Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills: Four Biggest Matchups to Keep an Eye On

Who would have thought coming into the season that a Week 2 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins could have so many intriguing story lines?

The team has new owners in Terry and Kim Pegula (pending final league approval in October).   The news of the sale spread fast, and Buffalo as a whole was proud to find out that the team will all but certainly be staying there long term.

On the football field, both of these teams came to play last week and both upset potential Super Bowl hopefuls (the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots), and are looking to jump out to 2-0 starts along with possibly the lead of the AFC East (with the Patriots being 0-1 already and the 1-0 New York Jets having to take on the Green Bay Packers this weekend).

Here are the four biggest matchups to take a closer look at.

Buffalo’s front four against Miami’s Offensive Line

Due to an injury to usual starter Mike Pouncey, the Dolphins entered last week’s game against the Patriots with five new starters on their offensive line. It looked like they seemed to gel together pretty quickly.

The new unit allowed their backs to rush for 191 yards on 38 attempts (5 yards a carry) and only allowed quarterback Ryan Tannehill to get sacked once in their first game together. They finished 26^th in the NFL in rushing yards per game, going for just 90 yards a game a year ago and allowed a franchise record,

Knowshon Moreno had 24 attempts for 134 yards and a touchdown.

The new line will be thrown to the fire quickly, as they face a very talented Buffalo Bills unit.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes was creating constant pressure last week against the Bears. On the other end of the line, Mario Williams did the same and recorded one sack. The interior linemen, Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus, are really tough to move off the line. They get constant rush up field and also take up a lot of space, giving middle linebacker Brandon Spikes a lot more space to make plays against the run.

I think the Bills defensive line will just be too much to handle overall. Look for a lot of pressure from them, which will force Tannehill to make some tight throws. The secondary is talented enough to break on these types of passes and it will create the squad some turnovers.

The Buffalo Backfield against the Miami Dolphins Rushing Defense

Just like last week, a big key to a Bills victory is a successful run game.

Despite what the stats show, the Bills struggled a little bit to get the running game going last week. The offensive line has to do a better job constantly opening up holes for the running backs.

When they did, boy did the backs take off!

Anthony “Boobie” Dixon and Fred Jackson broke runs of 47 and 38 yards respectively (with Jackson’s run setting up the game winning field goal in overtime).

In total, Dixon, Jackson and CJ Spiller combined for 27 attempts for 174 yards, which was good for 6.4 yards per carry.

In the Dolphins defense, they are coming off of a game in which they allowed the Patriots to gain a mere 89 yards on the ground. They have a very talented defensive line themselves, and it is going to be no easy task to establish the run against them.

If the Bills want to run their offense, they are going to need their backs to get going. Look for the occasional screen as well to try to take advantage of an aggressive defense.

Seantrel Henderson vs. Cameron Wake

Henderson, the rookie right tackle starter, and seventh round pick will be forced to take on one of the best defensive ends in the AFC during this game.

Henderson showed flashes of his potential against the Bears, but still allowed two quarterback hurries and a sack in the game. He will have his hands full with Wake, who was able to sack Tom Brady two times last weekend.

I don’t like this matchup a ton for the Bills. I expect them to line up the tight end on his side of the field so that they can either stay in to block or at least get a chip on the talented defensive lineman to slow him down before they go out for their passes.

Jackson, Spiller and Dixon will have to make sure they are ready to throw a block in the backfield if Wake is able to create penetration.

Stephon Gilmore vs. Mike Wallace 

Gilmore makes his return to the lineup after missing Week 1 due to a groin injury. He won’t have much time to adjust to the game again though as he has to face an elite burner in Mike Wallace.

It finally looks like the Dolphins figured out how to move Wallace around this year instead of just sending him on go routes the entire game. Wallace hauled in seven of his eleven targets for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Gilmore is going to have to make sure he gets a good press on the line of scrimmage that doesn’t give Wallace a free release. It is going to be tempting to just drop off and let Wallace beat you with underneath passes. The problem with that is just how dangerous Wallace is with the ball in his hands.

If the Bills want to keep the Dolphin’s offense in check, they need to make sure they can take away their No. 1 weapon.

Prediction

It is a going to be a hard fought game between division rivals. Look for both defensive lines to control the game at points. In the end though, a rejuvenated and energetic crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium is going to be too much. The good times will keep rolling in Buffalo, with a 24-14 win.