NFL Game of the Week: Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins
After two weeks, both the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins are undefeated, but this week they go head-to-head. Sunday at 1 p.m. will bring a must-see matchup between the two teams atop the AFC East.
Blistering Bills
Quarterback Josh Allen has been propelling the offense to greatness. The Bills have outscored their opponents by double-digits in each of their wins. Through two games, they have put up 72 points to their opponents’ 17.
Against the Rams to open the season, Allen threw for 297 yards and completed 26 of 31 attempts. On Monday night against the Titans, he threw for 317 yards and had zero interceptions. He ranks fourth in passing yards overall.
What sets Allen apart is his ability to scramble in the pocket and set up big plays or take the ball himself if need-be. Having Stefon Diggs as a target doesn’t hurt either.
The wide receiver ranks second in yards with 270 through Week 2 and has the most touchdowns with four. Diggs has been the most productive scorer out of all other wide receivers, running backs and tight ends. He is Allen’s favorite target and already has 20 receptions.
On the other side of the ball, the Bill defense has been bullish. They rank top-five in average yards allowed per game (215), total sacks (nine) and turnovers (three).
Dominating Dolphins
If Week 2 taught us anything, it’s that we can’t count out Tua Tagovailoa. The quarterback led the Dolphins in a come-from-behind win against the Baltimore Ravens. In the fourth quarter, they scored 28 points.
Currently, Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing with 739 yards. While he hardly rushes the ball, he moves around to extend plays and buy his receivers extra time.
Tagovailoa’s top targets at the wide receiver position, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been huge assets to this offense. Both rank in the top five for total receiving yards.
Hill was traded by the Kansas City Chiefs to Miami for $120 million, four-year contract. Last season he had 111 receptions with nine touchdowns. So far in 2022, Hill has two touchdowns — both of which he scored against the Ravens.
Waddle has also produced plenty so far, averaging 16 yards per reception.
Defensively, however, the Dolphins have been giving up a lot of points. On average they allowed 372 yards per game. While they were able to disturb Mac Jones and the Patriots in Week 1, they were unable to do the same against Lamar Jackson’s Ravens.
What to Expect
Even on the road, the Buffalo Bills will come out firing. It might be their first Sunday game of the season, but their offense will step onto the field with all guns blazing.
The Dolphin defense will have to step up to the challenge of stopping Allen’s rampage. He’s going to be difficult to track down if they don’t jump the line quickly.
It will be interesting to see how Buffalo’s defense will handle both Hill and Waddle’s deep runs down field. But they were able to hold Cooper Kupp and the Rams to only ten points.
This should be a high-scoring divisional game with a lot on the line even if it is only week three —one team will remain undefeated while the other will attach a loss to its record.
Ultimately, this game will come down to who has the better defense.
Prediction: Bills 35, Dolphins 31
Amanda Vogt is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email her at aev5215@psu.edu.