Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Thursday Night Football – Bills Continue Perfect Start to Season Overcoming a Resilient Dolphins’ Effort

Bills and Dolphins continue to trend in opposite directions as Buffalo goes to 3-0 and Miami to 0-3!

Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The week 4 Thursday Night Football (TNF) clash was one that pitted two AFC East teams together, the Buffalo Bills playing at home against the Miami Dolphins. Heading into the game, the Bills were 2–0 with splendid wins over the Ravens and Jets.

Miami, on the other hand, entered the week 3 matchup 0-2 and needed a win badly to keep their season from faltering. With two disappointing losses to the Colts in week 1 and the Patriots in week 2, the Dolphins were up against a formidable foe in the Bills.

Entering this matchup, the Bills had won 13 of the past 14 games between the two teams and were on a 6-game win streak against the Dolphins.

FINAL: The @BuffaloBills move to 3-0! pic.twitter.com/aGYPxn8ptP
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2025

Closely Contested First Half Keeps Both Teams in the Game

Having won the toss and electing to defer, the Bills handed the ball to Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, who were set up with excellent field position thanks to the big 54-yard opening kickoff return by D’Wayne Eskridge. Miami converted on the short field with a touchdown to go up 7-0.

The Dolphins’ lead didn’t last long, though, as Josh Allen and company marched down the field on their first drive of the game to find the endzone themselves. Running back James Cook got off to an explosive start, rushing for 30 yards in just 3 carries.

Buffalo then started to take control of the game, as the defense held the Dolphins’ next two drives to quick 3 and outs, while the Bills completed a 63-yard, 10-play drive of their own to go up 14-7. Cook continued to pile on the pressure and ended the first half with 8 carries for 73 yards.

With a chance to extend the lead, Buffalo then missed a 39-yard field goal attempt, handing the Dolphins a momentum shift. Miami was able to take advantage as Tagovailoa found Tyree Hill three times in the ensuing drive that ended with a Jaylen Waddle receiving touchdown to square the game at 14-14 just before halftime.

FINAL: The @BuffaloBills move to 3-0! pic.twitter.com/aGYPxn8ptP
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2025

Costly Mistakes Cost the Dolphins a Win

The second half started much like the first half did, but this time Allen and the Bills received the ball first, putting together a 61-yard drive that ended with Cook running in from the 2-yard line for a rushing touchdown.

Both defenses started to play better, but Miami was able to tie the game once again at the start of the final quarter. The highlight of the drive came via a crucial fourth-down and four conversion from the Bills’ 36-yard line. On second and goal, Tagovailoa found Hill for the touchdown.

Around the midway point of the final quarter, a costly roughing penalty on the Bills’ punter gave Buffalo excellent field position. Taking advantage, Allen then found Khalil Shakir on a screen pass, who took it to the endzone as the Bills went up 28-21.

As Miami tried to respond, on a first-and-ten pass-play from the Bills’ 21-yard line, Tagovailoa threw an interception, picked off by linebacker Terrel Bernard, which all but sealed the deal. Buffalo was then able to control the clock and finish the game after a field goal, making the final score 31-21.

On a night the #Dolphins went toe-to-toe with the NFL’s best, Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth turnover this season is another crushing one. pic.twitter.com/gr2oqJnq80
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 19, 2025

Bills vs Dolphins Game Stats

Josh Allen was at his usual best, finishing the game with 22 completions from 28 attempts for 213 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, while James Cook had 108 yards from 19 carries and a touchdown.

Tua Tagaovailoa had yet another disappointing game, going 22 of 34 for just 146 passing yards with 2 touchdowns and a costly interception. The Bills also managed to hold both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to under 50 and 40 receiving yards, respectively.

Team Stats

Buffalo Bills	Category	Miami Dolphins
360	Total yards	276
203	Passing yards	146
157	Rushing yards	130
2	Sacks allowed	0
3 (35)	Penalties (yards)	6 (57)
0	Fumbles lost	0
0	Interceptions	1

Despite their best effort, though, Miami was unable to walk out of Orchard Park with a win, and now slumps to 0-3 with a home game up next against divisional opponents, the New York Jets.

Meanwhile, the Bills are 3-0 and will meet the New Orleans Saints in yet another home game. Even though Buffalo was not at its best, they still won by double-digits as they enter an easier part of their schedule for the upcoming few weeks.

Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-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!