After a rough 2-7 start and weeks of criticism piling up on head coach Mike McDaniel amid GM Chris Grier’s firing, the Miami Dolphins needed a win badly. But Sunday’s matchup against AFC heavyweights, the Buffalo Bills, seemed like the last place they’d find it. After all, Josh Allen and company were entering the fixture having beaten Miami seven straight times, blowing them out in most of those contests.
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In a stunning reversal, the Dolphins not only snapped the streak but dominated. Behind De’Von Achane’s 225 scrimmage yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, McDaniel’s men crushed the Bills 30-13 at Hard Rock Stadium, delivering one of their most complete performances of the season.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who entered the game 1-7 lifetime against the Bills, threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns, including a 38-yard strike to Jaylen Waddle and a 9-yard connection to Malik Washington.
While the Dolphins QB did toss two interceptions, giving him a league-high 12 on the season, he did just enough to lead Miami to its most cathartic win of 2025.
“Every time you can get a win in the NFL, that’s special… But given the times we’ve played Buffalo in the past and have gotten close, and then have gotten blown out, I think this one definitely makes it that much more special that it was against Buffalo. They’ve had our number for years,” Tagovailoa said postgame.
As good as the offense was, it was also a statement performance from Miami’s defense: three takeaways, three sacks, and a game-long suffocation of Josh Allen, who still managed 306 passing yards and two touchdowns before being benched for Mitchell Trubisky late in the fourth.
Unsurprisingly, McDaniel couldn’t stop himself from noting what this complete performance from his team meant to him. “It’s pretty obvious from the play they didn’t believe their season was over. That’s difficult to do when everyone’s talking to you about the season being over,” he said.
But the Dolphins HC’s celebration didn’t end at the stadium. Hours later, NFL fans were sent into a frenzy after a photo surfaced online showing McDaniel driving past Elbo Room, a famous Fort Lauderdale bar known as a meeting hub for Bills fans whenever Buffalo plays in South Florida.
The viral post was shared by NFL Memes on X:
On his way home from blowing out the Bills, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel drove by Elbo Room, a bar where Bills fans congregate when Buffalo’s in town, to troll their fans https://t.co/PtdHorCHtn pic.twitter.com/tX0M7FLO9W
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) November 10, 2025
The image of Mike McDaniel in his matte black car, with daylight pouring in, quickly drew nearly 800K views and hundreds of amused comments.
“That’s not trolling, that’s main-character energy,” one fan joked. Another added, “He will be fired but this is a legacy moment lol.”
Bills fans, of course, weren’t having it. “Making the most of it while he’s still employed,” one shot back, while another reminded McDaniel, “Isn’t he like 2–9 against the Bills and his first win in three years?”
For context, Elbo Room isn’t just any bar. It’s a South Florida landmark. Established in 1938, the beachfront spot became iconic after being featured in the 1960 film Where the Boys Are and has since been a spring-break and sports pilgrimage site.
During NFL weekends, it transforms into Bills Mafia South, with fans packing its open-air balconies to sing, drink, and shout “Go Bills!” into the ocean breeze.
So, if Mike McDaniel truly pulled up after finally beating Buffalo, it definitely couldn’t have been random. After all, when you snap a seven-game losing streak against your biggest division rival, driving past their fans’ favorite hangout is ‘victory lap energy.’
