Can the Dolphins Finally Stop Josh Allen and the Bills’ Dominance?
Bills week is upon us, and I would be lying if I said that I am not nervous. I know it’s only week 2, but this might be one of the Dolphins’ most important games of the season. Of course, every game is important, especially divisional games, but this is different. The Bills have dominated the Dolphins for the last five years, and with the current Bills roster not being as good as last year, the Dolphins should take advantage of that and get a win once and for all.
The main problem the Dolphins have had is stopping Josh Allen; they just don’t seem to be able to do it. Last year, Fangio’s defensive scheme didn’t help the cause either, but I think this year, with Anthony Weavers‘ scheme, the Dolphins have a better chance of stopping him. The Bills lost Steffon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, which means Josh Allen doesn’t have the same weapons he used to have, and the Dolphins need to take advantage of that.
When stopping Josh Allen, you must consider him a rushing threat. Therefore, the Dolphins should try to have a quarterback spy for most of the game. He likes to run a lot down the middle of the field, so the Dolphins must protect that area as much as possible. This is also important because his best weapons are arguably his tight ends, so as long as the Dolphins are able to protect the middle of the field, the defense should be able to make a lot of stops.
As we all know, Josh Allen’s biggest weakness is turnovers, and that’s another thing the Dolphins have to take advantage of. The defense has to force him into making mistakes; the best way to do that is by blitzing him.
Of course, since he can possibly escape a blitz and scramble, the blitzes have to be done right and balanced. The best way might be to blitz him from the inside of the pocket, make him roll to the sides, and try to have the edge rushers contain him on the edges. I am not a defensive specialist or anything. This is just my humble and possibly ignorant opinion. But enough with Josh Allen, let’s get to the Dolphins offense.
The Dolphins offense looked rusty against the Jaguars, yes, they got better in the second half, but still didn’t look like last year’s offense.
A lot of that might just have to do with it being the season’s first game, but against the Bills, they can’t afford to look like that or start slow. It will be a fast-paced game, and the Dolphins must set the pace and the tone early.
They can’t afford any mistakes, including not abandoning the run game early like they did last year in Buffalo and like Mike McDaniel commonly does. They need to run a lot of outside handoffs like they did against the Bills in Miami in week 18 last year. Even with Mostert out and Achane questionable, the Dolphins must stick to it with Jeff Wilson and Jaylen Wright.
Regarding the passing game, we must consider that the Bills have lost some players on their secondary, and Damar Hamlin is their starting safety right now. This means the Dolphins have to utilize the deep pass every chance they get. That’s also what worked last week against the Jaguars: the deep passes to Tyreek and Waddle. By now, the passing game should be more in sync than last week, and they should be able to get more going on offense.
Of course, the offensive line is one of the biggest concerns every week. After all, it’s essential for the offense. The Dolphins’ offensive line did pretty decent last week overall, and I think they can improve this week. In my opinion, the front four of the Jaguars is better than the front four of the Bills. But we still need them to show up and block both in the passing game and running game.
It will also be important to get some more players involved in the offense, especially with the current injuries to the running back room. Hopefully McDaniel can get Jonnu Smith more involved in the passing game, as well as getting Jaylen Waddle more targets. The Dolphins need their tight ends to capitalize on the Bills not having Matt Milano and start catching some footballs (Durham Smythe). It will also be interesting to see how much they decide to use Jaylen Wright in the game; I am sure he is ready to capitalize on the opportunity.
There has also been a lot of talk about short-yardage situations and whether Alec Ingold is the permanent solution to it, and I think he might be, or at least for this game. I expect him to get some short-yardage carries and maybe even score a touchdown if the Dolphins find themselves at the one-yard line.
Especially with Mostert out and Achane questionable, he will see some action in the running game. It would also be interesting if they can get Ingold involved in the passing game like the 49ers did the other night against the Jets with their fullback, Kyle Juszczyk. They were able to sneak through some defenders in some plays and get him wide open because nobody pays that much attention to fullbacks.
We are definitely in for a good game Thursday night, and it will probably be a close one. The Dolphins should be able to play better than last week and try to finally end the Bills’ dominance of the AFC East. I am not a sports betting expert, so don’t take my advice too seriously. Alec Ingold ATTS (any-time touchdown scorer) might be the week’s best bet.
