Bills, Dolphins agree: Their recent history doesn’t matter

MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. » Dan Marino was 28 when the Buffalo Bills last were in the throes of enjoying such a one-sided series against the Miami Dolphins.

It was a while ago: Marino, the Hall of Fame quarterback for Miami, turned 60 this week.

The Bills beat the Dolphins six straight times during that run from 1987 through 1989, a streak they’ll try to match on Sunday when the AFC East rivals face off. Miami has had almost no answers for Buffalo in the teams’ last five meetings, with the Bills scoring at least 31 points in each of them — including 56 in a most lopsided regular-season finale last winter.

It begs the question of whether Buffalo simply has Miami’s number right now.

“I respect where you’re coming from with that, but nah,” Bills coach Sean Mcdermott said. “Nah.”

There was a consistency in

the themes coming from the respective team camps this week when players and coaches were asked about the Bills’ 56-26 win back in January, the second-biggest margin of victory Buffalo has ever enjoyed against the Dolphins. Last year was last year, this year is this year,

that team was different, this team is different.

“It didn’t go so well,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said, offering an early frontrunner in the race for understatement of the year.

Division games always matter — there are only six of them — and this one looms perhaps a bit larger than most, particularly with this only being Week 2. The Dolphins were the only AFC East team to win

last week, meaning they can move two games clear of Buffalo in the standings if they finally find a way to solve the Bills’ hex over them.

“It’s not a grudge match or nothing like that,” Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said. “Yeah, it’s a division game so it’s important, and it’s the most important game of the year because it’s the next one. But we’re just going

to have to prepare well. You can’t think about anything else except the task at hand.”

It’s human nature to think that the Dolphins who endured that season-ending loss in western New York last January will want to avenge it on Sunday. But Bills quarterback Josh Allen said his team is in a similar position, not wanting to get off to an 0-2 start.