Miami pursues home-field wins

Dolphins need to regain the magic they had while getting off to a 3-0 start. Offensively, that means allowing quarterback Ryan Tannehill (.626 completion percentage, six touchdowns, five interceptions) to equally distribute the ball among wide receivers Brian Hartline, Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson, and tight end Charles Clay.

It also means being efficient in the red zone. The Dolphins have scored points on all 14 trips to the red zone this season, and their 10 touchdowns have them ranked second (71.4 percent) in the NFL in redzone efficiency.

Defensively, the Dolphins need to stop Buffalo running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, and get to young Bills quarterback Thad Lewis, who will be making his third career start.

If defensive end Cam Wake returns (he’s missed all but three plays of the last two games with a knee injury) it’ll help greatly toward putting pressure on Lewis.

The Dolphins’ biggest concern is Buffalo’s pass rush. It’ll be led by defensive end Mario Williams, whose eight sacks are third in the NFL.

The Dolphins’ problems with pass protection have been well documented. They’ve given up 24 sacks, and Tannehill is on pace to be sacked 77 times, which would be an NFL record for a quarterback.

Regardless, recent NFL history shows playoff-caliber teams find a way to handle their problems and win at home. If the Dolphins want to be considered in that category, they need to win their home games.

Hartline, a thinking man of sorts, has a more noble reason for wanting to win at home — the fans.