Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bills and Dolphins Rivalry: Why Are the Bills and Dolphins Rivals

The Bills and Dolphins have a fierce rivalry dating back to 1966

Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The first game of the new season between AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins, is set to take place tonight on Thursday Night Football (TNF). It will be the latest chapter in this classic rivalry that goes back several years.

On one side, we have the Bills, who have started the season in impressive fashion with wins against the Ravens and Jets. While the first game against Baltimore was a stunning come from behind fourth-quarter victory, week 2 saw the Bills crush the Jets emphatically.

On the other side are the struggling Miami Dolphins, who are currently winless after the first two weeks. Miami started with a demoralising loss to the Colts in week 1 and followed it up with a back-and-forth contest in which they came out on the losing side against the Patriots.

This is how things stand for the moment, but here is a look at this rivalry’s history, how it began, and where the current head-to-head stands.

Don't forget the last time @thegreat__4 was on TNF 👀 pic.twitter.com/OloSC2SNsn
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 17, 2025

How Old Is the Buffalo Bills – Miami Dolphins Rivalry?

The rivalry between the Bills and the Dolphins goes back nearly 60 years. In fact, the first ever meeting between these two teams occurred on September 18, 1966, in which Buffalo thrashed Miami by a score of 58-24.

From 1966 to 1969, both teams were part of the AFL (American Football League), and the series was more or less evenly contested. In 1970, the AFL and the NFL merged, and thus began an era of complete dominance by Miami from 1970 to 1979, which was the Don Shula era. In that decade, the Dolphins had a 20-game streak against the Bills, which finally came to an end in 1980.

Through the mid-80s to the mid-90s, the rivalry was led by quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Dan Marino, a period where both teams had exceptional play under center. The Bills got the better of the Dolphins, winning 14 of their 21 matchups with these two leading their respective teams. It was also a time when both teams had strong rosters and were fighting for the AFC crown.

Prime time at our place.@BarefootWine | #MIAvsBUF pic.twitter.com/3GgO8y4NBf
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 17, 2025

Since the early 2000s, following the retirements of Kelly and Marino, along with the rise of the New England Patriots, this rivalry has taken somewhat of a backseat. However, of late, the superb quarterback play of Josh Allen for the Bills has sparked more interest among the fan bases once again.

Why Are the Bills and Dolphins Rivals?

The Bills and the Dolphins are mainly rivals due to playing in the same division for so many years. As a result, these teams meet at least twice each year, with the winning team holding bragging rights until their next meeting.

While the players themselves are extra motivated to put in top-notch performances in order to be one-up over their rivals, the fans add an additional layer to the rivalry. Bills’ fans, commonly known as the ‘Bills Mafia,’ are an extremely loyal and passionate fan base who wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Another reason the rivalry started to take shape in the early days was due to the stark differences between the two cities. The distance between the two cities also brought about climatic and lifestyle differences.

"Their season is on life support."

If the Miami Dolphins lose this game — then there's no world that exists in @ChrisCanty99's mind where head coach Mike McDaniel makes it to the end of the season as the head coach of the team. pic.twitter.com/1QarMKheag
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) September 18, 2025

Bills vs Dolphins Head-to-Head Record for Regular Season

To date, the two teams have met a total of 123 times, and the current head-to-head record for the Bills and Dolphins rivalry stands at 62–60–1 in favor of the Dolphins, while the regular season head-to-head stands at 61–56–1. However, the Bills are 4-1 in the postseason.

Currently, Buffalo is on a 6-game win streak dating back to the 2022 season. Their most recent meeting came on November 3, 2024. The Bills edged out the Dolphins 30-27 as Josh Allen led Buffalo with 235 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception.

Buffalo and Miami will be back at it tonight to continue what has been a long-standing rivalry. Allen has a favorable 12-2 record against the Dolphins. Giving the Bills another advantage in today’s game.

Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!