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.

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.

Achane had 174 rushing yards, including two long fourth-quarter touchdowns, plus 51 receiving yards.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went 15 of 21 for 173 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

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 seven 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.

Related Articles

Buffalo had the ball, down 16-6. 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 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.

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.

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 Minkah Fitzpatrick draped all over him to break up the pass.

Later in the first half, cornerback Jack Jones forced a fumble on Bills 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.

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.

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.

This story will be updated.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/11/09/dolphins-stun-bills-snap-long-losing-streak-against-buffalo/