Bills vs. Dolphins: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

As the New England Patriots continue to pull away in the AFC East, feel free to call the Week 11 edition of Thursday Night Football between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins an elimination game. 

Thursday in Miami, the Bills will be just a few days removed from an ugly late loss to Kansas City, something the roster has to put out of its mind in a hurry if the strong defense is to shut down the Dolphins.

The hosts will be just a few days removed from a tough road loss to Detroit that halted any positive momentum. Not only that, Joe Philbin's team will also be on the hunt for revenge after a Week 2 loss in Buffalo.

Both teams are quite different this time around for the rematch, though. Defense should reign supreme on a short turnaround as two of the league's better units look to put on a show for a national audience.

Consistency Out of the Gate 

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Miami is as good as its start.

Over the course of a three-game win streak that began back in Week 7, the team scored first and never looked back. Thank a pass defense that ranks No. 2 overall with an average of just 210.8 passing yards per game for fending off what becomes predictable offensive attacks.

But last week, Detroit scored first, and that was all she wrote for the Dolphins in an eventual 20-16 loss. Philbin understands that this very trend hurt his team mightily in the aforementioned Week 2, 29-10 loss, per ESPN.com's James Walker:

There, Miami did not score until the second half and was already in a 9-0 hole against what is now known as one of the league's better overall defenses thanks to ranking seventh against the pass and eighth against the rush.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill went just 31-of-49 for 241 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He will once again be the focal point for the Dolphins, as his erratic numbers over the course of the past few weeks show:

OPP	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	AVG	TD	INT
vs. SD	24	34	288	70.6	8.47	3	0
at DET	27	38	207	71.1	5.45	1	1

Tannehill is at his worst when the opposing defense takes away the deep pass, something Buffalo did quite well back in Week 2 considering he averaged just 4.92 yards per completion in that loss.

Consistency is the key for both sides, though. EJ Manuel is no longer the quarterback Miami will encounter as it did a few months ago now that the offense belongs to veteran Kyle Orton.

Orton has been a liability and a hero since taking over, but he has completed 65.6 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. He will need to play the latter on the road Thursday against the aforementioned elite Miami pass defense led by corner Brent Grimes.

None of this is to suggest observers should turn the game off after the first score, but whoever comes out firing stands a much better chance of winning.

Eliminations and Guarantees 

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It sounds like most years in the AFC East, but New England won on a bye week last week thanks to both of Thursday's participants dropping their respective games.

Miami owns a win over New England this season, but it will fall potentially out of reach in the division with a loss to Buffalo. The same applies to the Bills, although the situation is much more precarious considering the team dropped a Week 6 decision to the Patriots.

Do not tell that to Bills corner Leodis McKelvin, though, who told reporters after his team's loss to Kansas City that “We're going to go out and beat that ass. Point blank. Period,” per ESPN.com.

Of course, this prompted a response from the Dolphins, which Philbin himself handled:

If Philbin's team is going to use the bulletin-board material on a short week to fend off an angry divisional rival that has already upended it once, it will have to do it without starting left tackle Branden Albert. The Pro Bowl tackle was placed on injured reserve Monday, per Walker.

In the face of a team seemingly built to upend the Dolphins, the last thing the team needed was to lose one of its most important pieces. In an emotionally charged rivalry, the Dolphins seem to enter at a major disadvantage. 

When: Thursday, November 13, 8:25 p.m. ET

Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Watch: NFL Network

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

• Over/Under: 42
• Spread: Miami (-4)

Team Injury Reports

Injury info will be updated once released, via ESPN.com.

Prediction

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

With the exception of a Week 3 loss to Kansas City, the Dolphins have looked solid at home this year, including wins over New England and San Diego. 

While the offense will need to come up with a solution to the void left by Albert quickly, the Miami pass defense figures to have a major advantage over Orton that will prevent him from gunning the Bills back into the contest, provided they fall behind on the road.

The biggest change the Bills have made this season may be their undoing on the road. Miami has not only learned from its mistakes of the first encounter, it has a better overall offense that can jump out early in front of a friendly crowd.

Prediction: Dolphins 23, Bills 17

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).