Bills have blowout potential vs. Dolphins, plus why Cole Bishop may have turned a corner
Another young player, Maxwell Hairston, could be in line to start.
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Cole Bishop #24 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after breaking up a pass during the second quarter in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jason Miller / Getty Images
Even with the disappointment of not completing a trade before the Tuesday deadline, both internally in the front office and externally with the fan base, the Bills’ season will continue on Sunday with their annual trip to Miami. The Bills have had a lot of success against the Dolphins over the years.
Since the Bills began their playoff streak in 2019, they have lost only once in Miami, in 2022, and only by two points. In the other five wins, the Bills have won by an average of 16.6 points. Even with the loss, the average margin is in the Bills’ favor by 13.5 points per contest.
“Hot weather,” Dion Dawkins said when asked why he thinks the Bills have notoriously done so well in Miami. “We go from being cold and then we go there and we’re unthawed and our bodies feel great.”
This week, the Bills are facing a Dolphins team in flux after firing their longtime general manager and they haven’t ruled out a quarterback change this season. What stood out around Orchard Park this week as the Bills go for their third win in a row? Here’s our weekly Bills notebook.
Why Cole Bishop might be their most important defender moving forward
The trade deadline came and went without any additions, and part of that is likely because their needs lessened a bit. A significant reason why has been how well second-year safety Cole Bishop has played recently. He has shown some really strong signs of taking a step forward in recent games, and they’re hoping his performance against the Chiefs was his breakout moment.If it felt like Bishop was everywhere on the field during the game, the film certainly backed up that assertion. What the Bills got from Bishop was a full-game version of the high-ceiling player he showed flashes of against the Saints in Week 4, when he made his potentially game-altering interception at the goal line based on how he read the play. Against the Chiefs, Bishop was trusting what he saw developing, reacting quickly and most importantly, playing very, very fast. He was, without question, one of the biggest reasons why the Bills performed as well as they did defensively against a dynamic Chiefs passing attack despite being quite undermanned due to injuries.
However, it was also in how the Bills utilized Bishop. Rather than just playing in his usual safety role, he became their unexpected chess piece, used in so many different ways to help limit the Chiefs. As we explored right after the game, the Bills flipped their tendencies in a masterful defensive plan by using dime looks in situations with 7+ yards to go on both second and third-down plays, beginning in the second quarter. The added defensive back added to the flexibility in Bishop’s role. Sometimes he would remain at his safety position, sometimes he would drop down in the box, sometimes they’d use his athleticism to play man coverage against receivers or tight ends and sometimes he’d line up as a slot defender. It certainly helped that Cam Lewis, who was the under-the-radar star for the Bills against the Chiefs, has pretty vast experience playing safety at this stage of his career. Having Lewis in the lineup allowed Bishop to drop down and do all these different things.
Although the Bills may not want to use their dime look as much against an opponent who can run the ball better than the Chiefs, it would be a surprise if they didn’t continue to deploy Bishop this way. He’s playing with a lot of confidence at the moment, and it wouldn’t be surprising for the light to go on in the second half of a player’s second season, which we’ve seen from some other Bills players recently. With how much importance the team places on that safety position and being able to disguise coverages, Bishop’s development, if it sticks, could be the key to the Bills reaching their goal of the defense peaking at the right time heading into the playoffs. He’ll get another excellent chance to prove it on Sunday against an offense that still has some explosive potential at times.
When he’s healthy, what could Gabe Davis bring to the receiver room?
One position the Bills were heavily linked to before the trade deadline was wide receiver. That means the Bills will need to go through the rest of their season with the group they have unless a surprise free agent becomes available. That could mean that the only meaningful change to their receiver room would be Gabe Davis, who is still working his way back from a long-term knee injury that ended his 2024 season prematurely. Davis has been practicing over the last two weeks, with one day off last week to rest due to inflammation in the rehabbed knee.So the big question is, what’s fair to expect? Davis is moving around relatively well and doesn’t look all that different from the last time he was with the Bills. It seems it’s only a matter of time before Davis finds his way onto the game day roster, likely as a practice squad elevation to start. Several injuries to the defense, along with Davis only being back to practice last week, might have the Bills delaying that debut at least another week. Whenever they do pull that tab, there is a definitive chance he becomes one of their top four receivers down the stretch of the season.
Davis will afford them some flexibility that they really don’t have right now, with Keon Coleman being the only true pass-catching option at X receiver. Tyrell Shavers has been good on special teams, can block well and can play all three receiver spots, but he’s not as much of a target earner as Coleman, which limits them. That’s where Davis can split the difference a bit. We know Davis is a good blocker from his first stint, and we also know he can earn targets deeper down the field as a trustworthy target for Josh Allen. Will he be quite as explosive as he once was? Probably not, but Allen’s trust in him to win down the field will certainly help the situation.
It would also allow the Bills to move Coleman around a bit more and not have to rely as much on Shavers and Curtis Samuel to take meaningful snaps. And if Coleman continues to struggle, it could be a one-for-one swap by the time the playoffs roll around. It’s something the Bills wouldn’t prefer, but when playing for a championship is on the line, they’re going to put their best players on the field. If it goes well enough, Davis can certainly find his way to the 53-man roster at some point, and round out the top four with Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Joshua Palmer.
The Bills will need more from their linebackers, including Terrel Bernard.Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images
To reach their ceiling, the Bills need more from their LBs
Two units for the Bills really stood out against the Chiefs. The secondary and the defensive ends were key reasons why the Bills were able to execute as good a game plan as they did. However, the one trouble spot for the Bills’ defense, as it’s been for a good portion of the 2025 season, has been at linebacker. The starting duo of Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano has been out of position at times, and most notably, can’t seem to get off blocks well enough to become a consistent run-game stopper. It’s a relatively big reason why the Bills’ run defense has struggled this season, as it’s been unclear what to expect one week to the next. It’s not to say that they haven’t had good moments, but they have been more infrequent this year than in the past.Now, it certainly doesn’t help that the Bills have had to use a new defensive tackle group nearly on a weekly basis this season, and that has definitely hurt some of their ability to keep the linebackers clean. And you also have to account for both Bernard and Milano being in their first game back from an injury absence. That said, that group needs to be much better than it has been. We’ve seen some games this year where Bernard is on it — the Saints and Patriots games stand out — but it hasn’t been common enough. For a player they invested in so heavily this offseason, they need him to shed blocks and be a factor in the running game far more than he has consistently this season, especially because he will be a mainstay in their lineup no matter what.
Milano has usually played well against the Dolphins, so there’s a chance he could have a bounce-back game. However, he’s on the last year of his deal, and should he continue to struggle while healthy, it’s fair to wonder if Shaq Thompson could become more of a factor once he returns from injury. Thompson has been the more consistent player this year for the Bills over Milano. No matter what, the linebacker group needs an uptick in production.
Maxwell Hairston’s starting debut on the way?
When Bills head coach Sean McDermott went through his weekly rundown of the injuries on Wednesday, he mentioned several players, with top cornerback Christian Benford not among them. But when the injury report came out that afternoon, Benford was listed as limited with a groin injury, signaling that another in-practice injury had occurred for the Bills. Then on Thursday, Benford was nowhere to be found on the practice field, putting his availability for Sunday in serious doubt.Benford’s potential absence creates an opportunity for the Bills to see their rookie first-round pick, Maxwell Hairston, in a full-time role for the first time. The Bills will see, without making any permanent decisions, how Hairston does in a full-time role. If he flourishes, perhaps that might push the Bills closer to having him start ahead of Tre’Davious White when Benford returns from injury. After Thursday’s practice, Hairston spent a lot of time with Benford going through some mental reps, with the veteran likely helping the rookie ahead of his first potential start. The Bills could learn a lot on Sunday about how ready Hairston is to see his role expand for the long term.
Bills projected practice squad elevations: LB Baylon Spector, CB Dane Jackson
Bills projected inactives: DE A.J. Epenesa, DT DaQuan Jones, LB Shaq Thompson, NCB Taron Johnson, CB Christian Benford, KR/PR Brandon Codrington
(**Subject to change after Friday’s practice)
Prediction: Bills 35, Dolphins 17
This game has blowout potential, and even though the Bills’ downfield passing offense hasn’t busted out in a while, this is a possible get-right spot for that group and to create some chunk plays with high air yards to the wide receivers. Even if it doesn’t, the Dolphins allowed a lot of pass-catching opportunities to the Ravens’ tight end group last week, and that is likely transferable to Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes on Sunday.The Dolphins could be down a pair of key defenders in cornerback Rasul Douglas and pass rusher Chop Robinson, and they already sent out a starter in a trade when they moved edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles. Even if either of those defenders plays, it’s still a well-below-average defense that is ripe to be exploited for yards and points. On defense, the Bills will need to be cognizant of two key skill players, De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle, but the overall defensive situation for the Bills has improved since the last time these teams met, and back then, the Dolphins still had Tyreek Hill.
Ultimately, I think the Bills jump out to an early lead, putting the Dolphins under pressure to mount a comeback. With how poorly quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has played in trailing scenarios, and without a real vote of confidence this week on his hold of the starting job, the Bills will likely have some opportunities for turnovers and shortened fields — and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bills see a different Dolphins quarterback by the end of the game, either. I think it will be a comfortable day for Josh Allen and company to get to 7-2.
