South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Who has the edge?
Despite several flaws Dolphins should still possess enough assets to take care of Bills
When the Dolphins pass: Ryan Tannehill was efficient and did not turn the ball over in his return last week against the Indianapolis Colts. Tannehill completed 17 of 25 passes (68 percent) for 204 yards with two touchdowns. He ranks 15th in the NFL with a 97.2 passer rating, which would be a career high. His highest passer rating in his six seasons was 93.5 in 2016. Tannehill has won his last seven home starts. However, the Dolphins plan to depend on their run game to fuel the offense, and keep Tannehill intact, and should be efficient doing so against the Bills at home. Edge: Dolphins
When the Bills pass: Rookie quarterback Josh Allen returned for his first game since suffering an elbow injury in Week 6 and completed only eight passes in last week’s win over Jacksonville. One of those passes was a 75-yard touchdown. His 14-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Bills. Allen has thrown only three touchdowns and has completed 52.5 percent of his passes with a 65.2 rating in the seven games he’s played. Six of the Dolphins’ 17 interceptions came against New York Jets rookie Sam Darnold, and they will look to add to that total against another rookie QB. Edge: Dolphins When the Dolphins run: Frank Gore had a 23-yard burst into the red zone, and Kenyan Drake scored on a 14-yard run two plays later to give the Dolphins a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter at Indianapolis last week. While it was a prime example of how complementary the Dolphins run game could be, it marked just the fourth rushing touchdown of the season for Miami. With Tannehill back, the Dolphins will use him, Gore and Drake to pace the rushing attack to keep defenses off balance. They will face a stiff challenge from Buffalo’s defense, which is ranked 15th (allowing 111.3 rushing yards per game) but should be able to wear down the Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. Edge:
Dolphins When the Bills run: With the likes of Allen, Nathan Peterman and Matt Barkley at quarterback, opposing defenses have stacked the box against Bills running back LeSean McCoy. He is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry and has only two touchdowns in 10 games. His best game this season came when he scored twice and ran for 113 yards against the Jets on Nov. 11. Miami may employ the same defense against McCoy, but its run defense has been suspect in recent weeks. The Dolphins defense allowed a 100-yard rusher in three of its last five games.
Edge: Dolphins Special teams: Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders and Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka are both 16 of 17 on field goals this season, as their teams are tied for sixth with a 94.1 percent efficiency. Dolphins punter Matt Haack has been solid and is third in the NFL with 29 punts placed inside the 20-yard line. The Bills on Tuesday signed former Dolphins punter Matt Darr, who has been out of the NFL since he was cut by Miami in 2017. He is the Bills’ third punter this season. While the Dolphins’ special teams play has been reliable, they greatly miss Jakeem Grant in the return game and are filtering through a number of players to field punts and kickoffs. Edge: Dolphins
Intangibles: The Dolphins rank second in the NFL with 17 interceptions and are plus-6 in turnover differential, while the Bills are minus-5. … Rookie linebacker Tremaine Edwards, a first-round pick from Virginia Tech, leads the Bills with 78 tackles. … Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes has 5.5 sacks, while defensive tackle Kyle Williams has five sacks. … Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions. … Dolphins receiver Kenny Stills has caught only one pass in four of his past five games, but he still leads the team with four receiving touchdowns. … The Bills (4-7) enter this game on a two-game win streak, while the Dolphins (5-6) hope to end a two-game skid. Miami is 4-1 at Hard Rock Stadium this season. Edge: Dol
phins
Prediction: Dolphins 23, Bills 17