Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes against Miami on Sunday, but also threw and interception and lost a fumble. Rich Storry / Getty Images

De’Von Achane rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns, including a back-breaking 59-yard scoring dash in the fourth quarter, as the Miami Dolphins stunned the Buffalo Bills 30-13 on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla.

The Dolphins, who entered Week 10 having lost four of their last five games, improved to 3-7 on the season. The Bills, who saw their two-game winning streak end, dropped to 6-3.

The Dolphins won despite a mixed performance from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who threw two touchdown passes but was also picked off twice. He threw for just 173 yards.

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen completed 28 of 40 passes for 306 yards. The impact of his two touchdown passes was diminished by an interception and a lost fumble, and he was sacked three times.

A bad loss, yet a deserved one, for the Bills

The Bills’ offense was putrid right from the start.

The rushing offense they had grown to rely on, due to an inconsistent passing attack, couldn’t get started, forcing the Bills to rely on the passing game to bail them out. Given how the rest of the season has gone for that group, it’s no surprise the Bills struggled to score.

The Bills were held scoreless through the first three quarters — a new low for this year’s team — despite facing one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They turned the ball over three times, all three of which occurred deep in Dolphins territory. The offense didn’t come anywhere close to playing a game deserving of a victory, and they suffered their worst loss of the season. A deserved loss, but a bad loss all the same. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer

Buffalo’s struggles stopping the run continue

Although the Bills’ defense had some nice moments with a pair of interceptions by young players, it was far from the ceiling game they put together a week ago against the Chiefs.

Struggles limiting the rushing attack, a familiar problem this season, returned with a vengeance on Sunday as Achane put the game away with 59 and 35-yard touchdown runs, and 174 total yards on the ground. Jaylen Waddle beat rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston deep for a touchdown, and then Waddle bested Hairston a few more times in man coverage.

The Bills were banged up on defense coming into the game, without starting cornerback Christian Benford and nickel Taron Johnson, along with key rotational pieces in defensive end A.J. Epenesa and linebacker Shaq Thompson. On top of that, they lost rookie defensive end Landon Jackson early in the first quarter, leaving them with only three defensive ends for much of the game.

Regardless of the injuries, the Bills struggled to force third-down attempts and get the Dolphins off the field. That, paired with the Bills’ lifeless offense, gave Buffalo barely any chances to win on Sunday. — Buscaglia

Mike McDaniel has never looked better vs. Buffalo

Maybe the Bills will look back on this game and be thankful. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, for some reason, has hesitated to move on from coach Mike McDaniel and might be stuck with disappointing quarterback Tagovailoa’s contract, but the combo looked swell against the five-time defending AFC East champs — perhaps good enough to keep together?

Tagovailoa threw a pair of interceptions while targeting Waddle, but was otherwise sharp. Tagovailoa was 15 of 21 for just 173 yards, but by the first snap of the second quarter he had spotted Malik Washington on a 9-yard strike and Waddle for a gorgeous 38-yard touchdown over Hairston. The Bills failed to register a sack. Achane, in addition to his big day carrying the ball, added six catches for 51 yards. McDaniel has never looked better against Buffalo. — Tim Graham, senior writer

Dolphins defense dominates … without Jaelan Phillips

Jaelan Phillips clearly was the problem. No, not really, but five days after sending their talented linebacker to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dolphins’ defense dominated the reigning MVP and one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses.

In taking a lead they never surrendered, the Dolphins forced four three-and-outs within the first six possessions and surrendered only 85 yards by halftime. They punched the ball away from James Cook, the league’s leader in rushing yards per game, in the first quarter, then recovered the fumble. They intercepted Allen in the end zone in the third quarter and recovered an Allen fumble in the fourth. They also had Allen limping by the end of the game, sacking him thrice. Edge rusher Bradley Chubb recorded four of Miami’s seven QB hits. And the 30th-ranked rushing defense allowed 87 yards the whole game. — Graham

Nov 9, 2025

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