running back James Cook at the Dolphins’ 5-yard line, ending a six-play, 60-yard drive that consumed 2:30 on the game clock.
Melinfonwu’s interception came on third-and-goal at the 5-yard line and ended a 14-play, 77-yard Buffalo drive that used 9:01 on the clock on the Bills’ first possession of the third quarter.
Fitzpatrick recovered an Allen fumble at the Dolphins’ 38-yard line that was caused by linebacker Jordyn Brooks, ending a drive that was five plays, 44 yards and used 1:45.
Dolphins’ run defense shows upThe Dolphins’ front seven has been bashed and battered all season but it showed up in a big way Sunday, choking the life out of Buffalo’s running game.
Buffalo, which entered the game No. 1 in the league at 161.5 yards per game, rushed for just 86 yards, 23 yards in the first half on eight carries.
Cook, who attended Miami Central High School, was shut down Sunday. Cook entered the game with 867 yards rushing, second in the league. He ended with 53 yards, 21 in the first half on seven carries.
Miami’s run defense entered Sunday’s game No. 30 in the league at 145.6 yards allowed per game.
Dolphins don’t blow the leadThe Dolphins blew a 17-0 lead at Carolina earlier this season, so when they got their 16-0 halftime leads on Buffalo it was viewed with a bit of hesitation. The 16-point advantage marked the biggest lead the Dolphins have had against Buffalo in the McDaniel era.
Dolphins finally hold Buffalo to fewer than 30 pointsIn six of the previous eight games between Buffalo and Miami, Buffalo has scored at least 30 points, Sunday’s game bucked that trend.
Earlier this season the Bills defeated the Dolphins, 31-21.
In 2024, the Bills won, 30-27 and 31-10.
In 2023, the Bills won, 48-20 and 21-14.
In 2022, Buffalo won, 32-29 and 34-31 in the playoffs. The Dolphins defeated Buffalo, 21-19, in Week 3.
Jones had a humongous day, particularly on three playsJack Jones played his 52nd NFL game on Sunday. So, basically three complete seasons. In that time, Jones has had seven interceptions, with an incredible four of them returned for a touchdown. And, he has been just as impactful in run defense, forcing three fumbles, including two in his mere 10 games as a Dolphin. His two here both have been massive, each having been recovered at the Miami 5 or inside of it.
As Bills running back James Cook stretched for yardage deep in Miami territory, a Jones punch knocked the ball loose, and it was scooped up at the 5 (remember also the dislodging of the ball from the Jets’ Braelon Allen as he was about to cross the goal line in what ended up as a 27-21 Miami win over the Jets). And, in the non-turnover division, it was Jones’ slide that took out Khalil Shakir’s feet and allowed for Minkah Fitzpatrick to clean up the goal line and stop the Bills’ two-point attempt, keeping the score at 16-6 in the fourth quarter, and then Jones was pulling back on Josh Allen, making him vulnerable to the great Jordyn Brooks own punchout, which effectively ended the game. — Steve Svekis
Achane keeps rising as an all-time Dolphins offensive drafteeIn Sunday’s game, Dolphins running back De’Von Achane set a franchise record for most yards from scrimmage by a player in his first three seasons while a Dolphin. Achane had piled up 111 total yards by halftime against the Bills and 3,487 for his career, vaulting him by Karim Abdul-Jabbar’s 3,470 from 1996-98. After 114 second-half yards, Achane sits atop the pile with 3,601 total yards, and seven games left to be played in his third season. Wow!
The top-10 Dolphins players yards from scrimmage while with Miami in their first three years in the NFL (regular season):
De’Von Achane: 3,601;
Karim Abdul-Jabbar: 3,470;
Jaylen Waddle: 3,426;
Ronnie Brown: 3,414;
Jarvis Landry: 3,177;
Chris Chambers: 2,677;
Mark Clayton: 2,553;
Lamar Miller: 2,548;
Larry Csonka: 2,375;
Jay Ajayi: 2,232.
One tool Allen used to use to kill the Dolphins has been majorly de-emphasizedThrough the 2023 season, Josh Allen had played 13 games against the Dolphins, rolling for 672 rushing yards on 77 non-kneeldown runs, for a whopping 8.73-yard average per rush, five touchdowns and 48 first downs. But, for whatever reason, Allen’s wheels have been parked in the garage recently against the aqua-and-orange. In the past four games, heading into Sunday, Allen had run only 11 times (non-kneels) for 66 yards, with no touchdowns and only a couple first downs. Sunday, he only ran when under complete duress and, of course, hugely fumbled away the ball on his final carry.
Washington’s eventful day on special teamsFirst, a fair catch of at the 8? Listen, Achane and Tua Tagovailoa had a great possession, piling up a 92-yard touchdown drive that was capped by Malik Washington making the 9-yard scoring grab, but still, fair-catching a booming, 58-yard punt at the 8 is poor risk-reward analysis by a return man. And, then, after the Bills scored to make it 16-6, the kickoff took Washington 2 yards deep into the end zone. His fellow back man gestured and told him to stay in the end zone, which would have placed the ball at the Miami 35. Instead, he took it out and was chopped down at the 22. Tagovailoa ended up throwing an interception on a play where the ball was snapped at the Dolphins’ 34.
Poyer looked just as effective as he did as a DolphinWatching Achane waste Jordan Poyer on his 59-yard touchdown after the latter had been chirping about Miami’s downtrodden start to the season was a nice dollop of schadenfreude.
On deck: Washington Commanders, Madrid, Spain, Sunday, 9:30 a.m.The Dolphins seem to get a break with veteran backup Marcus Mariota slated to start at quarterback for the Commanders in Madrid. … Tagovailoa’s best career passer rating in a game away from Hard Rock Stadium was his sparkling 141.0 in 2023 in a 45-15 Dolphins rout of the Commanders in Maryland.
Show Caption1 of 32Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks celebrates a fumble recovery Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)ExpandHyde10: Defense dominates, Achane’s day, Waddle not a Bill — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ win over Buffalo
MIAMI GARDENS — Just when you thought nothing went as expected for the Miami Dolphins this season, they had a Sunday where — well, nothing went as expected.
Here are 10 thoughts on the win:
1. Sequence of the day: Buffalo’s Josh Allen tried a deep pass on fourth-and-1 from Buffalo’s 49 late in the first quarter, but Minkah Fitzpatrick out-bodied tight end Jackson Hawes on a jump ball to force an incompletion. It was Dolphins ball and, three plays later on the first play of the second quarter, Tua Tagovailoa threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle for a 13-0 lead.
2. Stat of the day: Thirteen Buffalo points. Buffalo averaged 32.9 points a game during its seven-game win streak against the Dolphins that ended Sunday. That 13 points doesn’t tell how well the Dolphins defense played considering Buffalo got its second touchdown with 3:36 left in the game when trailing 23-6. The Dolphins defense has been a problem spot this year, but it had three takeaways, three sacks, held Buffalo to 5 of 15 on third-down conversions and shut out Buffalo in the first half.
3. De’Von Achane is the team MVP, and there’s not a close second right now. The latest evidence was his 22 carries for 174 yards on Sunday, including 59- and 35-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. That’s a 7.9-yard average. It helped that coach Mike McDaniel stuck with the run from the start, running on nine of 12 plays against Buffalo on their 92-yard drive to open the scoring. Achane had five carries for 40 yards on that drive. He also had five catches for 51 yards to give him 225 total yards on the day (second-highest of his career). Achane entered the day as the seventh-leading rusher in the league and now has 780 yards rushing.
3. Buffalo entered Sunday with the best rushing offense (161.5 yds per game) and the Dolphins entered with the 30th-ranked rushing defense (145.6 yards allowed). So, just as expected in this wacky season, the Dolphins defense dominated even after trading a top lineman in Jaelan Phillips. Buffalo ended with 84 yards rushing on 21 carries, but that doesn’t tell the story. It had 23 yards at half. This Dolphins defense that gave up 206 yards to Carolina’s backup running back, Rico Dowdle, and 124 yards to Chargers third-stringer Kimani Vidal held James Cook to 53 yards on 13 carries.
Related Articles- Chris Perkins: Dolphins trounce Bills by playing the way they should have played all season
- Dave Hyde: Dolphins have a day against Bills to show why Achane, Waddle stayed
- Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Achane’s the MVP of the team’ . . . breaking down shocking win over Bills | VIDEO
- Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills
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4. Jaylen Waddle had seven catches for 84 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown Sunday – and he did it for the Dolphins. Buffalo reportedly offered a 2027 first- and 2026 third-round pick for Waddle at the trade deadline on Tuesday, according to the NFL Network. The Dolphins had to decline. Why? In order: a top, in-division rival, a 2027 first -round pick and Waddle is signed at a comfortable salary-cap number ($11 million for 2026). Finally, more teams should be interested if the Dolphins want to trade Waddle in the offseason, and the new regime will be in place. Assuming there is a new regime.
5. You did see why Buffalo wanted to to trade for Waddle. Their wide receivers aren’t just unproductive but there’s no speed element to even stretch the defense and open areas. The Dolphins were without their top cornerback in Rasul Douglas. JuJu Brents, signed in August, started in his place. When Brents went out, Ethan Bonner came in. And while Bonner gave up a touchdown, the Bills’ lack of downfield playmakers shows just how limited this team can look. It also meant …
6. … Dolphins-killer Josh Allen had his worst game against them of his career. He completed 28 passes for 306 yards with two touchdowns and two turnovers. He’s now 14-3 against them in the equivalent of an NFL season where he’s thrown 45 touchdowns (Joe Burrow led the league with 43 TD passes in 2024). Sunday was unlike anything Allen has seen against the Dolphins considering his two previous losses came on a final-play incompletion in the end zone and being a second late spiking the football to set up a winning field goal attempt. He was down 16-0 at halftime in this one. He then willed the Bills on a long drive in the third quarter, but it ended with safety Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepting him in the end zone. Then, as Allen rumbled 15 yards downfield after a tush-push run in the fourth quarter, he fumbled and Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered it. Allen is a one-man band for Buffalo. When he isn’t carrying this team, it has no chance as Sunday showed.
7. Tua Tagovailoa was asked this week about being benched (won’t happen) or released after this year (probably won’t happen). But after a bad, jump-ball interception on the first series, he delivered what the day asked in completing 15 of 21 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The two TD passes opening the scoring to set the tone of the day. The first was a threaded, 9-yard pass to Malik Washington in the first quarter. The second touchdown pass, as previously mentioned, was the 38-yarder to Waddle.
8. It was such a good win for the Dolphins it seems inconsequential to quibble. But … what’s up with the timeout issues? This slides into the ongoing operational issues they’ve had this year. They used their first timeout before the first play from scrimmage. A second hadn’t run off in the game. That came after an illegal procedure penalty somehow was called on fullback Alec Ingold. But a timeout? They used their third timeout with more than nine minutes left in the half. That came when Buffalo was going for it on fourth-and-1, linebacker Willie Gay stood on the field with an am-I-in-or-out? look and McDaniel turned to the ref and called timeout. The second timeout also came in the first quarter before a fourth-and-1 by Buffalo.
9. Quick Hits:
The Dolphins’ 16-0 lead at half was Buffalo’s biggest deficit this season.
Zach Sieler had his first sack of the year.
The Dolphins’ Bradley Chubb was penalized for taunting in the fourth quarter. Taunting?
10. Next week: Dolphins vs. Washington in Madrid. What looked like a great game to export a couple months ago is decidedly different now. Washington went to the NFC Championship Game last year, but was 3-6 and on a four-game losing streak entering Sunday’s game against Detroit. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is out with an elbow injury. Its defense ranks 20th in points allowed. So, again, this wasn’t the game it was hoped to be.
Show Caption1 of 32Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks celebrates a fumble recovery Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)ExpandDolphins stun Bills, snap long losing streak against Buffalo
MIAMI GARDENS — Just when you thought the Miami Dolphins were out, they pull you back in.
After a tumultuous run since their last game in which general manager Chris Grier was fired and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips was traded, it was the pieces the Dolphins kept, like running back De’Von Achane and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who helped them snap their losing streak against the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.
Achane and Waddle both scored long touchdowns, and the Dolphins held down Bills quarterback Josh Allen while forcing three turnovers in a 30-13 win Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.
It was the type of complete effort against a strong opponent that has one wonder, one, why this version of the team hasn’t surfaced earlier, outside of the Oct. 26 win against the Atlanta Falcons, and two, what the Dolphins can be in an upcoming favorable stretch.
“It’s pretty obvious from their play they didn’t believe their season was over,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “They chose to believe, throughout the whole thing, throughout the whole offseason. They made that decision to continue to believe and continue to invest in each other.”
Earlier this past week, Chubb used the word “delusional” to describe the team’s hopes and felt those delusions were manifested into reality Sunday.
“I used the word ‘delusional’ because nobody on the outside is going to believe about it,” Chubb said, “but all of us in there do. And we came out and showed it.”
Miami (3-7) snapped a string of seven consecutive losses against Buffalo (6-3), who had won 14 of the previous 15 meetings between divisional foes.
Related Articles- Chris Perkins: Dolphins trounce Bills by playing the way they should have played all season
- Dave Hyde: Dolphins have a day against Bills to show why Achane, Waddle stayed
- Dolphins Deep Dive: ‘Achane’s the MVP of the team’ . . . breaking down shocking win over Bills | VIDEO
- Things we learned in Miami Dolphins’ 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills
- Hyde10: Defense dominates, Achane’s day, Waddle not a Bill — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ win over Buffalo
“It’s very satisfying. We beat a great team (Sunday), and I’m proud of the guys in the locker room,” said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who went 15 of 21 for 173 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. “I’m very proud because I see the work that (teammates) put in day in and day out, and this is one that I think they deserve.”
Achane had 174 rushing yards, including two long fourth-quarter touchdowns to ice the game, plus 51 receiving yards.
“This wasn’t like no shock to us,” Achane said. “We always knew, okay, we (don’t) make these little mistakes and we stay ahead of the sticks and stay on schedule, we can put up points.”
Waddle, after the Bills reportedly offered Miami a 2026 third-round pick and 2027 first-rounder but couldn’t get the Dolphins to bite, had a deep touchdown catch among his 84 yards on five receptions.
Allen finished 28 of 40 for 306 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble lost. Buffalo running back James Cook also lost a fumble, as he was limited to 53 rushing yards.
Buffalo had the ball, down 16-6, driving to get within a score, in the fourth quarter. Allen snuck for a first down on third-and-1, but he was held up as he continued to roll forward and had Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who led the team with 12 tackles, force a fumble on him that was recovered by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Two plays later, Achane burst through for a 59-yard touchdown, eluding safety Jordan Poyer, who spent last season with Miami, and kicking it into his next gear.
Achane added another late touchdown from 35 yards out after Buffalo scored on a touchdown pass from Allen to tight end Jackson Hawes but failed to recover the ensuing onside kick.
The Bills, trailing 16-0, threatened to make it a one-possession game in the third quarter. Allen had a third-down play where he ran around the backfield for about 10 seconds to buy time to find a wide-open Curtis Samuel in the middle of the field for 21 yards.
By the time they got down to the Miami 5-yard line, Allen threw an interception firing errantly into the end zone. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu was the beneficiary, picking off the pass.
Allen and the Bills did later score their first touchdown with a throw deep to Keon Coleman against Ethan Bonner, who had just entered the game for JuJu Brents as he battled an undisclosed injury. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir was stopped short of the goal line on a 2-point conversion attempt by Fitzpatrick.
“It hasn’t been a really splashy season for me, but I feel like I’ve been doing my job for the most part,” said Fitzpatrick, who had six tackles, the fumble recovery and a key early pass breakup. “Those plays will come and those stops will come and it’s just keep doing my job.”
The Dolphins went up two scores early in the second quarter, 13-0, when Tagovailoa tossed a 38-yard touchdown strike deep down the right side to Waddle, who made the catch through defensive pass interference from Bills rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston, who later had an interception.
“That’s me and Dub (Waddle),” Tagovailoa said. “That’s our connection that we’ve had even being at Alabama.”
It was Miami’s second touchdown after Tagovailoa also found wide receiver Malik Washington in the middle of the end zone for a 9-yard score in the first quarter to cap a 12-play, 92-yard drive that consumed 7:27.
Before the second Dolphins touchdown, the defense turned Buffalo over on downs. On fourth-and-1, Allen rolled out and lofted a pass up to No. 3 Hawes, who had safety Fitzpatrick draped all over him to break up the pass.
Later in the first half, cornerback Jack Jones forced a fumble on Cook, and Brents, who started for the injured Rasul Douglas opposite Jones at cornerback, recovered the fumble.
Miami then drove 67 yards in nearly seven minutes to have kicker Riley Patterson boot a 46-yard field goal after earlier missing an extra point.
The Dolphins led, 16-0, at halftime, outgaining Buffalo, 221-90, and holding the Bills 0 for 6 on third down.
Tagovailoa threw an interception on Miami’s first series, a deep pass on third-and-11 hauled in by Bills safety Cole Bishop that could’ve served the same as a punt netting 41 yards of field position. His interception to Hairston later was a similar situation, and McDaniel said he doesn’t mind his quarterback taking those shots in those circumstances.
Miami defensive tackle Zach Sieler, after signing a contract extension ahead of this season, picked up his first sack of the season 10 games in, taking Allen down on a third down late in the first half. Willie Gay and Bradley Chubb had second-half sacks on Allen.
“It was making sure we were all on the same page,” Sieler said, “from the calls to how we view different fronts and coverages to make sure that we were all working as one unit, looking at the same lens.”
The Dolphins now travel to Spain in the coming days to hold the week of practice there before next Sunday’s international game in Madrid against the Washington Commanders (3-7).
“The focus will only increase,” McDaniel said. “We’re going to Spain for a football game.”
Show Caption1 of 32Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks celebrates a fumble recovery Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)Expand
Instant Analysis: Miami Dolphins 30, Buffalo Bills 13
Quick thoughts from South Florida Sun Sentinel staffers on the Dolphins’ shocking victory over the Buffalo Bills (6-3) at Hard Rock Stadium as Miami improved to 3-7 on the season:
Chris Perkins, Dolphins ColumnistThe Dolphins played their best game of the season against Buffalo. And that was two games after playing their best game of the year against Atlanta. It shows you what this season could have been, and offers a glimpse of what it still could be considering Miami has seven games remaining and four (Washington, New Orleans, New York Jets and Cincinnati) should be considered winnable.
David Furones, Dolphins WriterOf course the Dolphins do this just when most fans are ready to tank for high draft picks. The familiarity with Buffalo and tight losses recently helped Miami pull it off before going overseas for a week in Madrid. With the Commanders, the bye, the Saints and the Jets coming back, there is a path to 6-7 going into “Monday Night Football” against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the middle of December for this team.
Steve Svekis, Assistant Sports EditorWhat a roller-coaster this season is evolving into. After a tumultuous trade-deadline week that can result in a disjointed squad taking the field, the Jaelan Phillips-less and Chris Grier-less Dolphins laid a resounding, NFL-shaking whupping on Josh Allen and the Bills. Now, the Dolphins are in position to enter a domain where very few thought they could be entering December: Being in the hunt.
Keven Lerner, Assistant Sports EditorHard to get a grip on what is going on. The Dolphins showed incredible resilience and, while 3-7 still sounds awful, wins the next three games against teams with a 7-21 combined record will somehow put them into the mix for that seventh seed.
Show Caption1 of 32Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks celebrates a fumble recovery Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)Expand- « first
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