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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington (6) runs against Buffalo Bills defensive back Sam Franklin Jr. (28) in the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Dolphins-Bills Week 3 Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out

Originally posted on Miami Dolphins on SI
By Alain Poupart | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Miami Dolphins faced a tough tall task against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Thursday night, but came up a big short and dropped a 31-21 decision.

The Dolphins were looking for their first win of the 2025 season, as well as their first win in Buffalo since the 2016 season.

Ahead of this matchup, we analyzed the five biggest storylines beyond the obvious of whether the Dolphins can pull off a gigantic upset, so it's time revisit those and see how they played out:

CAN THE DEFENSE SLOW DOWN JOSH ALLEN?

Before the game: Allen has dominated the Dolphins like no other quarterback before him, and that includes Tom Brady, though the Miami defense has had a couple of games with decent success against him. In the 2023 season finale, the Dolphins picked him off twice after doing the same in the 2022 playoffs. But Allen also has topped 100 in passer rating in 10 of his 14 games against Miami, including a perfect 158.3 in the game at Buffalo in 2023. It's going to be a tough task, but the Dolphins defense at the very least has to slow down Josh Allen after making Daniel Jones and Drake Maye look like, well, Josh Allen.

During the game: As he's been for the past two years, Allen was highly efficient in this game. He didn't put up big numbers and threw short most of the night, but he did have three touchdown passes. Allen also had only 19 yards rushing. So, yeah, the Dolphins defense didn't let Allen dominate but he still was highly efficient and effective.

DOING THE SIMPLE THINGS

Before the game: The loss against New England in Week 2 was disappointing, and part of what made it so bad was that the Dolphins committed penalties for both a false start and a delay of game on each of the final two drives. It was, quite frankly, amateurish stuff by the offense. This obviously can't happen in this game if the Dolphins are to have any chance of pulling off the upset and we'll go as far as saying that more of the same wouldn't be good for Mike McDaniel's job security.

During the game: This was a much cleaner game the Dolphins played. The biggest mental mistake came when left guard Jonah Savaiinaea was flagged for being downfield on a pass to the right side, negating a good gain nowhere near his area. But there were no delay penalties or false starts, so this was a step in the right direction.

BULL'S-EYE ON BOSA

Before the game: Remember when the Dolphins were interested in signing veteran Joey Bosa in the offseason and we pointed out that maybe it wasn't a great idea because Bosa's play had slipped in the past couple of years amid a rash of injuries. Well, things didn't start off well for Bosa in Buffalo as he missed the offseason program with an injury, but then he stayed healthy throughout training camp and already looks like a potential difference-maker for the Bills, with PFF ranking him as the second-best edge defender in the NFL in the first two weeks of the season. Bosa usually lines up on the left side of the defense, which means current right tackle Larry Borom has to come ready to play.

During the game: Tua Tagovailoa was not sacked once in this game, though there was some pressure at times. But it wasn't Bosa getting more pressure. He was credited with the only quarterback hit on Tua in this game and his stat sheet include one assisted tackle. So he wasn't a big factor.

ACHANE ACTION

Before the game: We quite frequently include Tyreek Hill in any preview story, but in this case we're thinking it's running back De'Von Achane who's got the biggest chance of making the difference on offense. And he's certainly got the track record against the Bills. In four career games against the Bills, Achane has scored six touchdowns, at least one in every game. It's even better in Buffalo, where Achane scored two touchdowns in 2023 and another two in 2024. Achane had a touchdown in each of the first two games, but he has yet to put big rushing number this season, but he does have a 100-yard game against the Bills. Another one here would be just fine.

During the game: Achane was kept out of the end zone for the first time by the Bills, but he led the team with 62 yards rushing and led with seven receptions, though there were no big plays on this night. Still, the Dolphins weren't able to get him loose in the open field.

TUA TIME

Before the game: Tua Tagovailoa took a lot of flak in certain circles this week for his comment about "I can't do half of what he does," and from this vantage point it was much ado about nothing because he didn't say anything that's not obvious to any football fan. That said, this would be a great opportunity for Tagovailoa to show the skills he does possess, which is something he did last season in the game at Buffalo when he completed 25 of 28 passes and had the Dolphins on the verge of an upset victory.

During the game: We don't really need to discuss this one very much, do we? Tua was efficient for most of the game, even if everything was going short again, but he had the critical mistake at the end of the game on the potential game-tying drive. For certain, he probably didn't do much to silence those who criticized his comments.