NFL Week 10 Preview: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins Matchup Preview
When the Buffalo Bills needed a comeback game the most, the team delivered, with a statement performance Sunday against a dominant Kansas City Chiefs team, 28-21. QB Josh Allen had a fantastic game, completing 23 of his 26 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for 19 yards and 2 more touchdowns. His 88.5% completion percentage on Sunday is now his best completion percentage of his career to this date. RB James Cook ran all over the Chiefs’ defense, taking 27 carries for 114 rushing yards. TE Dalton Kincaid recorded his second 100-yard game of the season, recording 101 total receiving yards. Kincaid became the second Buffalo Bill TE to achieve multiple 100-yard games in a single season on Sunday, alongside Paul Costa, pre-AFL/NFL merger. The crowd was heard loud and clear on Sunday, throwing QB Patrick Mahomes off his game, later leading to CB Maxwell Hairston’s first interception in the NFL, on a deep ball intended for WR Xavier Worthy with 4:18 remaining in the game. This game was a statement win for the Bills, who were a team that had lots of questions heading into Sunday’s game regarding their offense.
However, Sunday’s victory didn’t come without its own ailments. Recently unsuspended DE Michael Hoecht suffered a torn achilles with 14:25 remaining in the game Sunday, though he stayed on the bench for the remainder of the game to support his teammates. Hoecht has true Buffalo spirit, and will be back for next year, after signing a three year deal with the Bills on March 14th. In addition to Hoecht, CB Christian Benford (groin), DE Joey Bosa (wrist), RB James Cook (ankle, foot), DT Jordan Phillips (wrist), and DE A.J. Epenesa (concussion) all were newly added to the injury report, while LB Terrel Bernard (ankle), DT DaQuan Jones (calf), WR Josh Palmer (knee, ankle), OLB Shaq Thompson (hamstring), and DT Jordan Phillips (wrist) maintained their status from last week. As of Thursday, RB James Cook is expected to play, he stated in an interview. DT DaQuan Jones participated in his first practice in a month on Wednesday, as he is ramping up from a calf injury he sustained during pregame warmups against the Falcons.
Although the Bills are banged up, no trades were made prior to the Tuesday trade deadline, marking the first time since 2021 in which GM Brandon Beane has not made an in-season trade. Beane accredited this to long-term cap implications, as well as teams not being as willing to trade for the cost that was desired.
“Unfortunately, it takes two to tango and we tried on quite a few,” Beane stated after the 4pm deadline, “and some, we ran into a couple teams in our division [who] were trading and couldn’t get a lot of interest there.”
The Bills now face a Miami Dolphins team who fired their GM Chris Grier on October 31, with owner Stephen Ross stating that they “must improve – in 2025, 2026, and beyond – and [that] it needs to start right now ”. The Dolphins (2-7) will look to bounce back from their week 8 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday without standout LB Jaelan Phillips, who was traded on Tuesday to the Philadelphia Eagles, for a 2026 third-round pick. The Dolphins look to also be without CB Rasul Douglas (foot/ankle) and LB Chop Robinson (concussion), both who have not practiced so far this week.
Matchups to Watch Out For
Bills’ Run Offense vs Dolphins Run Defense
The Buffalo Bills running offense has been on an absolute tear this season, leading the league in average rushing yards per game, averaging 161.5 yards per game to date. RB James Cook is setting the standard in Buffalo, after earning himself a 4 year, $48 million contract extension in early August, with 867 total yards rushing so far this season. This ranks him second in the league, right behind Colts’ star RB Jonathan Taylor with 895. In addition to Cook’s stellar play, QB Josh Allen also has added 280 rushing yards of his own, making the Bills’ offense a true rushing double threat. Conversely, the Miami Dolphins’ run defense has been worrisome, allowing an average of 145.6 yards per game, good for 30th in the league. However, Miami recently had a stellar performance in stopping the run against the Falcons, where they limited the Atlanta run game to just 45 total yards on 17 attempts. Look to see Buffalo leaning on their running game early, to establish dominance over the Dolphins defense.
De’Von Achane vs Bills’ Defensive Front
Like their AFC East foes, the Miami Dolphins have heavily relied on their star running back, with De’Von Achane being used as a dual threat in both the running and passing game, amassing 606 and 274 yards, respectively. The Bills have also mightily struggled against defending the run, allowing an average of 141.4 rushing yards per game so far this season, ranking 28th in the league. If the Bills want to come out of Sunday with a victory, they need their ailing defensive front to dominate. With injuries to DT Jordan Phillips, DT DaQuan Jones, DE Joey Bosa, and DE A.J. Epenesa, as well as DE Michael Hoecht, DT T.J. Sanders, DT DeWayne Carter, and DT Ed Oliver on injured reserve, this may prove to be a place for the Miami offense to exploit come Sunday.
Conclusion
The Buffalo Bills (6-2) overcame the Chiefs on Sunday in a game that many saw as a “must-win” in order for the Bills to maintain contention in not only the #1 seed conversation, but also the AFC East title contention as well. With victories over the Chiefs, as well as the Baltimore Ravens in week 1, the Bills now sit 5th in the AFC right after the trade deadline.
Going into week 10, the Buffalo Bills travel to sunny Miami, seeking to maintain their recent hot streak against the Miami Dolphins. This is the 125th matchup between the two squads, with the Dolphins barely maintaining a slim 62-61-1 all-time record against the Bills. The Bills will seek to tie the all-time series record on Sunday, and it will be very interesting to see how the injured Buffalo team fares.
