Dolphins vs. Bills: Full Miami Game Preview
Any and every "backs against the wall" cliche fits the Miami Dolphins' Week 9 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
A loss for the Dolphins would put them at 3-5 for the season and 0-4 in the AFC East. The poor division record would almost eliminate them from playoff contention, while the daunting task of having to go 7-1 in their final eight games would likely break their spirit.
On the flip side, a victory in Buffalo would move Miami back to .500, providing new life and new hope for a season where they will finish up with five of their final eight games at home and a schedule that isn't quite as tough as we envisioned it would be at the start of the season.
Which direction do the Dolphins go in? We'll find out on the field Sunday. Here's a preview of their crucial matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Location: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Week 8 Results and Recap
1 of 6
I called last week's game versus New England the "the ultimate Miami Dolphins move."
There was a good reason for that, as the Dolphins were riding high on a two-game winning streak where they dominated their opponents, before themselves being dominated at the hands of the New England Patriots by the final score of 36-7.
Despite the score, the defense doesn't get too much of the blame here. The defense was tenacious throughout the game, only being foiled by the fact that Tom Brady's release is as quick as Dan Marino's. The torching of the linebackers was an issue, but that's a personnel problem the Dolphins have grappled with for the last five years that can only be fixed with an infusion of talent at the position.
On offense, there were multiple problems. The running game was stopped and quickly abandoned, while the passing game reverted back to the Joe Philbin era of dinks and dunks with little-to-no protection from the offensive line. Add to that the fact that Ryan Tannehill's decision-making was at best poor and at worst horrendous, and it just wasn't a good day for the boys in aqua and orange.
To make matters worse, Miami still feels the effects of that game. Cameron Wake is gone for the season (and likely played his final game with the Dolphins), Ja'Wuan James will miss time, and DeVante Parker got hurt as well.
It was a loss everywhere for Miami, as whatever could go wrong, did go wrong.
AFC East Standings
| Team | W | L | T |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3 | 4 | 0 |
News and Notes
2 of 6
Injury Bug Affects Miami in the Long Term
The Dolphins were a relatively healthy team going into their Week 8 matchup with New England.
You can't say the same thing about their Week 9 matchup with Buffalo, as the injury bug hit the Dolphins hard in their loss to the Patriots, and they will feel the ramifications for some time to come.
James suffered a toe injury against the Patriots and will miss Sunday's game against Buffalo. He posted a picture on his Instagram account of his foot, which is in a hard cast.
The Dolphins will have two options for replacing James at right tackle. One is Jason Fox, who was atrocious against New England at right tackle, grading out at minus-2.9 at Pro Football Focus; the other is Dallas Thomas, which head coach Dan Campbell floated out as an idea, per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.
Thomas played right tackle in the final eight games of the 2014 season as James replaced Branden Albert at left tackle. Thomas' performance was horrendous.
On the other side of the ball you have the injury to Cameron Wake. He tore his Achilles tendon against New England and the next day went on season-ending injured reserve, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (h/t Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com).
Kenny Stills Breaks Matt Moore's Nose
Accidents happen on the football field, and they can be painful.
Just ask Matt Moore, who underwent surgery to fix a broken nose suffered last week at practice, per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post.
Wide receiver Kenny Stills broke Moore's nose, but this wasn't a training-camp fight, just an awkward landing and an elbow going in the wrong place.
Stills described the accident like this: "I’m kind of clumsy and I’ve fallen on my elbow a couple of times. I knew immediately when I hit him by how bad my elbow hurt that something was wrong with his face. He was down on his knee, blood coming out of his nose."
Ouch. As someone who has had his nose broken the same way as Moore, I feel the guy's pain. Moore described it as a freak accident and a "one-in-a-million deal."
Moore will still be available as Miami's backup quarterback Sunday, but Stills might want to be a little bit more careful in practice from here on out.
Dolphins Not Ready To Activate Ajayi
I'm not sure I would agree with this move.
Per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post, the Dolphins aren't ready to activate running back Jay Ajayi from the injured list, despite Ajayi being eligible to return this week.
Head coach Dan Campbell explained why, per Abramson: "We have basically another week or over until we have to absolutely make a decision. But at this point we can if we would like to activate him this week. He will be eligible to do that. We don’t want to do it right now until we know for sure."
That's a mistake for Miami in the short term.
Behind Lamar Miller, the Dolphins have Jonas Gray and Damien Williams. Neither player has really stepped it up when given opportunities, with both of them making their fair share of mistakes.
Neither player complements Miller well either, whereas Ajayi provides a power element to the run game and can pass-protect and catch passes out of the backfield well. Neither Gray nor Williams has done either.
Ajayi might not be the ultimate problem-solver, but he would fit well in the offense. He was placed on short-term IR after breaking his rib in the final preseason game but claimed he was healed by the third week of the season.
There shouldn't be any hesitation to bring him back this week, as Ajayi is an upgrade over the other two backups on the roster.
Injury Report
3 of 6
| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Brent Grimes | CB | Ribs | Full Participation |
| Neville Hewitt | LB | Hamstring | Limited |
| Ja'Wuan James | RT | Toe | Out |
| Reshad Jones | S | Shoulder | Full Participation |
| Jordan Kovacs | S | Knee | Did Not Practice |
| Brice McCain | CB | Knee | Limited |
| Koa Misi | LB | Foot | Limited |
| Matt Moore | QB | Nose | Full Participation |
| DeVante Parker | WR | Foot | Did Not Practice |
| Spencer Paysinger | LB | Shoulder | Limited |
| Damien Williams | RB | Thumb | Limited |
A lot of players are hurt for the Dolphins, but hurt and injured are two different things in the NFL, and it appears that the only players on this list who will miss time are Ja'Wuan James and DeVante Parker.
This page will be updated as more information comes along.
Injury information provided by MiamiDolphins.com.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Key Matchups
4 of 6
Bills NT Marcell Dareus vs. Dolphins RG Billy Turner
Billy Turner has been excellent for the Dolphins in his first three games but will face a big test Sunday in more ways than one.
First off, he will be playing alongside either Jason Fox or Dallas Thomas, which on its own is a difficult task.
To add to that, he will be responsible for keeping Marcell Dareus from disrupting Miami's offense.
Per Pro Football Focus, Dareus has 20 tackles and 10 quarterback hurries and is the catalyst for a Bills defensive line that is built to get to the quarterback early and often—a line that has given Miami trouble over the last three seasons.
This is Turner's first game against the Bills, and he'll have a chance to show he's an upgrade over the previous Dolphins linemen who have been dominated up front.
Bills TE Charles Clay vs. Dolphins LB Koa Misi
Last week wasn't a good one for Koa Misi, who was overwhelmed by Rob Gronkowski (which is the norm, once again; thank you, Jeff Ireland, for drafting Misi ahead of Gronkowski despite the fact that tight end was a need for the Dolphins that year).
This week, Misi will match up against a former teammate in Charles Clay. When Clay played Miami the first time around, he ate well, grabbing five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown. Two of these receptions came against Misi, including a 25-yard catch and run for a touchdown.
Misi has to buckle down against Clay and make sure he doesn't get open, or else Clay could wind up having another field day against his former club.
X-Factors
5 of 6
Miami Dolphins X-Factor: Dion Sims
Buffalo's defensive line is going to be aggressive Sunday, which will come to the surprise of no one. With Miami's offensive line as banged up as it is, the Dolphins will need blocking help.
At the same time, they will need a receiver who can act as a safety blanket for Ryan Tannehill, who hasn't played well against the Bills.
One player can do both, and that's tight end Dion Sims. His blocking ability should allow a few more seconds in the pocket for Tannehill when he drops back to throw, while Sims' receiving ability should provide a receiver whom Tannehill can dump the ball off to.
Sims didn't play in their previous meeting, but he will be important in this one.
Buffalo Bills X-Factor: Tyrod Taylor
The Bills struggled their last few games, and part of that has been because quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been out with a knee injury.
That should end Sunday, as Taylor has been practicing with the team all week. According to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, he should start.
Taylor picked apart Miami's defense during Buffalo's Week 3 rout of the Dolphins partially because he didn't have much pressure on him. It will be even tougher to get pressure on him without Cameron Wake, but it's imperative that Miami makes him jumpy in the pocket and can contain him there. If not, you will see a repeat of Week 3.
Prediction: Bills 23, Dolphins 17
6 of 6
This should be a closer game than the Week 3 contest.
The last time these two teams met, the Dolphins didn't have a prayer. Their offense couldn't get going, and their defense was sliced and diced.
Can we expect something different? Yes.
Despite what you saw last Thursday, this is a different Dolphins team with a different mentality. Miami is not trying to finesse its way to victory anymore; it's ready to punch you in the mouth up front.
Just based on the change in mentality, it should be a better game.
It just won't be enough for a victory.
Buffalo has been playing tougher longer and will be at home in front of a raucous home crowd. Overall, the Bills have the better talent at most positions and are just as hungry and desperate as the Dolphins are.
Both teams are 3-4, and the winner of this game could find itself on a fast track back toward the playoff chase.
The loser of the game should start scouting the 2016 NFL draft class.
I'll begin scouting the draft Monday morning, just like the Dolphins will.
Prediction: Bills 23, Dolphins 17
Statistics provided by NFL.com. Advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
