NFL Tickets
TV Schedule: Sunday Nov. 8, 1 p.m. on CBS
Stadium: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
This game will essentially eliminate either the Miami Dolphins or the Buffalo Bills from the playoff race. That’s how important it is. Both teams are entering the game in a tie for last place in the AFC East with 3-4 records. Both are underachieving based on preseason projections, and this is really a make-or-break week at this point in the season.
The Bills are likely in better shape coming off of a bye week. They had a lot of injuries prior to their week off, and it appears as though Tyrod Taylor will be back on Sunday, and possibly Sammy Watkins as well. Taylor’s return will be key, as E.J. Manuel didn’t exactly keep the team afloat in his two starts. He was especially bad against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Taylor would likely have been able to lead the Bills to victory.
The Bills and the Dolphins have already squared off once this year, and it was definitely the best game of the season for the former. Taylor and Karlos Williams were able to gash the Dolphins’ defense to the tune of 41 points, and the defense played one of their best games of the year. Rex Ryan should definitely use the offensive success of that game to motivate his team.
The real key to the game for the Bills on offense will be the passing game. The Dolphins lost top pass rusher Cameron Wake for the season after their loss to the New England Patriots, and the Bills should take advantage of that. The team can focus on blocking Ndamukong Suh and Olivier Vernon, and if they give Taylor enough time, he will have virtually no negative plays. If nobody is open, he’ll be able to take off with his legs and get some yards.
The Dolphins are coming off of a tough loss against the Patriots, and it’s the first adversity that interim head coach Dan Campbell is facing during his brief tenure. Campbell’s potent offense that scored 82 points in his first two games sputtered against New England and only scored seven points. This was partially due to Ryan Tannehill’s trouble throwing the ball, but the ground game also struggled.
Lamar Miller has been the most important part of the offense during Campbell’s tenure, and he only had 15 yards against the Pats. Miller absolutely has to have a great game for the Dolphins to be keep pace with the Bills. The Bills have a great secondary led by Ronald Darby and Stephon Gilmore, but their front line will be missing Kyle Williams this week. Williams is a great run-stuffer, and there will be a lot more holes in the team’s front.
Taking advantage of that will be easier said than done for the Dolphins, as the team lost starting right tackle Ja’Wuan James for the next month with a toe injury. Without him, the right side of the Dolphins’ line is looking especially weak, and Mario Williams should have a field day getting around the edge to blow up run plays and pressure Tannehill.
At the end of the day, this game looks like another win for Buffalo. The Bills are superior to the Dolphins, and now that they are mostly healthy again, they will be able to get on the right track with a win — even though this victory won’t be as impressive as their first against Miami.
Prediction: Bills 27, Dolphins 16
Jacob Camenker is an NFL Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can like him on Facebook here, follow him on Twitter @jacobyhorse, or add him to your network on Google.
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