Miami Dolphins face incredible test to prove they are legit, want the AFC East? Beat the Bills!
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins offense is incredibly exciting to watch but they haven't won anything just yet. Three games into the season and we have a good idea of what this team "could" be this year but this week, the biggest step to retaking the division, starts in Orchard Park.
In reality, there is nothing better than this Sunday. Miami has been historically bad in Buffalo. This week, the "new" Dolphins will try and show the rest of the NFL exactly what they are capable of. They will have to win on the road. They will have to win with one of the worst homefield crowds in the league. Pull it off and the Miami Dolphins are ahead by two games in the division.
Down the road, way down the road, these two teams will meet again and at that point the stakes could be much higher but that is in week 17. The final week of the season. There is a lot of football to play between now and then.
If the Dolphins lose on Sunday, it's a loss. Nothing more. The perfect record is blemished and they will find themselves a 1/2 game behind the Bills. Their offense will not suddenly be horrible and their will be no blueprint laid out for the rest of the NFL. It will be a loss. No sky falling this weekend.
A win, however, is a statement that says, we are ready. Not to beat teams like the Broncos by 50 points or beat a New England team that has a great defense and an average offense at best. This is beating the Bills who many predicted would be at the top of the division and possibly the top of the AFC.
The Bills are the team to beat in the AFC East and until someone knocks them off, that isn't going to change. For the Dolphins, they can score as many points as they want but until the Bills are knocked down, in Orchard Park, they will still be the team that is contending for a Wild Card. Win this week, and the AFC East division path is in their hands.
For those fans who didn't get to live through the Dan Marino vs. Jim Kelly years, this is what that felt like. Juggernaut on juggernaut. Division leads on the line, excitement, nervousness, all rolled into one. This is AFC East football and fans of both teams get to experience it early in the season.
Make no mistake, this game will not decided the AFC East. It will only put one team ahead in the division. Week 17 may very well decide who wins it all. Regardless, this is a fantastic and incredible test for both teams. The Bills have to show their defense can limit Miami's high-powered offense while Miami's offense wants to show everyone that no one can. The same works in reverse.
Enjoy the lead-up to this Sunday and enjoy this game as a football fan because it very well could be, and should be, one of the best games this year.