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Bills' Josh Allen gets an unexpected gift from Dolphins' Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa immediately after Week 3 win over Miami

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Adam Zientek | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 5:22 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills are undefeated on the season after beating the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. There were growing concerns that Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel could lose his job with another poor performance from his team. The head coach is turning heads with his postgame comments.

Immediately following the contest, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received a gift from McDaniel and Tagovailoa — respect and some pretty high praise.

For McDaniel, he was clearly flustered with his response, feeling the weight of the loss postgame, all while admitting that Allen is a difference-maker for more reasons than one.

"You're very pumped when you're able to get a stop. He makes you defend the entire field almost on every play because he can throw it as far as anybody," McDaniel said. "You have to be very sound in your rush lanes, otherwise he'll run for it too. He's a really good player, part of a really good team. You've got to bring your best to beat them, and today we didn't have quite our best."

Tua Tagovailoa has high praise for Josh Allen after the Bills' win

Miami showed plenty of fight throughout, but a costly turnover late in the fourth quarter by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa ultimately won the game for Buffalo.

On a night the #Dolphins went toe-to-toe with the NFL’s best, Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth turnover this season is another crushing one. pic.twitter.com/gr2oqJnq80
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 19, 2025

While Allen didn't throw for over 300 yards, he was efficient on the day, with multiple touchdowns and making the Dolphins' defense pay throughout.

JOSH ALLEN TO DALTON KINCAID FOR 6!

2 TDs in 3 games for Kincaid!#BuiltInBuffalo | #GoBills | #BillsMafia
pic.twitter.com/vNKZHfxxDw
— Built in Buffalo (@BuiltInBuffalo_) September 19, 2025

Tagovailoa also spoke to the media just moments after the team's loss to Buffalo, sharing a similar sentiment to that of his head coach: Allen is really good at playing football.

"I would say there's no moral victories. Josh is a heck of a player, we all know that. He's going to go out there and do what everyone expects him to do. I would say for us, it's worrying about what we gotta do against their defense to stay ahead of the chains."

The Bills quarterback cemented his spot in NFL history with two touchdowns, becoming the fastest player in NFL history to have 300 career touchdowns.

Allen is now 13-2 against Miami and has scored 45 total touchdowns in 15 games against the Dolphins, which is the most against a single opponent.

Adding to the fun, Allen also has multiple passing touchdowns in eight straight home games against the Dolphins. Allen finished 22 of 28 with 213 yards and three touchdowns while adding four carries for 25 yards, all without a turnover.

Josh Allen finds Dalton Kincaid for the Bills opening score.

Allen now has 43 total touchdowns in 15 regular season games vs. Miami, surpassing Dan Marino (42 TDs vs. NYJ) for the most total TDs by a QB in their first 15 games against an opponent.
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) September 19, 2025

For both McDaniel and Tagovailoa, the gift to Allen wasn't a trophy or a game ball; it was respect. In a rivalry that has been one-sided in recent years, the Dolphins' coach and quarterback had no choice but to acknowledge Allen's dominance.

With history on Allen's side and the praise of his opponents following him after the victory, Allen once again reminded the Dolphins that beating Buffalo means first finding a way to stop No. 17.

Stopping Allen hasn't been something that Miami has figured out, with no signs of Buffalo or Allen slowing down any time soon.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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