It couldn’t have been scripted any better. The Miami Dolphins have an opportunity to win the AFC East and host a playoff game for the first time since 2008. The Buffalo Bills have owned the division since the departure of Tom Brady, winning the division title the last three years.
Bills QB Josh Allen is a Miami Dolphins killer with a 9-2 record against the Dolphins, with his only two losses being at Hard Rock Stadium, where Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 22-5 as the starter. This game will be played in Miami Gardens at Hard Rock Stadium.
We already know that the Dolphins will try to clinch the number two seed in the AFC, which guarantees them at least one home playoff game, without Bradley Chubb and Xavien Howard, and running back Raheem Mostert, with his 21 touchdowns this season, and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, with his 1,014 receiving yards, will also be out.
Even though the Bills could be facing elimination by game time (if the Jaguars beat the Titans and the Bills lose to Miami, the Bills would miss the playoffs), the pressure seems to be all on the Dolphins. The Dolphins are even a three-point dog at home on Sunday!
And to add insult to injury, the NFL flexed the game to Sunday Night Football, where the Dolphins are 2-5 since NBC took over Sunday Night. That move took away any weather advantage the Dolphins would have had in a January game in South Florida.
So the stage has been set. The odds are literally against the Dolphins. But Dolphins fans enjoy it. Take it all in. We’re playing meaningful football in January. We’re playing with house money. We’re already in the playoffs. We’ve been waiting for this for years. Especially those of us who have been fans for 30+ years. This is what it’s all about. Facing your division rival on the last game of the season to win the division and potentially send the Bills and the Mafia down to a marina on Biscayne Bay for some winter fishing.
