Buffalo lost to Miami on Sunday in a tough 30-13 loss on the road. The Bills are now 6-3 on the season.
See what players and head coach Sean McDermott had to say about the loss.
Bills can't battle back from slow start against Dolphins
Buffalo is 4-0 when scoring first in 2025, but when behind early, it struggles crawling back. The Bills faced their largest deficit of the season at halftime when they were scoreless at 16-0. They eventually surpassed that as well, losing by 17 points on Sunday. Previously, Buffalo trailed the most in Week 1 by 15 points against Baltimore but battled back to win.
"It's come out and control the game early and play a certain way with a certain style, and we didn't do that today," head coach Sean McDermott said after the game.
Earlier in Week 10, McDermott said he was pleased with the attitude the whole team played with in its win over the Chiefs. That defensive effort looked as if it were to continue over into the Miami game as safety Cole Bishop ended the Dolphins' first drive with an interception.
After that pick, though, the offense couldn't generate anything and was forced to punt it right back to the home team. The style of play and attitude McDermott looks for wasn't there for the Bills offense and eventually the defense struggled stopping quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his offense.
Bishop took a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Miami's second drive of the game that put the Dolphins at Buffalo's 20-yard-line. This drive ultimately resulted in a touchdown, giving Miami a 7-0 lead to start the game that it extended to 16 after two quarters.
"That's why we got the result we got, especially in the first half, and then we were chasing the game," McDermott said. "They were in control of the game for the first half, and then in the second half, we were chasing the game, which is a hard way to play. I thought we made some plays in the second half, but not enough."
Starting the third quarter, Buffalo's offense put together a score-worthy drive that exerted a lot of energy out of quarterback Josh Allen who carried the offense down the field. It was the first time the Bills made it into the red zone. When they were inside the 10-yard-line with Allen looking to connect in the end zone, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu intercepted the pass.
"Obviously we've got to have better energy. They came out flying and we just didn't answer the call right away," wide receiver Khalil Shakir said. "You get so far back on your heels that it's hard to recover, so we've just got to come out quicker, faster, play smarter football and overall complementary football as well."
Buffalo couldn't get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, bringing itself within 10 points after a failed two-point conversion attempt. The offense didn't develop a consistent rhythm, though, as its next drive that started with an interception from cornerback Maxwell Hairston's interception also resulted in a fumble and turnover.
Both sides of the ball struggled to find consistency. With an offense shutout for three quarters, the Bills' defense couldn't stop Miami long enough to give Buffalo life.
"I just feel like early on, [we were] kind of beating ourselves, and give credit to [Miami] for coming out and playing," Allen said. "We've got to be better."
Injuries shift how Bills 2025 roster looks as season continues
McDermott doesn't blame injuries for why Buffalo lost on Sunday, but both sides of the ball experienced inconsistencies.
"The more we kind of get into the injuries and some of the guys that are going out, you go down the depth chart. I appreciate the way the guys have stood up and stepped in and taken advantage of their opportunities," McDermott said. "You're just knocking down as you're getting down the list there. But we'll never use injuries as an excuse."
During the game, tight end Dalton Kincaid sustained a hamstring injury on the nearly nine-minute drive that resulted in a turnover in the end zone. After a completion to Shakir, Kincaid hopped off the field, grabbing the back of his right leg and went into the medical tent. He was ruled questionable soon after, seen walking back into the locker room, then was officially out for the remainder of the game.
On offense, wide receiver Joshua Palmer was also out on Sunday. While Allen has other targets, like Shakir, tight end Dawson Knox and wide receiver Keon Coleman, Palmer and Kincaid are crucial parts of the Bills' offense.
Kincaid had two back-to-back plays of 15-plus yards in the second quarter. This was on Buffalo's first promising drive of the game when it was down 13-0. However, as running back James Cook fought to pick up as many yards possible later on, he fumbled the ball and Miami recovered it.
Defensively, Buffalo dealt with a series of injuries since the start of the season, making the team take on a "next man up" mentality.
Rookie defensive end Landon Jackson was part of this, and was called up in the absence of defensive end A.J. Epenesa (concussion). Defensive end Michael Hoecht remains out for the rest of the season due to an Achilles tear suffered against Kansas City in Week 9.
Early on Sunday, though, Jackson sustained a knee injury that ruled him out for the rest of the afternoon. This was on the third drive of the game when the Dolphins posted their first touchdown.
Although Hairston had a positive start to his NFL career against the Panthers and Chiefs, not having cornerbacks Taron Johnson and Chirstian Benford available put the rookie in a starting role against wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Being down a veteran defender, even with Hairston's early success, shifts how the Bills approach defense.
"We do need to look to continue turning over every stone to figure out why this is happening. I feel like it's happened quite a bit year to year. This year is probably as much as I've been around," McDermott said regarding injuries. "I don't know what it is. I really don't. But we've got to figure that piece out pretty quickly here, and then year to year."
