Everything to Know From Dolphins' Shocking Upset vs. Bills

The Miami Dolphins finally beat the Buffalo Bills. After seven straight losses, the Dolphins pulled off a massive upset of their division rivals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. 

The Dolphins won 30-13 to go 3-7 on the season, and the Bills dropped to 6-3. The last time Miami beat Buffalo was in 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium, so despite how poorly this season has gone, this was a crucial win for the franchise. 

They finally got the monkey off its back. Here’s everything you need to know from the Dolphins’ improbable victory. 

Drive By Drive Recap

Miami’s day didn’t get off to a hot start. The team’s first drive ended after Tua Tagovailoa was intercepted on an arm punt by Bills safety Cole Bishop. The Dolphins fell behind the sticks after a questionable false start penalty and couldn’t recover. 

However, a quick three-and-out from the defense got Miami the ball back, and it drove 12 plays for 92 yards down the field to go up 7-0. The Dolphins leaned on De’Von Achane and the running game for most of the drive, but it was capped off by Tua hitting Malik Washington from nine yards out. 

The Bills drove down the field a bit on the ensuing possession, but turned it over on downs. Josh Allen tried to hit Jackson Hawes on fourth-and-1, but Minkah Fitzpatrick broke up the pass. 

The Dolphins scored three plays later when Tua hit Jaylen Waddle on a hard, play-action fake from a heavy set for a 38-yard touchdown. The play put Miami up 13-0, as Riley Patterson missed the PAT. 

The teams then traded punts before Buffalo finally got its offense going into Dolphins’ territory. However, Jack Jones made an incredible play to punch the ball out of James Cook’s hands near the redzone. 

After a mad scramble for the ball, JuJu Brents, who was playing in place of Rasul Douglas, came up with it. The Dolphins drove 67 yards on 10 plays and punched a field goal in to make it 16-0. 

After that, it started pouring rain in South Florida, making it difficult for either team to move the ball. Miami took a 16-0 lead to the locker room. 

The rain stopped at halftime, and Buffalo got the ball first. Allen made some of the best plays a quarterback can make to get the Bills into the low red zone, but he had a miscommunication with his tight end that led to an INT for Ifeatu Melifonwu in the end zone. 

The Bills’ drive was 14 plays for 77 yards, and it took nine minutes off a game that Miami still led by 16 when it was done. 

After the Dolphins punted, Buffalo finally got on the board when Allen hit Keon Coleman for a 35-yard touchdown that capped off a 98-yard drive. Miami did prevent the Bills’ 2-point conversion, so it remained 16-6 Dolphins with 12 minutes left. 

Tua threw another arm punt on the Dolphins’ ensuing possession, and it felt like momentum had finally turned to the Bills. 

On a third-and-short snap, Allen sneaked the ball over the left side but broke a tackle and started carrying Jack Jones downfield. It would’ve been about a 20-yard run, but Jordyn Brooks came from behind and stripped the ball out. 

The Dolphins jumped on it, and then Achane scored from 59 yards out two plays later. That run put Miami up 23-6 and stuck a dagger in the Bills’ chances. 

The Bills scored a garbage-time touchdown to make the score 23-13, but an onside kick recovery by Cedrick Wilson mostly sealed the win. Miami, of course, scored again after the recovery with another big Achane run to make it 30-13. 

Offensive Recap 

The offense’s overall numbers are nothing too crazy, but the team was widely efficient in a lot of ways. Tua finished the day completing 15 of 21 passes for 173 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. 

Miami’s passing game was a lot of the easy completions near the line of scrimmage, combined with some of the new play-action looks off the six offensive lineman package with Daniel Brunskill. 

It’s an interesting formula that requires the team to commit to the running game and win running in the middle of the line. De’Von Achane finished with 22 carries and 174 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry, and two touchdowns.

As always, Achane made a few plays in the passing game, too. He had six catches for 51 yards, and Waddle added five catches for 84 yards and his touchdown. 

The team’s offensive line was incredibly impressive on the ground in this game. The Bills did get six tackles for loss, but Miami mostly carved out some big rushing lanes and kept Tua clean in the pocket. 

Buffalo was missing several important defensive linemen, but it’s still a good look for a unit that has been inconsistent throughout the season. 

This is the formula if the Dolphins want to make any type of run this season. It’s highly unlikely, but this isn’t the high-flying teams of 2022 and 2023. They have to run the ball and work heavy PA concepts. 

Defensive Recap 

The Dolphins’ defense deserves so much credit for how well it played against Buffalo. It held the Bills to just 87 yards in the first half and held the high-powered offense scoreless until 12 minutes remaining in the game. 

Miami’s defense continued its opportunistic ways in this one, forcing two key takeaways when the Bills were driving. The first was Jones’ punchout of Cook in the first half, and Melifonwu’s interception took key points off the board in the third quarter. 

Obviously, Jordyn Brooks’ stripping Allen on an important third down was also a huge play. Allen had the first down and then some, as the game’s momentum was starting to turn. Brooks’ hustle kept Miami in the driver’s seat. 

Allen finished the game, completing 28 of 40 passes for 306 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He made a few incredibly impressive plays, but it was clear Miami’s defense was making him uncomfortable all game. 

The Dolphins also did a nice job keeping James Cook in check for the most part. He finished with 53 yards and 13 carries. Miami’s run defense has had some rough outings this season, but it held the fort on Sunday, allowing 84 total rushing yards. 

The Bills’ leading receiver was Khalil Shakir, who finished with seven catches and 58 yards. Miami didn’t have Rasul Douglas in this game, but JuJu Brents stepped up in a big way. 

Brents had a PBU and was in coverage for a few other incompletions. Among the other notable wins was Zach Sieler getting his first sack of the season. 

This was an incredibly inspired performance by the Dolphins’ defense, which had failed to show up for most of this season.