Josh: Bills Relying On 'Nobody Else' vs. Dolphins
Control what you can control.
That's a moniker often said in locker rooms, especially when the going gets tough or ahead of one of the biggest games of the season. The Buffalo Bills' playoff hopes still hang in the balance, and while they could be in the playoffs ahead of their matchup against the Miami Dolphins based on the results of previous games, quarterback Josh Allen doesn't want his team to focus on potentially getting help to clinch a postseason berth.
"We don't want to rely on nobody else," Allen said. "In our minds, it's a must-win game. We've got to go get this done, and there's a hungry team, a team that's played very well throughout the season standing in front of us so we've got to do whatever we can."
Josh Allen throwing a pass vs. the New England Patriots.
USA TODAY
The Bills (10-6) would win the AFC East and clinch the No. 2 seed with a win over Miami (11-5), though they could also miss the playoffs entirely with a loss. Buffalo reaching the playoffs before facing the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football depends on the results of the Saturday games between Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) vs. the Baltimore Ravens (13-3) at 4:30 p.m. ET, Indianapolis Colts (9-7) vs. the Houston Texans at 8:15 p.m. ET and the Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7) vs. the Tennessee Titans at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
If the Steelers and Jaguars win, and Texans vs. Colts doesn't end in a tie, Buffalo would have to win to reach the playoffs. Miami has already clinched a playoff berth regardless of the result on Sunday.
Regardless, the easiest way for Buffalo to reach the playoffs is to win on Sunday, though Allen acknowledges that's much easier said than done, as they'll be facing a Dolphins team that's out for revenge after he completed 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns and ran for one more in a 48-20 win in Week 4.
"They're hungry," Allen said of the Dolphins. "There's no doubt about that. Big game at home for them. Their crowd is going to be rocking, so we're stepping into a very hostile and dangerous situation in terms of the AFC East on the line, so we've got to give everything we've got."
Buffalo faces Miami on Sunday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium.
