During their week 10 matchup, it was expected that the Buffalo Bills would dominate against a weak Miami Dolphins team that had struggled to stay afloat. Especially with Miami entering this fixture on a 2-7 record. This disparity between the two teams was already evident even before the first play of this game, as Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins kicked things off on a false start.

After moving back thanks to a 5-yard penalty, the Dolphins’ offense took its time lining up for the next snap at the line of scrimmage. But with the clock under five seconds, McDaniel called a bizarre timeout even before the start of an offensive action by his team. Addressing this incident in the post-match presser, the Miami Dolphins had a hilarious yet justifiable response.

Mike McDaniel revealed, ” I mean, I’m not trying to get fined, so I called the timeout to have an information gathering session, and we had a nice direct conversation, and we moved on with our lives.”

Despite the confusing timeout, the Dolphins stunned everyone and went on to win the game convincingly. De’Von Achane rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns, including a blistering 59-yard scoring dash in the fourth quarter, as he emerged as one of the best Miami players against Buffalo.

Similarly, Tua Tagovailoa also had a noteworthy performance, throwing for 173 yards and two touchdowns while completing 15 of 21 passes with two interceptions. The final scoreline was a staggering upset for the Bills, 30-13. But how did Mike McDaniel and team go from a 2-7 record to dominating the 6-2 Bills?

Mike McDaniel explains biggest reason behind Miami’s win

It isn’t every day there’s an upset of such magnitude, where one of the worst-performing teams dismantles the team with 5 straight AFC East titles. Yes, the Bills struggled to stop the runs as RB De’Von Achane had one of his best individual performances yet. Further, Buffalo was without starting cornerback Christian Benford and nickel Taron Johnson, alongside key rotational pieces in defensive end A.J. Epenesa and linebacker Shaq Thompson. 

But the Dolphins’ head coach explained how the team didn’t quit on their season, even after a 2-7 start.

“I think it’s pretty obvious from their play that they didn’t believe their season was over — that’s difficult to do when everyone’s talking to you about the season being over,” said Mike McDaniel. “I think it’s awesome because they deserve it. We knew that if we wanted to gain some respect from that team, we had to earn it.”

Now, as Miami gears up for a trip to Spain as they face the Washington Commanders in Madrid, the spirits of the team will be high as they hope to remain competitive after this dominant win in the AFC East.