Given that the Buffalo Bills hadn't lost to the rival Miami Dolphins since Sept. 2022 and that the latter team is on the cusp of a rebuild, everyone expected Josh Allen and Company to march into Miami and completely dogwalk the Phins. That's why they play the games, though, because not only did the Dolphins make a game of it, they were actually the ones doling out embarrassment, shellacking the Bills in a 30-13 victory. And it's a loss for Buffalo that should lead to plenty of blame being thrown around.
There obviously isn't just one single party that deserves all of the finger pointing after such a loss. For a team as talented as Buffalo and with advantages all over the field, it's on Sean McDermott and everyone in the building for getting trounced by a division rival. At the same time, though, this loss is catastrophic for the Bills, especially with the New England Patriots moving to 8-2, which will give them a 1.5-game lead and multiple tiebreakers over Buffalo as of now in the AFC East.
So when that's the case, we do need to play the blame game, and dole it out to the worst offenders from Sunday that need to be held accountable for their role in this brutal Bills loss.
Buffalo Bills to blame for embarrassing loss to the Dolphins
DE Joey Bosa
Make no mistake, the Bills defense is akin to an infirmary ward right now with injuries to Ed Oliver and a slew of key players on that side of the ball. That, however, should put more onus on a veteran performer like Joey Bosa to go out and make his impact felt. Even against the porous Dolphins offensive line, however, he could do no such thing on Sunday afternoon.
To not put too fine a point on it, Bosa didn't show a single thing that would've helped Buffalo be competitive in the loss. He didn't generate a single pressure on 17 pass rush snaps, he missed a key tackle, and he was pedestrian at best against the run, as evidenced by the fact that De'Von Achane put up 200+ rushing yards on the day. Borrowing a line from Office Space, what would you say... you do here?
Bosa wasn't alone on the defense, or even on the edge, in needing to be better in Week 10 — and that's especially true when it comes to the shortcomings of the pass rush. However, given what Bosa was brought in to represent for Buffalo and the performance he ultimately failed to deliver when the defense desperately needed him, he needs to shoulder a good portion of the blame.
RB James Cook
While I can be empathetic to the idea that James Cook was injured coming into this game, there's also the undeniable truth of, if you're playing, you need to perform. And for a player who's been so integral to the Bills offense this season, Cook was on the field, but just was clearly not in any shape to be the dynamic and explosive force that Buffalo clearly needed.
The numbers themselves weren't the ugliest you'll ever see. Cook took 13 carries for 53 yards and had five receptions for 24 yards. However, the fact that his longest touch of the day went for just 14 yards and that he also lost a fumble in this game are just unacceptable, especially when the team was clearly locked into a dogfight from early on in the action on Sunday.
For an offense that doesn't have much star power outside of Allen at quarterback, Cook has been that guy this season both in name and performance. But much like Bosa letting the defense down, the veteran running back did the same for the offense. He needed to put things on his back in this game, and he was merely serviceable, and nothing more.
LB Matt Milano
Unfortunately, it feels like we've reached the end of the line with Matt Milano. The veteran linebacker has been a stalwart for the Bills defense for many years at this point, and is clearly beloved in the locker room. But with injuries in recent seasons combined with his age, he's just simply not the same player that he once was. On Sunday, that burned Buffalo in a bad way, and in multiple facets of the game as well.
It wasn't good in run defense for Milano, particularly considering the fact that he missed one of just four tackle attempts he had on the day. However, it was even worse when the linebacker was asked to drop into coverage. Milano was targeted four times by the Dolphins and gave up receptions on all four plays. Even worse, those receptions yielded 42 yards total, but 36 of them came after the catch, which again speaks to the Bills staple's declining physical tools.
I don't want to be too harsh on Milano simply because he's been so good for so long in Buffalo. What we're seeing now, though, is the farthest cry from the player he once was, and he now looks like someone that opposing offenses can simply exploit. Miami certainly did on Sunday.
QB Josh Allen
If you just look at the box score, even with Allen throwing an interception and fumbling, you probably still think he wasn't a problem on Sunday. He did, after all, go 28-of-40 for 306 yards with two touchdowns, in addition to adding 31 yards on the ground across four carries. Anyone who watched this game, however, knows that the turnovers were actually the most indicative part of how the Bills superstar quarterback played in the loss to Miami.
Put simply, Allen just wasn't sharp in this game. He was under duress, but not irrecoverably so despite taking three sacks, but he did himself no favors with some poor decision-making and also some, frankly, pretty poor throws by his lofty standards. When the run game was already not what the Bills need it to be, that put the spotlight even brighter on Allen, and he didn't have a superheroic performance in him to save them.
With Allen particularly (but really with the entirety of this Bills team), you have to wonder if this game was a hangover from the big win over the Chiefs in Week 9. That's not an excuse, or at least an acceptable one. However, it was undeniable that Buffalo's star QB wasn't even remotely close to playing his A-game.