The 2025 Buffalo Bills season has been written, but the book is incomplete. Before we cast our full attention toward the 2026 season, let’s take one last glance back over our shoulder for our annual look at the Plays That Defined the prior campaign.
For any newcomers, first and foremost; Welcome! When it comes to the “rules” of this exercise, we’re not voting for our favorite highlight necessarily, but the one that best captures the essence of the game. Put differently, if you had to choose just one play
to show someone to explain as much of the contest as possible, which would you choose?
Week 3; Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills had just demolished the New York Jets and were looking to lock down their second division win of the season as they hosted the Miami Dolphins. While the Bills prevailed, it was a tight affair for most of the night, with the game tied midway through the fourth quarter. Buffalo put the final two scores on the board for a ten-point win that was closer than the final would have it seem.
Josh Allen’s 300th touchdown (Q1; 4:11)
I think the title of the play summarizes why it’s here. Dropping 31 on a rival is fantastic work, and much of that was on the arm of Josh Allen. The first touchdown of the game put Allen ahead of Patrick Mahomes for fastest quarterback to 300 total touchdowns.
James Cook touchdown (Q3; 10:27)
Josh Allen didn’t do it alone of course. The ball was pretty well spread out through the air, but on the ground it was James Cook. Cook had 108 of the 157 yards rushing for Buffalo, as well as the lone running touchdown of the game for the Bills.
Roughing the kicker (Q4; 10:20)
Mistakes can sink a team and penalties out of Miami were a big part of it. While only accumulating six flags (Buffalo had three), Miami’s penalties were overall pretty serious. This one came with the game tied at 21 in the fourth quarter. They had Buffalo stopped cold but handed the ball back with a fresh set of downs. The Bills capitalized by finishing their renewed drive with a touchdown to go up by seven.
Terrel Bernard INT (Q4; 3:06)
With plenty of time left, the Dolphins orchestrated a strong drive all the way to the Buffalo 21-yard line. This particular play was first down, with no reason to force anything at this point. You can see the result. Terrel Bernard plucks the ball away and help seal the game for the good guys.
