Although Josh Allen threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns, the Buffalo Bills’ passing attack once again struggled to find the consistency and dominant form that fans have come to expect. In a stunning upset, the Bills fell 30-13 to the Miami Dolphins, who were fueled by De’Von Achane’s explosive 225 scrimmage yards.
Buffalo’s offense was dreadful in the first half, going 0-for-6 on third down and 0-for-1 on fourth while managing just 90 total yards at 3.8 yards per play. Allen threw a costly interception and lost a fumble. As the team has leaned more heavily on running back James Cook, he too faltered on Sunday, losing his first fumble of the season.
Although the offense showed some improvement after halftime, the early struggles proved too costly.
### Sean McDermott Growing Frustrated With Passing Game
Head coach Sean McDermott addressed the offense’s struggles after the game.
“First, identifying what’s causing us to get behind the sticks, is it penalties, is it negative plays and how they’re being created,” he said. “Secondly, is getting back on track. It’s hard to convert 3rd and 11-plus in this league. Just too many 3rd and longs and one-dimensional situations.”
Statistically, the Bills’ passing offense finds itself outside the top 10 in the NFL—an alarming fact for a team whose goal is the Super Bowl. Allen’s individual yardage is also outside the top 10 among quarterbacks, and the receiving corps has put up abysmal stats so far through Week 10.
But none of that concerns McDermott.
“I’m not worried about numbers,” he said. “Those aren’t real numbers. I’m worried about moving the ball, controlling the game, playing our style of football on a more consistent basis. I’m not really into yards, I’m into real yards and the meat of the game and moving the football.”
McDermott expressed frustration that the passing game hasn’t been as spectacular as expected.
“It’s an important part of our offense,” he said. “We’ve got a great quarterback and you want to be able to move the ball two-dimensionally. We should be able to move the ball with Josh through the air. But it can’t just be one phase of your offense, it’s got to be two. It starts up front with the line of scrimmage.
“(Allen) made some amazing plays, which he does. We got to move the chains. We’re not holding the ball long enough.”
### Sean McDermott Seemed Happy with Defensive Performance
On a more positive note, McDermott said the Bills’ defense played well for most of the game—up until the end.
“Defensively, I thought we did some good things, but gave up two big runs toward the end,” he said.
The Bills’ defense notched its first multi-interception game of the 2025 season. Rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston recorded his second straight interception of his young NFL career, following his first pick against Kansas City in Week 9.
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/buffalo-bills/sean-mcdermott-passing-game-dolphins-loss/
