Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins can celebrate this week after stunning the Buffalo Bills 30-13 on Sunday afternoon.
Going into the matchup, Miami has had a woeful start to the 2025 NFL season. They had a 2-7 record as one of the worst performing teams in the league, suffering significant injuries that have lowered their overall ceiling.
Not this week, however. Miami played at a high level on both sides of the ball throughout the contest, shutting down Buffalo's chances of taking the momentum back in their favor.
McDaniel reflected on the win after the game, per reporters David Furones and Marcel Louis-Jacques. He praised the team for getting past their poor opening drive and responding with a strong performance for the rest of the contest.
“It’s an unintended consequence of adversity. We’ve had our fair share of reps of having things not play out the way we set out for them to play out … It was a complete effort and when you get complete efforts like that, you don’t allow things to play a factor in your style of play,” McDaniel said.
“They chose to believe, throughout the whole thing, throughout the whole offseason. They made that decision to continue to believe and continue to invest in each other.”
How Mike McDaniel, Dolphins performed against Bills
Fans can be over the moon about Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins stunning the Bills at home. What they can hope for is that the team uses it as momentum for a potential win streak.
Miami took control early into the game as the team boasted a 16-0 lead at halftime. Buffalo did not score until the fourth quarter when the unit put up 13 points, but the hosts fired back with 14 more points to seal the deal.
Tua Tagovailoa did not have his best performance but made enough plays to fend off the Bills throughout the day. He completed 15 passes out of 21 attempts for 173 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.
De'Von Achane dominated Buffalo's defense in the air and on the ground. He led the rushing attack with 22 carries for 172 yards and two touchdowns while making six catches for 51 yards. Jaylen Waddle delivered a solid display of five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, while Malik Washington caught two passes for nine yards and a touchdown.
The Dolphins will look forward to their next matchup, going international when they travel to Madrid, Spain. They face the Washington Commanders on Nov. 16 at 9:30 a.m. ET.
