It will be three days after Halloween, and the Miami Dolphins will be visiting their own house of horrors on Sunday when face the rival Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Including a playoff loss in 2002, the club has dropped eight consecutive games at Orchard Park dating back to 2017.
Of course, it really hasn't mattered where these two games have played recently, as the Bills have owned this series over the past seven-plus seasons.
The Last Time
Back in Week 2 on a Thursday night in South Florida, Sean McDermott's Bills jumped out to a 24-7 second-quarter lead, on the way to a resounding 31-10 primetime victory. Four days after rallying to defeat the Jaguars on the final play of the afternoon, 20-17, Mike McDaniel's club looked ill-prepared for their longtime nemesis. Miami's defense gave up too many big plays in the first 30 minutes.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa wound up leaving the game in the third quarter with a concussion, but not before he threw for only 145 yards and one score while serving up three interceptions—including a pick-six. Dating back to 2017 and including a playoff loss in 2022, the 'Fins have dropped 14 of the last 16 games in this series. Now the club looks to win their first game at Buffalo since 2016.
Quarterbacks: Tale of the Tape
Tua Tagovailoa made his return to action last Sunday at home against the Cardinals. The five-year pro had his ups and downs in the 28-27 loss, but did lead the team to its highest point total of the season to date. Obviously, Tagovailoa has not faced the Bills as often as Allen has faced the Dolphins. Nevertheless, the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has had his share of issues against Buffalo's defense over the years.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is off to a tremendous start this season and has done an excellent job of cutting back on the turnovers. In eight games, he's connected on 64.1 percent of his throws for 1,766 yards. He's connected for 14 scores, opposed to just one interception. He's also rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns. The seven-year pro has been sacked only 10 times and lost just two of his five fumbles.
Defensive Analysis
The overall numbers for the season in terms of rankings don't look so bad, but last week's performance was certainly eye-opening for all the wrong reasons. After limiting the Cardinals to 111 total yards and just seven points in the first two quarters of play, Anthony Weaver's unit was burned for 278 total yards of offense after intermission. All told, Miami gave up three scoring drives of 70-plus yards in the second half.
Buffalo's defensive unit has given up its share of yards and was pushed around in losses to the Ravens and Texans, but the club has surrendered only 14 offensive touchdowns in eight games—six of those in the setbacks to Baltimore (4) and Houston (2). Still, the team has come up with 20 sacks and forced 14 turnovers. Three of the team's eight interceptions were at the expense of Tagovailoa back in Week 2.
Keys to the Game
Dolphins: Taking care of the football is a major priority for McDaniel's team in this clash. In the team's first meeting this season with the Bills, Tagovailoa threw for one score but was picked off three times, one of those thefts returned 31 yards for a touchdown by Buffalo cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram. McDermott's club is opportunistic and takes care of the ball. The Bills lead the NFL with a plus-11 turnover differential.
Bills: If it's not broken, don't fix it. The AFC East leaders have stubbed their toes twice this season, and that primetime 35-10 loss to the Ravens was somewhat disturbing. However, this team has steadily improved on both sides of the ball. The ground game has made strides, and Buffalo's run defense has turned things around after being blasted at Baltimore. Look for a big dose of power football on Sunday.
Dolphins Player to Watch
You may not question how high the veteran defender is on the list, and understandably so considering he's had some less-than-stellar moments in 2024. Regardless, cornerback Jalen Ramsey somehow stacks up as Pro Football Focus' 16th-ranked cornerback. At times, the seven-time Pro Bowler and three time All-Pro, who ranks fourth on the team with 28 tackles but has yet to come up with a takeaway this season, has not looked like a top-notch pass defender—especially against some of the younger wide receivers in the league.
The latter could be in play on Sunday as Bills rookie Keon Coleman has really come on the past two weeks. Buffalo's first pick in April's draft, the second-rounder from Florida State has totaled a combined nine receptions for 195 yards and a score in his team's wins over the Titans and Seahawks.