Three keys to a Miami Dolphins victory: Week 2 vs Buffalo Bills
How can the Miami Dolphins beat the Bills on Sunday?
Coming off of a disappointing week one loss against the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins welcome the Buffalo Bills to town. New England was able to run the ball down the Dolphins’ throat all day on Sunday. The Dolphins will surely hope to correct that problem. Cam Newton was a problem for the Dolphins, and Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen presents a similar problem. Offensively, Miami will certainly need to manage turnovers better after having three against the Patriots. What are the keys to victory on Sunday against Buffalo?
Attacking Bills’ linebackers
The Dolphins received some great news for themselves regarding the Buffalo Bills injury report. Star young linebackers Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds will both be out for the game. That leaves veteran A.J. Klein as the primary linebacker for Sean McDermott’s defense. Obviously, Miami will be looking to run the ball against Buffalo while they are soft in the middle. However, if Miami truly wants to exploit this weakness, they should be looking to make plays in the passing game in the middle of the field. Whether it be screens, RPO slants, or dump-offs to running backs, Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey should absolutely be looking to use Myles Gaskin, Patrick Laird, and Matt Breida in the passing game. Trying to get Gesicki matched up on Klein would be another wrinkle that would be a huge benefit for the Dolphins.
Play man to man almost all game
Make your opponent uncomfortable. Josh Allen has been killing the Dolphins since he first stepped on the field against them in his rookie season. So, what makes Josh Allen uncomfortable? Tight window throws. The Dolphins have the ability to make every throw difficult for Allen. Xavien Howard and Byron Jones are two of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the NFL. They are both excellent in man coverage and will be needed greatly to stop the Bills’ passing attack. Josh Allen is supremely talented, but struggles with his accuracy, especially on deep shots down the field. If you make every throw difficult, he will absolutely give you the opportunity to give an extra possession to your offense.
Next. Elandon Roberts out for Miami Dolphins Sunday while Bills lose two LBs. dark
Stay aggressive
Interceptions from Ryan Fitzpatrick are nothing to be concerned about. That is who he is and has been for his entire career. He is the definition of a gunslinger. If the Dolphins did not expect Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw interceptions, they never would have signed him, and they certainly would not have released Josh Rosen. There will be no Tua Tagovailoa appearance this week. Fitzpatrick is fine. When people should start getting concerned is if he starts getting gun shy. Fitzpatrick was brought in to take shots down the field, and he must do that against Buffalo’s weak second and third cornerbacks.