4 keys for the Buffalo Bills to beat the Miami Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills (2-0) host the Miami Dolphins (0-2) at 8:15 p.m. in Orchard Park. The Bills are shooting for their fourth 3-0 start under coach Sean McDermott. Here are 4 keys to a Buffalo victory.
1. Ready to accelerate?
The Dolphins are a fast football team. That's one thing, among many, Bills coach Sean McDermott has reminded his team about, and players should remember that based off their past meetings. “Yeah, they've got a lot of speed on their team overall, in particular on their offense and their returners as well,” McDermott said Tuesday. “They do a lot of different things. I think coach (Mike) McDaniel is one of the better coaches in the league offensively in how he schemes things up. Hard to defend, explosive. So, it makes for a big challenge and especially on a short week.” Miami already has six plays of 20-plus yards this season. The Bills defense and special teams will want to keep up with the speedy Dolphins to minimize chunk plays.
Josh Allen runs against the Dolphins during the fourth quarter on Dec. 2, 2018. He rushed for 135 yards in the game.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
2. Unleash Josh Allen.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen isn’t downplaying Miami, but he’d have every right to do so based off his career numbers against them. “They're pretty unpredictable in terms of when and where they're blitzing,” Allen said Tuesday. “So, (I'm) making sure that I'm seeing as much as I can, watching as much film as I can to try to pick up on cues and things.” But the Miami defense has rarely stopped Allen, who has 45 total touchdowns (40 passing and five rushing) against them. It’s by far his most against a single opponent, with 29 touchdowns against the Patriots the next closest. Allen didn't have eye-popping numbers against the Jets, and Buffalo still scored 30 points. Imagine if he hits full stride before the Bills hit a mini-bye.3. Keep home streaks alive.
The Bills have won 12 consecutive regular-season home games at Highmark Stadium, which marks the longest active home winning streak in the NFL. Another thing: Allen is 7-0 as a starting quarterback in Thursday games. The team can extend both of those with another win Thursday. Of course, fun little streaks aren’t the main goal here – the goal for the Bills is to build on their early AFC East lead and even fortify their shot at the No. 1 AFC playoff seed. The Bills’ record at home is particularly impressive. If Highmark remains a big advantage for them for the rest of the farewell season, the Bills will have a chance to stay there throughout the playoffs, and to close out Highmark with an AFC title game.4. Next man up.
The Bills will be without defensive tackle Ed Oliver again, who’s missing a second week with an ankle injury. But they proved last week that other players can step up, with veteran edge rusher Joey Bosa making a particular splash. What will be healthy for the defensive line is for other players to step up as well, keeping opponents on their toes. If Bosa is to draw double-teams, who can take advantage of the reps? A.J. Epenesa and Greg Rousseau on the outside? DaQuan Jones and T.J. Sanders up the middle? The Bills will also face the Dolphins without linebacker Matt Milano. Dorian Williams will need to make sure the defense doesn’t skip a beat as he likely starts in Milano's place.-- Katherine Fitzgerald