The Miami Dolphins have had a good season and have answered the call when they have had to, for the most part. The one issue is they haven’t beaten good teams. People are not even looking at the win over the Dallas Cowboys as an afterthought because the Cowboys don’t play well on the road. The embarrassing loss to the Baltimore Ravens didn’t help matters, as they ran into a buzzsaw in a 56-19 loss.
Now, the Dolphins have a rematch with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have had the Dolphins’ number over the years since Sean McDermott and Josh Allen were there, as they have only beaten them twice since 2018. The Bills have been the kings of the AFC East since Tom Brady retired, and the mighty New England Patriots have fallen on hard times since. The Bills have shown they are beatable, but they have scratched and clawed their way back into the division race, and if they win, then they will take the AFC East title. A loss could possibly knock them out of the playoffs altogether. The Bills have lost games to lesser teams, such as the Patriots, New York Jets, and Denver Broncos. However, they also pummeled the Cowboys, went into Kansas City, and beat the defending Super Bowl Champions of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills look great at times but then look average. They squeaked by the Los Angeles Chargers, who were playing without their quarterback Justin Herbert and their best receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and the Patriots again. It’s all about winning, though, and that’s the bottom line.
The Dolphins haven’t kept on winning since having a three-game lead in the division, and because of this, it’s allowed the Bills to get back into the division race. The Bills thumped the Dolphins 48-20 earlier this year in Orchard Park, and the Dolphins should be motivated by that. They also should be motivated by the fact that the Bills ended their season last year and have something to prove. If the Dolphins win Sunday night, they will have the #2 seed and have a chance to host potentially two home playoff games. However, a loss, and they will have the #6 seed and most likely have to play three road games if they want to get to the Super Bowl.
This is the biggest regular-season game in this rivalry since the early 1990s. The difference is the Bills were clearly the better team. I don’t believe that this year, but the fact that Miami didn’t lock up the AFC East prior to this game and made this a winner-take-all game is changing the thinking of the NFL experts and me. If the Dolphins lose this game, then they will have choked the division away and show they have more work to do. A win will prove this team is better and will achieve their goal of winning the division and hosting a home playoff game.
The Dolphins have come a long way from a couple of years ago an opportunity knocks at having a home game with a division title on the line against a bitter rival that they haven’t had success against recently. They have the most talented roster that they have had in years, and they can match up with the Bills, but can they knock them off their thrown, or will the Dolphins get into the playoffs as a wildcard and go one and done?
Sunday Night’s game is an opportunity, and the Dolphins haven’t had a game like this in decades. Now is the time to exorcise the demons of the Buffalo Bills.