The Miami Dolphins have to utilize home field advantage
By George Keim
Last week we looked at what I felt the Dolphins needed to do to beat the New England Patriots. Overall the Dolphins achieved what we talked about. This week we look at what Miami needs to do to be victorious against the Bills and it revolves around the weather.
Home Field Advantage – The long term forecast for Sunday in Miami is calling for 87 degrees with 76% humidity. Miami needs to use this to their benefit. The advantage won’t be seen early, it’s late in the game that we could see Buffalo gassed. The Dolphins need to keep this game close to take advantage of a potentially worn down visiting team.
Win the Time of Possession – One way to to take advantage of the weather and the home field advantage is to win the time of possession. The Dolphins need to make a commitment to the running game. If the Dolphins can establish the run, the heat and humidity will only be more of an advantage for the home team. In week one the Patriots held the ball for 13 more minutes than the Dolphins. That can’t happen against the Bills.
Pace of Play – Winning time of possession is important and will go a long way to taking advantage of Miami’s home field advantage. The Dolphins had success last week the few times they went no huddle. When possible Miami should go no huddle. Not only does this once again help wear a defense down, but Tua Tagovailoa also seems to play better when in no huddle. If/when the Dolphins get a chuck yardage play, my strategy, if I were the offensive coordinator, would be to immediately hurry to the line of scrimmage before the defense has a chance to catch their breath.
Use the Roster Depth – The Miami Dolphins actually have some depth at some key positions. While the Dolphins are better acclimated to the weather, the heat will still have an effect on the home team. The Dolphins will have to utilize their depth to help fight the fatigue. On the defensive side of the ball, rotating the defensive line man will be key. Losing Raekwon Davis is a big loss but maybe not as much against the Bills. Davis is best against the run and I don’t see that being a big part of Buffalo’s game plan. A consistent rotation will help keep the defense fresh.
Buffalo likes to throw the ball downfield which will wear on the defensive backs. Now I don’t want Howard and Jones off the field too much but a blow here and there after a deep route should help keep them rested for crunch time. I think the same could be said for the offensive side of the ball. We have some speed guys this year and may be able to insert a fresh guy to go deep after making the Buffalo defensive backs run.
Pressure Josh Allen – The Dolphins have to get Allen to move off his spot, but need to do so without letting him gain yards with his feet. Mobile quarterbacks have traditionally been a huge problem for the Dolphins so the game plan might be to employ some sort of shadow on Allen. Making Allen move and putting him on his back a few times combined with the heat and humidity will also go a long way in tiring Josh Allen out, making him inaccurate.
Early afternoon games in Miami in September can be a big advantage for the Miami Dolphins. They need to script a game plan and play in a way that takes advantage of this.