AFC East on the line without Jaylen Waddle and Xavien Howard
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins are playing for pride, playoff seeding, and the AFC East but they will compete without two of their top players.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and cornerback Xavien Howard will both be out against the Bills tonight after the Miami Dolphins released their list of inactives.
With Waddle out, the Dolphins will once again turn to a combination of Cedric Wilson and maybe Chase Claypool. The Dolphins also need Braxton Berrios and RIver Cracraft to contribute as well.
At corner, Eli Apple will take the place of Howard who will miss the game with a foot injury. Howard went out of the Baltimore game in the 1st quarter last week. Apple did not play well against the Ravens and will have to likely cover Gabe Davis.
Miami will not have Kion Smith or tight end Tyler Kroft as well as CB Ethan Bonner. Skylar Thompson will once again serve as the emergency 3rd QB.
Perhaps the biggest miss, however, will be the loss of Raheem Mostert for another week. The Dolphins top scoring player of 2023 continues to deal with knee and ankle issues. With Mostert out, the Dolphins will turn to De'Von Achane to carry the workload with Jeff Wilson, Jr. providing support.
For the Bills, Damar Hamlin, Kaiir Elam, Kinglsey Jonathan,, Alex Anderson and Linval Joseph will join RB Latavius Murray on their inactive list.
Tonights game will be televised on NBC. Kickoff will come shortly after 8 pm. A win by the Dolphins sets Miami up for a rematch the following week at Hard Rock Stadium against the Bills and if they lose, they will travel to Kansas City.