- WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla.
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | Prime Video, NFL+
The Bills and Dolphins both won in Week 1, overcoming 14-point deficits to salvage hard-earned home victories. Now the two AFC East rivals square off with a quick turnaround in Week 2 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday.
The head-to-head battle has been dominated by the Bills in recent years, with Buffalo winning 11 of the past 12 matchups, including one in the postseason. The Dolphins’ one victory in that span was in Week 3 in Miami in 2022 when the clock ran out on Josh Allen and the Bills as they drove to potentially win the game.
Last season, the Bills throttled the Dolphins in Week 4 in Buffalo and came back to beat them in Miami in Week 18 in a critical game before the playoffs.
Now they meet with a chance to seize an early edge in the AFC East. The Bills have won the division five straight years and six of the past seven. The Dolphins have been waiting for their chance to take them down.
Allen has also outplayed Tua Tagovailoa in most of their head-to-head meetings, too, but Tagovailoa remains one of the league’s most efficient passers in Mike McDaniel’s wide-open system. This might be his and the Dolphins’ best chance to change the script on the Bills from their recent meetings.
Here are four things to watch for when the Bills visit the Dolphins on Thursday night on Prime Video and NFL+:
- Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa hope to get it right vs Bills. It was an eventful Week 1 for Hill, who was detained by police on his way to Sunday’s game and then scored a dramatic 80-yard touchdown that helped the Dolphins beat Jacksonville. Hill (7-130-1 receiving) and Jaylen Waddle both had big games, and they figure to stress a Bills defense that struggled early last week and lost nickel cornerback Taron Johnson to injury. With Johnson out, Cam Lewis (who allowed five catches vs. Arizona) likely takes his spot. For whatever reason, Tagovailoa and Hill haven’t always been at their best in the regular season against the Bills (although Hill has had big playoff games against them). But containing both receivers and putting heat on Tagovailoa will be difficult. Sean McDermott’s defense rarely blitzed Tua previously, so we might expect similar in this one, with primarily zone coverage to try to prevent home-run shots over the top. Either way, CBs Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford will have their hands full, especially on money downs.
- Josh Allen tries to continue damage vs. Miami D. Last week against the Cardinals, Allen lost a fumble in the first half but rallied to complete 18 of 23 passes for 232 yards and two TDs, rushing for two more scores. Compared to recent-year Week 1s, it was as clean a start to a season he’s had recently. This will be a stiff test in Miami — even with Allen’s career success against the Dolphins — with the short week. But in Allen’s past four regular-season games vs. Miami, he averaged more than 350 pass yards, with a TD-INT ratio of 12-2; he also impacted all four games with his legs. The Dolphins arguably have a less-talented defense than they did a year ago, but new coordinator Anthony Weaver led a mostly good first effort. The Jaguars looked functional in the first half against the Dolphins defense last week but went ice cold after halftime. The one good drive they had was snuffed out by a brilliant punchout by safety Jevon Holland, one of the league’s best safeties. Linebackers David Long and Jaelan Phillips also had good first outings, and Miami’s secondary looks to be in good shape. This will be the first time that longtime Bills safety Jordan Poyer, now with Miami, faces Allen and the Bills since leaving this past offseason. Allen spread the ball around to nine different pass catchers in Week 1 but might want to target tight end Dalton Kincaid than the mere two he had vs. Arizona.
- The Dolphins’ run game needs a spark. Raheem Mostert (chest) has been ruled out for Thursday, and De’Von Achane (ankle) will be a game-time decision, per head coach Mike McDaniel. Achane, officially questionable for TNF, had only 24 yards (one-third of his 2023 game average) on 10 carries, and Mostert ran only six times for 9 yards. The Dolphins received a late boost from Jeff Wilson, whose first touch didn’t come until there were fewer than nine minutes left in the game, but he finished with a team-high 26 yards on five carries, most of them coming on the game-tying drive. With Mostert ruled out and Achane potentially limited, expect Wilson — who’s had four career 20-carry games — to take over. Achane made his mark more as a receiver, catching all seven of his targets for 76 yards, including a 34-yard catch and run on the opening drive. He could be a serious mismatch against Buffalo’s linebackers and safeties if he gets a chance. The Bills mostly kept Arizona RBs James Conner and Trey Benson in check, but Achane’s speed would be a next-level threat.
- Can Greg Rousseau anchor the Bills defense? The Bills defense looked lost for a few series against the Cardinals, but it eventually settled down. One big reason was the play of Rousseau, who had three sacks and a forced fumble — the kind of game-changing performance we’ve been waiting for from him. Rousseau had three two-sack games previously in his career, with two of them coming vs. Miami. In Week 4 last year, his first sack came rushing from the inside against the Dolphins’ Isaiah Wynn, who’s on injured reserve; his second one was unblocked vs. Kendall Lamm, now a backup. Miami features a first-rate pair of tackles in Austin Jackson and Terron Armstead. Each allowed one sack in Week 1, but Jackson and Armstead both finished with strong outings overall, helping wear down the Jaguars. The Bills need all the rush force and disruption they can find. Buffalo’s back seven had some coverage and over-pursuit mishaps on Sunday; the longer they were asked to cover (or cover ground), the dicier it looked. It’ll be a quick turnaround to get all that salted away by Thursday, but a strong pass rush can cure a lot of ills.
