NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Bullafo Bills will welcome their AFC East rival, Miami Dolphins into Highmark Stadium as they kick off their quest for the Super Bowl. Even with Tua Tagovailoa out due to a concussion, the Bills understand this will be a battle. This will be the 3rd meeting this season between these two teams and one will walk away with not only a 2-1 advantage, but bragging rights and the right to move on to the next round of the AFC Playoffs.
The Bills are riding a wave of emotions following the events of the last 2 weeks. With the team focused on their task, can they prove to everyone outside of Highmark Stadium they’re the real deal or will they be weighed down by the pressure of being the favorite?
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Buffalo Bills against the Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo Bills Must Stay Focused
If there was one team in the NFL who can’t afford to at least make it to the Conference Championship, it’s the Buffalo Bills. Following their classic game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round last season, many pegged the Bills as the team to beat heading into the 2022-23 NFL campaign. Entering the playoffs at 13-3, the Bills have more than lived up to the hype. However, this team is also dealing with a ton of emotions.
With no first-round bye, the Bills will have to begin their work early. In order to get where they need to be, they must do so with clear heads. The first order of business is to put the Chiefs’ game from last season behind them and stay focused on the Dolphins, not a possible matchup with the Chiefs later. This unit has been together through good and bad and veteran leadership should help them against their division rival.
Establish The Run Early
The Bills will enter this contest ranked 7th in Rushing Yards and will need to attack the front 7 of the Dolphins’ defense early and often. While Josh Allen ran for 765 yards on the season, he was backed up by Devin Singletary (819 yards) and James Cook (509). It doesn’t matter if Allen and Diggs get cooking in the passing game, the name of the game is to keep the Dolphins’ offense off the field with ball control.
In their first meeting back in Week 3, the Bills ran the ball 23 times for 115 yards. In the rematch, the Bills ran it 29 times for 150 yards. While the fans will want to see a high-scoring game, this is one and done. If the ground game worked twice against the Dolphins, why change the success rate? Yes, they split their season series but this is a bigger stage and one that the Dolphins are not accustomed to.
Contain Raheem Mostert
On the Dolphins’ side of the coin, they will look to keep Josh Allen and the high-powered Bills’ offense off the field as much as they can. In their first matchup, the Miami Dolphins mustered just 41 yards on 17 carries with Mostert gaining just 11 yards on 8 carries. In the second matchup, Mostert got his revenge when he torched the Bills’ defense for 136 yards on 17 carries.
The Buffalo Bills will enter the contest with a defense ranked 5th in Rushing Yards Allowed and if they can manage to keep that portion of the Dolphins’ offense in check, this game could be out of reach by halftime. With no Tua and the Phins going with Skylar Thompson, the Bills could force the Dolphins to become one-dimensional.
