Bills caution against complacency with 4-win edge atop AFC East and 2-5 Dolphins coming to Buffalo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are taking nothing for granted even as they sit atop the AFC East with a comfortable four-game lead heading into their home game against the struggling Miami Dolphins.
“They’re fighting hard, they’re gonna be hungry, and they’re gonna come up here trying to get their season turned around,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “They have a lot of pride on their roster.”
The Bills (6-1) can take a big step towards clinching a playoff spot with a win Sunday against the Dolphins (2-5). They’ve already taken down their division rivals twice this season, winning 21-19 in Miami in Week 3 and 35-0 in Week 8 at Highmark Stadium.
While a three-game lead in the AFC East doesn’t leave much room for error for Miami, the Bills understand they have plenty to improve upon. They are 0-3 at home this season and after dropping two of their past three games have been susceptible defensively. With Josh Allen still nursing a UCL injury in his throwing elbow, the Bills need to play cleaner offensively, limiting mistakes, in order to not only defeat a struggling Miami squad, but to avoid becoming complacent.
In Miami’s last outing, the Dolphins edged out the Chicago Bears 35-32 on a 73-yard pick-six by Xavien Howard with 1:28 remaining in the game. Howard now has 3 interceptions in his last 2 games. The Bears’ inability to manage the clock cost them dearly in what would’ve been a near comeback victory. With that win, Tua Tagovailoa’s passer rating is now over 100 in his last three games.
The Dolphins will be out for revenge as they’re feeling disrespected coming in as 10-point underdogs at a sold-out Highmark Stadium.
“It’s gonna be a big game for us, especially against a good team like Buffalo, which they’re known for playing really good defense,” said Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. “I’m not one to be really in awe of things too much, but [Bills’ defense] plays real well. It’s really a credit to the entire defensive coaching staff.”
With that said, the Dolphins are playing at home in Week 9 against a very vulnerable Bears squad. It could make their game in Buffalo even more difficult if they can’t build off of their Week 8 win at home.
As much as the Bills may appear to be taking things in stride as a 4-win leader in their division, they understand that there’s nothing that they can take for granted with the current state of their division. While the Bills may hold a 4-win lead over their closest AFC East opponent, a bad week at home against Miami could easily send Buffalo scrambling and playing catchup if they’re not careful.
A win on Sunday would boost the Bills’ confidence heading into a game in Washington against a much better Commanders team the following week, as their toughest matchup in November remains Week 11 versus the Vikings in Minnesota, This week will also mark the halfway point of the regular season.
“You just got to come out here and prove it week after week,” McDermott said of playing with consistency, “That’s the standard in this league, and I’ve always said it’s an unforgiving league, but it’s also a beautiful league. You can go out there and earn your way each week.”
Buffalo’s Offensive Line is Stepping Up
On a positive note for the Bills, the offensive line continues to build chemistry and grow into one of the league’s better units. After surrendering 12 sacks against Miami in Week 3, Buffalo has allowed only four over the course of their last four contests.
“When we’re on a roll, the offensive line’s playing at a very high level, and I’m extremely proud of them,” said Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins. “We put in a lot of hard work. Our communication has been great, and we’ve been keeping our heads down and grinding. I can’t complain, we’re at the point where I want to be, where I want to play as an offensive line.”
Defensive Turnovers Could Help Solve Some Problems
As it currently stands, the Bills’ defense has produced the most turnovers (20) across the NFL. Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier remains optimistic that their ability to create turnovers is an indicator of their ability to clamp down, not necessarily an end-all-be-all.
Buffalo has yet to find their footing consistently in defensive production in terms of forcing sacks. They’ve struggled to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and lack consistency in the secondary when it comes to man coverage. Despite this, they’re one of the best units at generating turnovers.
On a more positive note, Tre’Davious White’s return from a hip injury may give the Bills some much-needed reinforcements in the defensive backfield. White had been limited in practice, but McDermott made the statement that the Bills don’t need a ‘full-time Tre’. With more and more talented players like Kaiir Elam taking the field with more playing time in practice, the Bills secondary could really begin to play as a unit rather than rely so heavily on turnovers.
“Every week is an important week in this league,” Dawkins said, “Every team we play will be hungry and wanting to take something from us. They come at us every week. And that’s what makes this league so great, you got to keep on rolling. We know they are a talented team on both sides of the ball.”
“But every week we step on that field and be ready, it’s not just a game, it’s our livelihood. It’s our family and this city, it’s everybody we love and represent, the coaches and players, so that’s why we take it seriously,” said Dawkins. “We are all about winning. There are two ways to win: run the football or make explosive plays on the defensive side, and make turnovers. That’s what makes the Buffalo Bills. We need to do both and just try to keep doing that. We have to come out every week and be the team we are, with a ‘championship mindset.”
