The Bills will make their annual trip to South Florida for a Week 10 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Buffalo has shortened the gap on the Miami’s all-time lead in the series (62-61-1 postseason included) by winning the last seven meetings.<\/p>\n
“We haven’t beat Buffalo since the first year Mike (McDaniel) has been here, so we look at this as we’ve got to win every time we play Buffalo,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins outlasted quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills in a Week 3 game back in 2022. The clock expired on Buffalo’s game-winning drive attempt as the Dolphins improved to 3-0.<\/p>\n
Six of the last eight meetings between the Bills and Dolphins, including the 2023 wildcard playoff game in Buffalo, were decided on the game’s final possession. The go-ahead score for the Dolphins in that 2022 victory happened two plays after wide receiver Jaylen Waddle hauled in a 45-yard pass from Tagovailoa on third-and-22.<\/p>\n
“They have been running the division for the last couple of years, so of course, this is a division game, got a lot of juice,” Waddle said. Going out there and playing football any time we play, it’s exciting.”<\/p>\n
For any offense, matching points with a balanced, high-powered Bills attack is always a challenge. But there is a tried-and-true formula when it comes to keeping these games close \u2013 the run game.<\/p>\n
Buffalo operates its defense with light boxes (extra defensive backs in the lineup in place of defensive linemen and linebackers) in over 80 percent of their snaps. It’s a defensive system that invites the run because typically opposing offenses will eventually bog down, make a mistake, or fail to match Allen on the scoreboard over the course of 60 minutes.<\/p>\n
The Bills rank 26th against the run this season, which has allowed teams to stay in games despite Buffalo’s 6-2 record. The Dolphins were threatening to tie the game with two minutes to play in a 31-21 loss in September. Miami posted its third-highest rushing total of the season in that game (130 yards).<\/p>\n
In the six games decided on the final possession, the Dolphins averaged 155.9 rushing yards per game. A big part of that running attack is the presence of fullback Alec Ingold. The Bills’ light boxes, paired with Miami’s two-back offensive sets, give the Dolphins an advantage in the run game. So, the formula is simple: run the ball effectively and Miami should have a shot at securing a victory in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
“They play fundamental sound defense,” Ingold said. “They know what they’re doing, so when they have a couple guys go down and they can rotate safeties, nickel, all to do the same job. That’s a credit to them and how they’re coached and how they play.”<\/p>\n
The last two trips to South Florida for the Bills were for primetime games. Buffalo was here in 2024 for a Thursday Night Football Game after playing the 2023 season finale on Sunday Night Football at Hard Rock Stadium. Sunday’s game will be the first 1p.m. kickoff in Miami for Dolphins-Bills since 2022.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins will look to replicate their success from that 20-19 win in 2022 and keep their lead in the all-time series against the Bills.<\/p>\n