Dolphins end seven-game losing streak against Bills with 30-13 win

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa had only beaten Buffalo once in his career before Sunday.

Several other Miami Dolphins players had never won a game against the Bills.

After the Dolphins beat Buffalo 30-13 to snap a seven-game losing streak against their division rivals, Tagovailoa could tell how much the win meant to his team.

“Every time you can get a win in the NFL, that's special," he said. "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 threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns and De'Von Achane added a pair of rushing scores and against the Bills (6-3), who had not lost to Miami (3-7) since Week 3 of the 2022 season.

Achane finished with 225 scrimmage yards and fourth-quarter touchdowns of 59 and 35 yards. Tagovailoa completed 15 of 21 passes with two interceptions to give him a league-leading 12 picks this season.

It was also the most dominant performance of the season for Miami's defense, which had three takeaways and three sacks.

“I think it's pretty obvious from the play they didn't believe that their season was over,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “That's difficult to do when everyone's talking to you about the season being over.”

Josh Allen threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception and fumble, but was replaced by Mitchell Trubisky after Achane's second TD put the Dolphins up by 17 with three minutes left.

“They wanted it obviously a little bit more than us,” Allen said. "I’ve got to be better. We’ve got to be better in the protection game, in the pass game, in the run game, all of it. Anytime you turn it over three times ... that’s a recipe for disaster.

The Bills trailed 16-0 at the start of the fourth when Allen tossed a 35-yard touchdown to Keon Coleman to cap a 98-yard scoring drive, but it remained a two-score game after Minkah Fitzpatrick tackled receiver Khalil Shakir just short of the goal line on the 2-point try.

Buffalo's high-scoring offense didn’t convert a first down until the third, when Allen weaved around Dolphins pass rushers to extend the play and find a wide-open Curtis Samuel for a 21-yard pickup on third-and-16.

It was an MVP-like play from Allen, who completed 28 of 40 passes, and appeared to be just what the Bills needed to gain some momentum. But after moving the ball to the Miami 5, Allen was picked off by safety Ifeatu Melifonwu in the end zone.

“He’s the MVP for a reason,” said Miami edge rusher Bradley Chubb. "We know he’s going to make the plays. It’s just about how we respond to it. Not getting too down on ourselves. Like I said, he’s an MVP-caliber player. It’s just about responding, and I feel like we did that."

Tagovailoa's lone blemish of the first half came on the Dolphins' opening drive, when a pass he lofted into double coverage toward receiver Jaylen Waddle was intercepted by Cole Bishop.

The Dolphins quickly regrouped afterward, outgaining Buffalo 221 to 90 in the first half.

Tagovailoa completed his next nine passes and led two touchdown drives to put Miami up 13-0 — its largest lead against Buffalo since 2016 — with a 9-yard touchdown catch by Malik Washington and a 38-yard score from Waddle.

Allen guided the Bills down the field to the Miami 39 on their most promising drive of the opening half. But after Miami defensive tackle Benito Jones jumped into the neutral zone on a Buffalo fourth-and-1, running back James Cook had the ball punched out by cornerback Jack Jones, and it was recovered by JuJu Brents.

Riley Patterson's 46-yard field goal gave the Dolphins a 16-0 lead, which was Buffalo's largest first-half deficit since trailing Baltimore 21-3 at the half in Week 4 of last season in an eventual 35-10 loss.

Bills: Rookie DE Landon Jackson injured his knee in the first quarter and did not return. ... TE Dalton Kincaid left in the third quarter with a hamstring injury.

Dolphins: Starting CB Rasul Douglas (foot/ankle), S Ashtyn Davis (quad) and LB Chop Robinson (concussion) were inactive.

Bills host Tampa Bay next Sunday.

Dolphins play Washington in Madrid, Spain, next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Buffalo Bills' James Cook (4) fumbles against Miami Dolphins' Jack Jones (23) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Dolphins' De'Von Achane (28) is tackled by Buffalo Bills' Javon Solomon (56) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle celebrates a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks to throw during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has begun the world’s largest national population count, which could reshape welfare programs and political representation across the country.

The previous census in 2011 recorded a population of 1.21 billion. It's now estimated to be more than 1.4 billion, making India the most populous nation.

The new census had been planned for 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical challenges.

Here’s how India’s census works and why it is significant:

The first phase of the count started Wednesday and will roll out around the country through September. The workers will spend about a month in each area collecting information on homes and available facilities and will document housing stock and living conditions.

The exercise will blend in-person surveys with a digital option where residents can submit information through a multilingual smartphone application that integrates satellite-based mapping.

The second phase to be conducted from September to next April 1 will record more detailed information like people's social and economic characteristics, including religion and caste.

More than 3 million government workers are expected to be deployed over the course of the year. In 2011, nearly 2.7 million enumerators surveyed more than 240 million households nationwide.

The second phase of the census will attempt a broader accounting of caste beyond historically marginalized groups.

Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is influential in defining social standing and deciding who gets access to resources, education and economic opportunity. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited or outdated data on how many people belong to them.

The last attempt to gather detailed caste information through a census dates to 1931, during British colonial rule. Since independent India’s first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes.

Successive governments have resisted conducting a full caste count, arguing it could heighten social tensions and trigger unrest.

Population data collected through the census underpins the distribution of government welfare programs and a wide range of public policies.

It could also prompt a redrawing of India’s political map, as seats in the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures may be increased to reflect population growth. A 2023 law reserves one-third of legislative seats for women, so any expansion would raise the number of seats set aside for female representatives.

Irfan Ahmad checks census registration online at a registration center as the street is reflected on the glass in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Muslim woman checks her census registration online at a registration center in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

FILE -Mahesh Shah, left, stands as his family members look while census worker Rumima Das, writes the information on a paper on the first day of the national census at Ramsingh Chapori village, east of Gauhati, India, April 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File)

FILE - Indians crowd ticket counters at a railway station in Ahmadabad, India, Oct. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)