South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
‘We all know it’s a big deal’
Dolphins vs. Bills one of the biggest games in brief McDaniel era
MIAMI GARDENS — If the struggling Miami Dolphins, who have lost two of their past four games, can dig deep and summon the strength to win this one, this Sunday night mega-matchup against the Buffalo Bills, things are back on track.
Limp out of Hard Rock Stadium with a scrappy, hard-fought victory, win the AFC East, and everyone — players, coaches, and fans — can rest assured that this multi-year rebuild has the franchise headed in the right direction.
A loss, however, means Miami got beaten by yet another quality opponent and, despite having the league’s No. 1 offense, No. 9 defense, a bright, young coach in Mike McDaniel, and a Pro Bowl quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, still isn’t ready for the big time.
A loss means a road playoff game at the Kansas City Chiefs next week, which at first glance is bad news for the Dolphins.
Miami is 4-4 on the road this season, including a 21-14 loss to Kansas City in Germany.
So, yeah, a lot is at stake for the Dolphins on Sunday against Buffalo, a team that traditionally dominates Miami.
“It’s a big deal,” right guard Rob Hunt said of the game’s magnitude. “We all know it’s a big deal.” You could make the argument this is the second-biggest game in the McDaniel era. It’s not as big as last year’s 34-31 wild-card round playoff loss at Buffalo, but it could be considered bigger than last week’s 56-19 whipping at Baltimore, when a shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff was at stake, and bigger than last season’s 11-6 victory over the New York Jets to secure a playoff berth.
Expectations for this Dolphins team are high.
This game’s outcome will be a large part of the referendum on many of the Dolphins’ decisions of the past few years.
The rebuild.
The decision to name McDaniel
as head coach.
The decision to put the pedal to the metal and acquire costly Pro Bowl-caliber talent such as wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Win this one, take your first AFC East title since the 2008 season, host a first-round playoff game at Hard Rock Stadium, and life is good.
The plan is working.
Lose this game, and a small panic would break out among the fanbase.
A loss opens the door for lots of questions, one of the major ones being whether the Dolphins can beat teams with winning records.
The Dolphins are 1-4 in such games so far this season, losing to Buffalo (48-20), Philadelphia (31-17), Kansas City (21-14) and Baltimore (56-19), and beating Dallas (22-20).
In that respect, Buffalo comes along at a bad time.
The Bills, who are on a fourgame winning streak, have beaten the Dolphins in 12 of their past 14 games, including three consecutive, most recently a 48-20 pounding in Buffalo in September.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen has a 9-2 record against Miami.
Tagovailoa has a 1-5 record against Buffalo.
“I’ve been here four years and I’ve only beat them once,” Hunt said. “So to beat these guys, it would be a good day.”
A loss would be the opposite. Going to Kansas City for a firstround playoff game is bad voodoo for Miami.
All four of the Dolphins’ road losses are against teams that are currently .500 or better. None of the Dolphins’ four road victories are against teams that are currently .500 or better.
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, injuries will be a factor against Buffalo.
Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard (foot) is out. The ripple effect could be far-reaching.
Firstly, it could change how the Dolphins’ secondary defends Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who had six receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the game earlier this season.
Secondly, Howard’s absence combined with the absence of edge rushers Bradley Chubb (knee) and Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) affects the pass rush against Allen and the ability of the defense to marry the pass rush with the pass coverage.
Offensively, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (ankle) is questionable. And even if he plays he undoubtedly won’t be anywhere near 100%.
The same outlook is true for Pro Bowl running back Raheem Mostert (knee/ankle), who missed the Baltimore game.
And Hill has been noticeably slowed by a left ankle injury for the past four games. Worse, he’s dealing with a recent house fire.
The good news is it appears Hunt (hamstring), who has missed six of the past eight games, and linebacker Jerome Baker (knee), who has missed the past four games, will play.
The Dolphins have said they’re a different team than the one that was beaten soundly in Buffalo earlier this season.
“I would totally agree with that,” McDaniel said. “I think it was in all three phases, it felt like at that point in the season, maybe the players were running the system that we have in each phase.
“Now it feels like they’re owning the system, and there’s an incredible power to that. When we’re at our best, that’s what you’re seeing.”
Despite what McDaniel says the Dolphins are 2-2 in their past four games, and they’re facing a team that has bullied and beat them like no other opponent.
The Dolphins say they’re up for the challenge.
“They’ve owned the division since at least I’ve been in the league,” Waddle said of the Bills, who have won the AFC East title in each of Waddle’s three NFL seasons.
“We haven’t really found success against them. It’s going to be a big game, a prime-time game. … They’re a good team. We’re a good team. Prime time for all the marbles.”