The Buffalo Bills were on the wrong side of the most surprising game of Week 10, losing to the Miami Dolphins 30-13. Not only has Miami struggled to win against Buffalo in recent years, they entered Sunday’s game with just two wins. None of that mattered on Sunday, as the Dolphins absolutely dominated the Bills from start to finish. Miami jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first half and never let go.
The key to victory for the Dolphins was simple; they took advantage of Buffalo’s biggest weakness. All season long, the Bills have struggled to stop the run, and that continued on Sunday. Miami rushed for 197 yards, on 6.2 yards a carry. It’s hard to win games when a defense is being dominated on the ground like that. Unfortunately, that had been life for Buffalo this season, and that’s why it’s fair to question how serious of a contender the Bills can be this season.
De’Von Achane forced a career-high 11 missed tackles against the Bills, per Next Gen Stats. He gained 100 of his 174 yards after forcing a missed tackle
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) November 9, 2025
Atrocious by the Bills’ defense
Bills won’t go far this season if they can’t improve run defense
Buffalo entered Sunday’s game allowing 141.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks 27th in the NFL. The Bills were ranked even lower in yards per carry, down at No. 31, giving up 5.4 yards per rush. Miami‘s 197 rushing yards and 6.2 a pop are both more than Buffalo’s average, so the team’s season numbers will be even worse once Week 10’s stats are factored in.
While it might be easy to overlook this weakness since the team is 6-3, or because Josh Allen and James Cook are on the other side of the ball, the reality of football is it’s really hard to win a championship while being abysmal against the run. Typically, the teams playing in the final game of the season are some of the teams with the best run defense. Buffalo is currently far from that.
It’s no secret the Bills have reached Super Bowl or bust territory, so everything they do will be viewed through that lens. Right now, the team is missing one of the most important ingredients it takes to truly be a contender. Of course, Buffalo has the offensive talent to be in any game, and the team has witnessed plenty of Herculean efforts from Josh Allen, but that’s not a sustainable recipe for success. If the Bills are going to seriously contend this year, they need to improve against the run.