Chris Perkins: Dolphins trounce Bills by playing the way they should have played all season

MIAMI GARDENS — Hugs and handshakes were abundant among the Miami Dolphins’ higher-ups in the late stages and immediate aftermath of Sunday’s shockingly refreshing 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills. This was a significant win, and the joyous locker room and exuberant scene on the field were testaments to its magnitude.

Coach Mike McDaniel and interim general manager Champ Kelly had hearty congratulations on the field shortly after the final buzzer.

Minutes earlier Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, president and CEO Tom Garfinkel, and Brandon Shore, the senior vice president of football and business administration, were all on the sideline to celebrate the final minutes of the season’s most exhilarating performance.

The postgame locker room was full of smiles and wisecracks. This was stuff we haven’t seen frequently enough this season. It makes you wonder why it hasn’t been seen more often.

On Sunday, for the second time in three games, we saw Miami Dolphins football, the 2025 version.

I asked defensive tackle Benito Jones if this was the team we should have seen all season.

“That’s the team you’re gonna get for the rest of the year,” he said.

He might be right. But the way the Dolphins (3-7) performed against the Bills (6-3) makes you wonder why they couldn’t have played this well all season.  

Over the course of the past 10 days or so the Dolphins flipped their team upside down, parting ways with former general manager Chris Grier, edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (traded to Philadelphia) and ridding the locker room of their beloved Pop-A-Shot arcade-style basketball game as well as a card table.

The winning formula on Sunday, the capper to a transitional week, wasn’t hard to figure.

“I think it wasn’t beating ourselves, and we won the turnover battle,” said cornerback Jack Jones, who was awarded a game ball.

It’s a simple, repeatable formula. It’s a rewarding formula.

This was one of those games in which everyone might get a game ball. Everyone got a game ball two games ago after the Dolphins dispatched Atlanta, 34-10, in what was previously their best game of the season. History might repeat.

And here’s the thing: the Dolphins didn’t do anything special in either of those wins, Atlanta or Buffalo.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and interim general manager Champ Kelly talk at the end of the game Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and interim general manager Champ Kelly talk at the end of the game Sunday vs. the Bills at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

All the Dolphins did was play the way they should have been playing all season, the way they should have played right out of training camp. 

The defensive front seven shut down Bills running back James Cook (13 carries, 53 yards, one lost fumble) the same way they shut down Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson (nine carries, 25 yards). Both are among the league’s rushing leaders. But the front seven was supposed to be a team strength for the Dolphins, so in a sense shutting down Cook and Robinson shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Running back De’Von Achane (174 yards rushing, two touchdowns) was the offensive star against Buffalo but he had great help from wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (five receptions, 84 yards, one touchdown), quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (15 of 21, 173 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) and the offensive line (no sacks allowed).

Yes, Achane put up big numbers but the Dolphins offense didn’t do anything unworldly.  

Again, this is the offense we should have seen coming out of training camp.

McDaniel called a great offensive game Sunday, deftly mixing the run (30 carries as a team) with the pass (21 passing attempts).

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Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver called a great defensive game, stalling Bills quarterback Josh Allen (28 of 40, 306 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) in the air and on the ground (four carries, 31 yards, one lost fumble). 

The Dolphins were good Sunday, but not great. They played the type of game that should be their standard.

“When we find our groove and everyone is playing to our standard, that’s kind of how we play,” Waddle said. 

So where has this performance been all season?

The Dolphins won the turnover battle, 3-2, they only had five penalties for 35 yards, and they were 1 of 1 in the red zone while holding Buffalo to 0-1.

The Dolphins team we saw Sunday was the team that I predicted to win nine games this season.

Perhaps we’ll see that same Dolphins team next week when Miami travels to Madrid, Spain, to play Washington, which won’t have star quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow). Perhaps we’ll see that Dolphins team after the Washington game against lowly New Orleans, and the game after that against the lowly New York Jets.

If the Dolphins keep it together for that long, they’ll be 6-7 heading into the Monday night game at Pittsburgh, and at that stage, who knows what happens?

If the Dolphins beat Pittsburgh they could be 7-7 heading into a game against Cincinnati, which won’t have quarterback Joe Burrow (toe injury).

But that’s getting way, way ahead of things. Let’s settle down.

The key takeaway from Sunday is the Dolphins played the way they should have played all season, and the way they should be capable of playing for the rest of the season. You can take that as frustrating or encouraging. Either way, it’s reality.

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Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks celebrates a fumble recovery Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

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