Thursday Night Football Preview: Dolphins-Bills Week 2

Amazon Prime kicks off its 2024 Thursday Night Football broadcasts in Week 2 with a highly anticipated Dolphins-Bills matchup. The AFC East rivalry will be key going into the playoffs, so both teams will be fighting hard to stay in the win column.

Both teams won in their season debut at home. Coincidentally, both teams mounted double-digit comebacks to secure their wins. The Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills have become a high-scoring matchup twice a year in the Josh Allen era. Since Josh Allen was drafted in 2018, the Bills have been 10-2 against the Dolphins.

Dolphins’ Keys To Success

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In Miami’s 20-17 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the speedy South Beach squad started slow. Luckily the superstar receiver tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle turned up the pace to mount the comeback, feeding off their sack-hungry pass rush. Totaling 239 yards, the Dolphins playmakers made their presence felt.

Hill and Waddle will need to do much of the same to defeat Buffalo. The Buffalo defense performed well against the Arizona Cardinals, holding Kyler Murray to only 163 yards on 21 completions. Fourth-overall selection Marvin Harrison Jr was held to just four total yards. However, the Cardinals’ roster lacks the speed and agility of players like Hill and Waddle. Against the Bills’ uncertain defensive back group, Miami will have the opportunity to light up the scoreboard with yards after catch.

The Dolphins’ defense has to solve the puzzle of Josh Allen to have a chance in the matchup. In each last three matchups, Allen has thrown for over 300 yards. Buffalo’s offense has undergone some changes since those games, namely losing all-pro receiver Stefon Diggs. Allen only attempted 23 passes against the Arizona Cardinals, likely meaning the Miami defense will need to secure the rush defense to mitigate the Buffalo offense.

Bills’ Keys To Success

Josh Allen put together a clean performance (aside from one lost fumble) to secure a win against the Cardinals. The Bills will likely need him to be better to defeat the dynamic Miami team at home. The Buffalo offense went only 3/9 on third-down conversions, a key stat they will have to improve against an opportunistic Dolphins defense. It would be of little surprise if Josh Allen looks to use his legs more against Miami.

The Buffalo defense did not play great, aside from edge rusher Greg Rousseau. Rousseau totaled three sacks in the win, a total he would love to add to in Miami. The pass rush and cornerbacks played well enough to beat the Cardinals, but the number one offense from 2023 will be a different battle.

Prediction/Final Thoughts

Josh Allen has put on masterclass performances against his division rival in his short and storied career. However, the Dolphins roster appears stronger all around and stayed more consistent throughout the offseason. Buffalo will look to keep the ball on the ground, controlling the line of scrimmage and time of possession. Josh Allen rushed for triple-digit yards in his first matchup against the Dolphins, he may be near that total once again.

The Miami Dolphins’ second half of football against the Jaguars looked like the title contender the league saw in 2023’s regular season. If that form stays consistent, the Dolphins’ offense may have a field day against the Bills’ injured and unproven defense.

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Article originally written by Tye Ellison