By Justin DiLoro / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills have put together impressive back-to-back victories to move their record to 4-7. The Bills dominated the New York Jets two weeks ago, and the team redeemed themselves against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, the squad that ended Buffalo’s season last year.
On Sunday, the Bills will travel to Hard Rock Stadium to take on their long-time rivals, the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo swept the Dolphins last year, including an emotional final week victory which kept the Bills in the midst of the playoff race.
Just like last season, Buffalo and Miami will face off twice in December. Here are six things to know about Buffalo’s Week 13 opponent.
The Dolphins are sliding
Miami is currently on a two-game skid, falling to the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts, two teams the Bills also lost to this season. With a bye week splitting those two losses, Miami’s last victory came on Nov. 4 against the New York Jets. Coincidentally, that is the same date that the Bills last lost a game, which came against the Chicago Bears.
Miami’s losses have dropped the Dolphins to the fringe of playoff contention alongside the Bills. The Dolphins are currently eighth in AFC standings, although they are tied with three other teams at 5-6. A loss against the Bills, which would make it three in a row for Miami, would drop the Dolphins chances of making the playoffs to approximately two percent. Sunday’s game will serve as an elimination game for both sides in regard to their slim playoff hopes.
Questionable playcalling
The Dolphins blew a 10-point fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts last week. Head coach Adam Gase is under pressure for conservative playcalling which, in conjunction with an inability to stop Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, saw the lead evaporate.
With four minutes remaining in the game, Miami underwent a three-play sequence inside their ten-yard line which led to their demise. On third-and-10, the Dolphins chose to run a draw play that gained only four yards. Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel described the playcalling as “cringe worthy.” Miami punted, and Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri made a field goal to seal the victory for the Colts late in the contest.
With the Dolphins playoff chances dwindling, it will be interesting to see if Gase is more aggressive with his play selection.
Ryan Tannehill is back under center
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill missed five games due to a shoulder injury. He returned to the lineup last week, going 17-of-25 for 204 passing yards. The 2012 first-round pick gave the Dolphins offense a bit of life, as he threw for two touchdowns in his return. His return also puts the best quarterback taking snaps under center for the Dolphins.
Tannehill has not played against the Bills since October 2016. He has struggled against the Bills, completing 58.3-percent of his passes and averaging 204 yards per contest. While wins and losses are not completely on a quarterback, Tannehill has been at the helm of Miami victories against the Buffalo in only three of his nine career games against the Bills. Tannehill has two more years remaining on his contract but in Miami folks aren’t viewing it that way. They want to see results down the final stretch from their former first-round QB who’s struggled through injuries in his career.
Shutdown secondary
Bills quarterback Josh Allen may be smart to err on the side of caution this week, looking in a different direction from Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. The Baylor product picked off Andrew Luck twice last week, raising his total to five on the season, which is good for second in the NFL this year. Howard is also tied with Buffalo linebacker Matt Milano for the NFL’s lead in takeaways this season with six overall.
While Howard has led the way in the secondary, the unit as a whole has been opportunistic, registering 17 picks on the season. This figure is good for second in the league. In addition, the interceptions have contributed to a turnover ration of plus-six, which ties them for seventh-best in the league. Last week against the Jaguars in his return, Allen didn’t turn the ball over.
Dynamic backfield duo
Miami is only 20th in the league in rushing yards per game, averaging 106.5 yards per contest. However, their running back duo is one that could pose problems for the Bills who struggled to slow down Leonard Fournette last week before he was ejected from the game.
Frank Gore is an ageless wonder, continuing to churn out productivity in his 14th season. Gore is averaging 54.1 yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry. The latter figure would be his best rushing yards per touch since 2012. Miami’s feature back, Kenyan Drake, has underperformed as a runner this year. Nevertheless, he has an explosive gear that can break out at any moment. He has been effective when he does receive carries averaging 4.6 yards per carry over 89 rushes on the season. He is second on the Dolphins with 38 receptions. In limited action against Buffalo, Drake has found success, running for 209 yards on 34 carries, good for 6.2 yards per rush.
Shaky defense
Miami’s defense has given up yards in chunks this year. They are 29th in yards allowed, giving up just a shade under 400 total yards per game (398.0, officially). The Dolphins are also 29th in rushing yards allowed per game, surrendering an average of 139.8 yards per game on the ground. That could mean Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy has a second big game this season ahead of him. However, his offensive line will determine that as the Bills continue to struggle with their run blocking.
Miami has allowed 41 passes of 20 yards or more and nine passes of 40 yards or more. It could be a battle of limiting Josh Allen’s deep ball against their defensive unit.
In addition, the Dolphins have allowed 16 rushes of 20 yards or more, which ranks second-worst in the league.