It has all the excitement of a playoff game. It's more than just simply a regular season game between divisional rivals, it's a Thursday night game when all the eyes of the country will be focused on on two teams battling for second place in the AFC East. It's Buffalo against Miami. For the visiting Buffalo Bills, it's a matter of remaining unchallenged in second place, and not having to look over their shoulder, because a win over the Miami Dolphins would make the 2 annual inter-divisional games a sweep by the Bills. This game unquestionably means more for Miami, since a loss to Buffalo would put a giant hurdle in the Dolphins' way to a play off appearance.
The Bills are trying to get back on track after a loss against the Chiefs, and the Dolphins, having suffered a loss against against the Lions themselves, are also looking to bounce back. One of the problems for Miami, is that for the 2nd week in a row, they will be facing one of the top defenses in the NFL. Compounding Miami's problem, is the fact that Buffalo also happens to be the NFL leader in sacks, which is specially troublesome for Miami after just having lost their starting left tackle and perhaps best offensive lineman, Branden Albert, to a devastating knee injury. The timing of this injury could not have come at a worse time for the Dolphins. Buffalo's injury report should also be concerning to them, with perennial star running back, Fred Jackson questionable as late as Tuesday night after he was limited in practice earlier. However there is some good news for the Bills as CJ Spiller leads the team in rushing with 287 yards and is healthy according to reports.
The Bills should be sending everyone after Miami's quarterback Ryan Tannehill if they expect to win the game in South Florida, stacking the box as often as possible and limiting their pass coverage to single man. Miami on the other hand, has to again, keep Tannehill on the move. The read option which has been one of the main reasons for the Dolphins moderate success in weeks past, was for the most part, missing from the Dolphins' arsenal in their loss against Detroit. This approach will virtually guarantee a loss against the Bills, because while the tackles have performed admirable for most of the season, it is the middle of the line that has given Tannehill headaches at times. Making this weakness more significant is the fact that the leader in sacks for the Bills is their defensive tackle Marcell Dareus who has amassed a total of 10 sacks so far this year. Miami must take advantage of the Bill's' injuries at wide receiver and only drop back the bare minimum in coverage while trying to disrupt Bills' quarterback Kyle Orton. Out the four receivers in Buffalo's injury report, only Sammy Watkins remains questionable. The Dolphins must execute the read option and rely on quick short passes and screen plays which enjoyed a bit of success against the Lions on Sunday along with a successful running game by Lamar Miller and rookie Damian Williams.
The local sports media in Miami is calling this game a “do or die” contest for the Dolphins. Some members of the media have gone as far as referring to this game as a must-win in order for head coach Joe Philbin to keep his job. This Thursday evening, the game will come down once again, to the game plan Miami's offensive coordinator Bill Lazor puts together and the plays he calls from the sidelines. Expect Lazor to do the job he has done so well thus far and stay away from keeping Tannehill in the pocket, and put his quarterback in a position to have a good game. The final score prediction, Buffalo 17, Miami 24.