The Miami Dolphins believe Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills got away with a fumble during Thursday night’s game between the two teams, and they intend to speak with the NFL about what happened.
The Bills beat the Dolphins 31-21 in Week 3 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Miami tied the game 14-14 with 8 seconds remaining in the first half, and the Bills chose to kneel out the remainder of the clock on their ensuing possession.
Allen and Buffalo’s offense took the field in the victory formation, and the quarterback had some trouble handling the snap. Allen fumbled, but Dolphins players had accepted the half was over and most of them did not realize the ball was on the ground.
While Allen had time to pick the ball up and take a knee, there were questions about whether his knee was actually making contact with the turf at the time he regained possession of the ball.
is it just me or was this not kneeled down??
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 19, 2025
this is a live ball Josh Allen tossed to the ref
watch it again pic.twitter.com/L0Zwxyk9i6
The official ruled that Allen had possession while his knee was on the turf, so a whistle was blown to end the half. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked about the play on Friday, and he said he thought the ball was still live when Allen flipped it to the official and started running toward the locker room.
McDaniel said he did not think it would do him any good to throw a “temper tantrum” but that he will seek clarification from the NFL.
“I saw it. I knew it happened. I also saw the whistle blow and I saw them run in, so I ran in to prepare for the second half knowing that he just fumbled, or I thought they did at least. So, we’ll be in talks with the league, but haven’t gotten any feedback yet,” McDaniel said. “Live speed, it appeared to me that it was a fumble with the assumption that it was a clean center-quarterback exchange, but we’ll see how the league rules it.
“For me, I really work at not expending emotional energy on past things that I can’t fix. I’ll get mad on game day if I think whatever I’m getting mad at will have an effect on stuff moving forward. Otherwise, I don’t think it’s appropriate for everyone to wait around while I have an adult temper tantrum. I ran inside and worked on the plays coming out of the half.”
🎥 Mike McDaniel revealed the team have contacted the league regarding Josh Allen's potential fumble on the kneel down
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) September 19, 2025
"It appeared to me that it was a fumble… I don't think it's appropriate for everyone to wait around while I'm having an adult temper tantrum."… pic.twitter.com/G471312dOA
There were only 2 seconds remaining in the quarter when the Bills ran their final play. Even if Allen did fumble, the Dolphins would have had to recover and then return it for a touchdown for the play to matter.
Miami had far bigger problems against the Bills, and McDaniel knows that. Still, you can understand why he would want the NFL to take a look at the play. It was awfully close to being a fumble, even if it would not have impacted the outcome.
