Many Bills fans expected an easy game against the lowly Dolphins in Week 10. But the Dolphins completely dominated the first half, walking into halftime up 16-0 over the Bills. It was apparently one of the worst halves for the Bills in the last two years.
The Bills were shut out in the first half for the first time since Week 6 of the 2023 season against the Giants, per ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg.
It was also Buffalo's biggest halftime deficit since their 2024 game against the Ravens.
Everything looked great at the beginning of the game. The Dolphins even played their part, wasting a timeout before the first play of the game for seemingly no reason.
But then it was all Dolphins, who exploded for 221 total yards of offense in the first half. Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa passed for 133 yards and two touchdowns, including a shot to Jaylen Waddle.
Meanwhile, the Bills struggled to move the ball at all. Josh Allen finished the first half 9-of-15 for 73 passing yards. James Cook did not do any better on the ground, only rushing seven times for 21 yards.
One reason behind Buffalo's struggles in the first half could be defensive depth issues.
The Bills lost both edge rusher Landon Jackson and cornerback Tre'Davious White during the opening minutes of the game. Jackson's loss means that Buffalo has only three defensive ends for the rest of the game.
Buffalo's defensive depth will be seriously tested during the second half. But it won't matter if the Bills cannot come back to life on offense.
Hopefully the Bills can rebound in the second half to avoid an embarrassing loss against a division rival.
