Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills – Week 15: Preview
In the past the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills have fought each other for control of AFC East but this time things turn out to be a bit different. Both sides will face each other in an encounter at Buffalo that will decide
who ends at the bottom of the AFC East.
It has never been easy to say which side will win. Both the teams are known to make a comeback and turn out to thrash the other side. Last year Miami managed to rout the Bills 38-10 only to be later crushed 31-14 by the Bills eight
weeks later. This year the game between the two sides generated the same amount of intensity like it has in the past with Miami edging past the Bills 15-10 in a closely fought game.
This time more pressure will be on the Bills as they try avoiding ending up last in the division for the fifth straight year. The season has been bleak for both the sides but the Dolphins still fare better than the Bills. The biggest
challenge for the Bills would be improving their defence as they are ranked the worst team in NFL when it comes to defending yards conceding an average of 165.8 yards per game.
The Bills offense seems nowhere near a good position. In the last game they were contained by the Dolphins’ defence. The Dolphins defence has come out strong lately with Paul Soliai, Cameron Wake and Koa Misi all out there in the
field and Fred Jackson of the Bills will surely find having a hard time this Sunday. Coach Chan Gailey may find himself trying to soothe Bills fans again the next week.
The Dolphins have recently undergone a coach change with Tony Sparano fired and Todd Bowles coming in for the remainder of the three games. The Dolphins 4-9 did show an improvement in recent weeks coming out with three straight
wins but a 26-10 loss to Philadelphia last Sunday meant they were out of the playoffs for the third straight year, resulting in Sparano being fired.
However, Bowles may not do any better with Quarterback Matt Moore uncertain for Sunday’s game. Moore left last Sunday’s game with a concussion. Moore’s absence who has had eight scores in the past five games will be much missed.
J.P. Losman will step in if in case a replacement is needed.
Running backs, Reggie Bush and Thomas can surely change the game around. Bush is currently on his career best with 770 rushing yards having had 100 yards of rushing three times this season.
The Bills have fallen down to an average of just 12.8 points per game following six straight losses. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will have a tough time undoing the low average.
"Unfortunately, the last six games, we've had a lot more questions than answers. It's something we're going to continue to try to figure out and continue to try to work through." Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick has seen his performance decline in the past six games from an early great performance in the first five games.
"I know that these guys still have confidence in me. It's not the first bad game I've ever had. I've had plenty of good ones, and I've rebounded from my poor performances." Fitzpatrick said.
The last seven encounters between the two sides have gone in favour of the Dolphins who won five of these games.
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