Miami Dolphins face Buffalo Bills in a contest between two struggling AFC East teams – NFL Preview
Buffalo Bills host their American Football Conference (AFC) East rivals Miami Dolphins in Week 11 tie on Thursday, November 15, 2012, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, New York.
Both teams are desperate to get a win. Dolphins (4-5) are coming into the game after taking two consecutive defeats. However, the game is more important for Bills (3-6) who have their playoff hopes on line.
If losing three games in a row was not bad enough, Bills are now without their best offensive player. Veteran running back Fred Jackson is ruled out of the game due to an injury.
The only thing that can reduce the tension among Bills fans is the fact that their team has fought hard in their three-game losing streak in which they faced top teams of the league. According to the Associated Press, Bills head coach Chan Gailey said:
"We are not good enough yet to not play extremely well and win. We've got to play extremely well to win. We're not there yet."
In order to win more games, Bills must stop giving away turnovers. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is putting up good numbers on the field, but all that hard work is undone by the number of interceptions (10) the quarterback has thrown this season.
The game will give running back C.J. Spiller another opportunity to shine on the field. He has been limited on the field while sharing snaps with Jackson. The player is averaging 7.3 yards per carry this season which is one of the highest in the league.
Bills’ running game will be benefited by the Dolphins’ weak running defence that averages 135.3 yards in previous four weeks.
Dolphins’ offence has not played very well this season and had a major collapse last week when they failed to score even a touchdown during their 3-37 loss against Tennessee Titans. Talking about defensive team’s performance, Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said:
"When you play like that, we need to make some corrections. We need to make improvements, even though we're in a semi-time crunch."
Like Bills, Dolphins are also hopeful to get their running game going after a miserable performance last week by their star running back Reggie Bush.
Bush was benched during last week’s game after showing dismal performance as he put up 21 yards on four carries. Giving his views after that game, Bush said:
“I've got to do a better job protecting the ball. I've been in this league long enough to where I know protecting the ball is the most important thing as a running back."
It will be first of the two games to be played between these two teams this season. The next game will be played in Week 16. Dolphins have won six of their last eight games against Bills.
Tags: