ORCHARD PARK - The Buffalo Bills had to go almost all the way to the wire to hold off the Arizona Cardinals Sunday afternoon and earn a Week 1 victory, and they found a way to do so.
The Miami Dolphins? Yeah, they went all the way to the wire as Jason Sanders capped a rally from a 17-7 deficit with a 52-yard game-winning field goal as time expired and the Dolphins escaped with a 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Thus, the Bills and Dolphins, two longtime AFC East rivals, will square off Thursday night in soupy South Florida with first place on the line which seems to be a pretty common occurrence with these teams.
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In 2022 the Bills defeated the Dolphins late in the year to help secure the division crown, and then last year, Buffalo went into Hard Rock Stadium in Week 18 and it was winner take all for the division. The Bills rallied for a 21-14 victory and what that meant was they were able to play their first-round playoff game at home against the Steelers, while the Dolphins had to go to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City where the windchill was minus-27, the fourth-coldest game in NFL history.
Not surprisingly, the Bills advanced to the divisional round with a 31-17 victory while the Dolphins crumbled in a 26-7 loss so yes, that Week 18 game was massive.
It’s way too early to know what Thursday’s result will ultimately mean, but given the projections for both teams, it’s not a stretch to say it’s a very big game, Week 2 or not.
Obviously, the Bills will have to handle the horrible heat at this time in Miami. The forecast is calling for daytime temperatures right around 90 with the usual stifling humidity, and rain is possible late in the day. Yes, the game is at night so that will help, but it’s still going to be hot - probably in the 80s - and we saw in 2022 how the Bills struggled in the heat in a Week 3 loss to the Dolphins. Last year, the game down there was at night and it was a beautiful 71 degrees, but that was Jan. 7.
Miami Dolphins keys to victory
Miami’s speed is a major weapon and the Buffalo secondary is going to be in a precarious spot. Not only are the Bills playing two new starting safeties with Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin, both of whom played 100% of the snaps against the Cardinals, they now will likely be starting Cam Lewis at nickel corner instead of injured Taron Johnson. The Dolphins are well-equipped to make this a rough night for Buffalo’s defense.
Bills vs Dolphins matchup to watch
The Bills ran the ball more than they threw in the victory over Arizona, and that might be a wise strategy in this game. Miami allowed 4.9 yards per attempt to the Jaguars so there should be chances for James Cook to do some damage. Usually it’s the opposition trying to manage the clock and keep Josh Allen off the field, but in this one, the Bills - who are the road team on a short week - need to shorten the game and keep Tua Tagovailoa and all of his dangerous weapons standing on the sidelines.
Top players for Miami Dolphins
▶ QB Tua Tagovailoa: The NFL’s reigning passing yardage leader got right back to it as his 338 yards were the highest total in the league heading into the Monday night game. His comfort level in the Miami offense grows every week.
▶ RB Devon Achane: He and Raheem Mostert are the fastest duo of RBs in the league, but what separates Achane is the contribution he makes as a receiver. He caught all seven of his targets Sunday for 76 yards. However, Achane suffered an ankle injury and Mostert a chest injury, and neither would have practiced Monday had the Dolphins worked, so that certainly bears watching.
▶ WR Tyreek Hill: Even getting placed in handcuffs several hours before Sunday’s game couldn’t slow him down. He had an 80-yard catch and run TD and caught seven balls for 130 yards. He’s a never-ending nightmare for defenses though it’s worth pointing out, in his two seasons with Miami, the Bills have held him in check pretty well in five meetings with no 100-yard games and just two TDs.
▶ SS Jordan Poyer: He played every defensive snap against the Jaguars and was in on six tackles and allowed two completions on three passes into his coverage area for 23 yards according to Pro Football Focus. You know he’s been waiting for this game since the moment he signed with Miami.
▶ DE Jaelan Phillips: He’s back after missing the second half of last season and he was great as he had three pressures and a sack on just 16 pass rush snaps.
▶ LB David Long: He led Miami with seven tackles including three stops which PFF defines as a player that resulted in a failure for the offense. He was PFF’s highest-graded defender, and while he suffered a hand injury he should be fine for Thursday.
Who wins? Dolphins 27, Bills 26
This is a tough spot for the Bills, having to go on the road to play a division opponent on a short week, but that’s the case for almost all road teams in Thursday night games. The Bills have done this enough to know how to handle it, but in the Miami heat, probably without Taron Johnson, it’s a tough task for Buffalo, even though it has owned the Dolphins since Josh Allen entered the league in 2018.
What time does the Bills vs Dolphins game start?
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Dolphins?
The Bills have opened as a 1.5-point underdog for the game. The money line is Bills plus-125 (bet $100 to win $125) and Dolphins minus-120 (bet $120 to win $100). The over-under is 50.5.
How to watch Bills vs Dolphins game on TV, streaming
∎ TV streaming: This is an Amazon Prime only broadcast, with the exception of the local Buffalo market (which does not include Rochester). In Buffalo, the game can be seen on the ABC affiliate, WKBW, channel 7.
∎ Online streaming services: You can also watch on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and if you have a subscription to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, but in that case you can’t cast the games to your TV so you must watch on your phone or tablet.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Cardinals game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on SiriusXM channel 225 (Bills feed) and channel 226 (Dolphins feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
- Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
- Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
- Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
- Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
- Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
- Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
- Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
- Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
- Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
- Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
- Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills play Thursday night vs division rival: What to know about NFL Week 2 game
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