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5 questions about Dolphins with Buffalowdown editor Brandon Croce

By Brian Miller

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 04: A detailed view of the helmets belonging to the Buffalo Bills sitting on the bench prior to the start of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum on December 4, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 04: A detailed view of the helmets belonging to the Buffalo Bills sitting on the bench prior to the start of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum on December 4, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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5 questions about week 17 with Buffalowdown editor Brandon Croce about the Dolphins game this weekend.

The Miami Dolphins face a big test and possibly their final game of the 2017 season this weekend in Buffalo. We had some questions about the game.

Do you think the Bills will rest their starters this weekend like Pittsburgh is?

This is the million-dollar question in Buffalo right now. While the Bills can’t fall lower than three, having that two seed certainly has some significant benefits like guaranteeing at least two home games in the playoffs if they win the first one. The coaching staff will do their best to balance the benefits of moving up with the potential risk of injury to key players. I think in the end this is a game where most of the starters are out of the game by halftime.

Josh Allen has really taken a big step forward this year what do you think the reason is?

I think it has been a combination of improved mechanics, experience in the NFL, and the addition of Stefon Diggs. These three things came together at exactly the right time that allowed Allen to have this breakout year in his third season. He looks more comfortable in the pocket, is able to work through his progressions, and isn’t afraid to spread the ball around, even with Diggs in this offense.

What is the weakest part of your offense and defense?

For both sides of the ball, it starts on the ground. The offense hasn’t had to rely much on the run game because of how good Josh Allen has played so the two backs, Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, haven’t put up big numbers. It will be interesting to see how they respond if Allen struggles at any point and they need to lean more on the run game.

As for the defensive side of the ball, the entire unit has drastically improved since the bye week but the one Achilles heel is still stopping the run. The Patriots for the most part were completely shut out on Monday night but the Patriots averaged six yards a carry and had 145 rushing yards. This is something they still need to improve on heading into the postseason.

If the Bills rest starters or if they sit them in the 2nd half, do you think this is a game they will win?

It is really going to come down to turnovers and if Matt Barkley is able to protect the ball. The Dolphins defense does a tremendous job forcing interceptions and if they are able to come away with a few interceptions, giving the Dolphins a short field, this is going to be a very close game.

The Bills can pretty much knock the Dolphins out of the playoffs, how much do you think they want to do that?

As great as it would be to see the return of the Bills/Dolphins rivalry, it feels like the Bills are more focused on what they can get and hope to avoid. The motivation for this team is probably more around securing that number two seed and doing that without any injuries to key players rather than what happens with other teams in the playoff hunt.

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