ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. _ Good teams win.
Bad teams lose.
And despite how much progress they've made and how good they looked for three quarters Sunday, the Dolphins remain a bad team.
Their latest way to lose: Play your best first half of the season, and then turn the ball over twice in the second, including a pick at the end zone. And for good measure: Allow an onside kick to be returned for a touchdown.
That was the story here Sunday, as the Dolphins lost 31-21 to the Bills to fall for the sixth time this season, and the ninth-straight time stretching back to 2018.
So no, there was no FitzMagic this day, in Ryan Fitzpatrick's return to the stadium he called home for four seasons.
His third-quarter interception, thrown on a sideline pass to Isaiah Ford, gave the Bills all kinds of momentum.
And Preston Williams' fourth-quarter fumble ended any realistic chance for the Dolphins for win.
Josh Allen made them pay both times, connecting with John Brown on a 20-yard touchdown (with Ryan Lewis in coverage) to give Buffalo a fourth-quarter lead, and then with Cole Beasley, who found space in front of Jomal Wiltz, on a 3-yarder to put the game away.
It wasn't easy.
In the first half, the Bills kicked field goals while the Dolphins scored touchdowns.
And as a result, Miami went to the break with a lead for the first time this season.
Kalen Ballage's three-yard run early in the second quarter gave Miami its first lead since Week 4. And Fitzpatrick's 12-yard pass to DeVante Parker gave the Dolphins their biggest lead of the season.
And they were poised to add to it in the second half. Fitzpatrick directed a 16-play drive that took 9:59 off the clock. Brian Flores even green-lit a fake field goal to keep the drive alive. But Fitzpatrick threw a pick at the goal line, and it was all for naught.
The Bills took over at the 2. Twelve plays and 98 yards later, they were in the end zone and ahead for good.
The loss drops the Dolphins to 0-6 and keeps them on track for the No. 1 pick in next April's draft. The Bills improved to 5-1.
