Buffalo (1-0) at Miami (1-0)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Prime Video
BetMGM NFL Odds: Dolphins by 1 1/2.
Series record: Dolphins lead 62-58-1
Last meeting: Bills beat Dolphins 21-14 on Jan. 7, 2024, at Miami.
Bills offense: overall (11), rush (13), pass (9), scoring (3t)
Bills defense: overall (11t), rush (16), pass (11), scoring (22t)
Dolphins offense: overall (5), rush (25), pass (1), scoring (16t)
Dolphins defense: overall (10), rush (17), pass (9), scoring (7t)
Turnover differential: Bills even; Dolphins plus-1.
Bills player to watch
QB Josh Allen, and how a tender left, non-throwing hand might encumber his scrambling tendencies and take defenders head on. Allen got hurt after hurdling Cardinals safety Budda Baker and then landing on his hand awkwardly when crashing down into the end zone following a 6-yard TD. The injury has the potential of limiting Allen’s ability to brace himself when getting tackled.
Dolphins player to watch
WR Tyreek Hill, who had seven catches for 130 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown hours after being pulled from his sports car by Miami-Dade County police officers during a traffic stop outside Hard Rock Stadium. Hill indicated the week’s events won’t be a distraction for him Thursday. He said he plans to use the game as therapy.
Key matchup
Allen vs. Dolphins defense. The Bills quarterback completed 51 of 63 passes with six touchdowns and nearly 700 passing yards in two games against Miami last season. He’s been particularly hard for Miami to contain because of his success both running and passing. He had 15 carries for 67 yards against the Dolphins in the regular-season finale last season.
Key injuries
Bills starting nickel cornerback Taron Johnson is out indefinitely after hurting his right forearm on the opening drive against Arizona. Coach Sean McDermott has not ruled out the possibility of Johnson being placed on IR. … Backup edge rusher Dawuane Smoot (toe) has been ruled out, and will miss his second game. … Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert (chest) was ruled out by coach Mike McDaniel on Wednesday. … RB De’Von Achane (ankle) will be a gametime decision. … McDaniel said LB Jaelan Phillips (Achilles tendon) and RB Jalen Ramsey (hamstring) played more snaps Sunday than the team intended, but they didn’t have setbacks.
Series notes
This is the third time the two teams will face each other in a Thursday night game. They split the previous two games. It is their 17th overall primetime meeting, with 10 coming on Monday. … Miami hasn’t beaten Buffalo since Week 3 of the 2022 season. … The Bills are 13-2 against Miami and have averaged 31.7 points since McDermott’s first year as head coach in 2017.
Stats and stuff
The Bills set an NFL record last weekend by extending their streak to 41 games without losing a game by more than six points. The run began after a 44-15 loss versus Indianapolis on Nov. 21, 2021. … In rallying from a 17-3 deficit to beat Arizona, the Bills overcame being down by 14 or more points for the first time since a 23-20 win over Baltimore in Week 4 in 2022. Buffalo trailed the Ravens 20-3. … Allen combined for four TDs, including two rushing, for the third time since the start of last season, including a five-TD game (four passing) in a 48-20 win against Miami on Oct. 1. He’s scored four or more TDs in one game 17 times. … Allen didn’t throw an interception against the Cardinals, a year after finishing with a career-worst 18. But he did lose a fumble. He’s 39-26 in games he commits a turnover and 25-4 in turnover-free outings. … In 13 starts against Miami including playoffs, Allen is 11-2 with 36 TDs passing, five rushing. … Buffalo has topped 100 yards rushing in 11 straight games, including playoffs, going back to last season. … DE Greg Rousseau, a 2021 first-round pick out of Miami, had a career-high three sacks on Sunday, and matched the team record for most sacks in a season opener set by Ben Williams in 1983. … DE Von Miller had a sack against Arizona, his first since Nov. 13, 2022. Miller’s drought spanned a stretch in which he missed nine games with a torn ACL. The NFL’s active leader in sacks has 124 1/2 for his career, to rank 19th on the NFL list, one behind Dwight Freeney. … The Dolphins are 7-1 in September games under McDaniel. Miami has the second-best winning percentage (.875) in the NFL in September since McDaniel became the head coach in 2022. … With a win in their season opener, the Dolphins won their 26th of the past 38 regular-season games started by QB Tua Tagovailoa, which is tied for the fifth-best winning percentage by a starting quarterback since November 2021. … Miami’s defense shut out Jacksonville in the second half of their opener after giving up 17 points in the first half.
Fantasy tip
Miami’s running backs are banged up. With Mostert out, Achane figures to take the bulk of the workload if his ankle injury does not sideline him. Achane had a big role in the opener as both a running back and receiver. He had 10 carries for 24 yards and a rushing touchdown to go along with seven catches for 76 yards.
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