Week 10 Preview: Bills Should Roll in Miami – If They Avoid the Trap
Buffalo looks to make it three straight behind a red-hot James Cook and a defense finding its stride.
It’s Week 10 in the NFL and the 6-2 Buffalo Bills are traveling to Miami to take on the 2-7 Dolphins. Despite a laundry list of injuries, this is a game that the Bills Mafia should feel comfortable with. Miami has struggled to put anything close to a competitive football team on the field – while the Buffalo Bills have started to find their footing on both sides of the ball.
Yet, division games are never a given. Playing these teams twice a year makes it so that your opponent is very familiar with you and your team. As such, division games should never be overlooked. And with a red hot Tampa Bay team coming to town next week, the Bills need to make sure this matchup with the Dolphins doesn’t turn into a trap game.
The Offense
Offensively, the Bills are starting to come to form. Josh Allen looked sharper against the Chiefs than he has all season, throwing for 275 yards – while James Cook, though injured, continues to dominate on the ground. The offensive line is looking like they have reached midseason form, right on time. And the tight ends continue to be a bright spot for production.
All of this coming to fruition, while the Dolphins defense has lost some pieces. Defensive End Jaelan Phillips was traded to Philadelphia. Former Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, and linebacker Chop Robinson, have all missed practice this week. And all while the Dolphins rank 24th in the league in total defense.
The Bills offense should be licking its chops. While the Dolphins have proven to be competent in the passing game – a top ten unit in that category – their rush defense has been bottom five in the league so far. And just two weeks after James Cook put up over 200 yards on Carolina’s defense – and one week after he was the first back all season to post a hundred-yard outing on the Chiefs – the Dolphins should be concerned about keeping up with the Bills.
The Defense
The Bills defense has also come alive since the bye week. The return of cornerback Maxwell Hairston, as well as defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, has breathed new life into this unit. They delivered Patrick Mahomes the worst game of his career just one week ago. And, despite losing fellow returnee Michael Hoecht for the season, the defense should feel confident coming into this matchup vs the Dolphins.
The Dolphins offense has been struggling almost as much as the defense this year. The injury to wide receiver Tyreek Hill has left a void in what was once one of the most explosive units in the league. They haven’t quite seemed to find their footing since. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has struggled to get anything going this year, seemingly regressing in almost every area of his game. And by every measure – points, rush yards, pass yards and total yards per game – the Dolphins offense ranks bottom ten in the league.
The Bills defense should capitalize on these struggles, and be able to continue building on back-to-back strong performances. If they can get pressure early, turnover opportunities should be there to create short fields for the offense. With both sides of the ball trending up, it appears that the Dolphins will be facing a buzz saw this week.
My Take
I don’t really have much more to say about this one. This should easily be a win for the Bills. Even with a banged up team, assuming James Cook is able to go, they should be able to control this game from the start. My only real concern is that of a trap game. If they can set the tone early and dominate the line of scrimmage, I think we’ll be seeing Mitch Trubisky sometime in the second half.
Prediction
I think it happens. I think we’re all bored by the end of this one. The Bills will dominate from the jump, and James Cook will build on his Offensive Player of the Year campaign.
Buffalo Bills – 38, Miami Dolphins - 17