Bills vs. Dolphins Has Historic Wild Card Betting Implications
When the Buffalo Bills host the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card on Sunday at Highmark Stadium, they'll be expected, as a No. 2 seed, to come away with a win over a team that is starting a third-string rookie quarterback and is without its starting running back.
Even though Miami and Buffalo split their regular-season matchups 1-1 for a combined differential of five points, there wouldn't be too much of a surprise if Sunday's meeting turned into an easy win for the Bills.
At least that's what the betting odds are saying.
Per ESPN Stats, the Bills are now 13-point favorites over the Dolphins after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was ruled out Wednesday. Should this spread stand until kickoff, it would make Buffalo the biggest favorites for a Wild Card game in league history.
For perspective, the closet odds to these for the first week of playoffs can be found on the NFC side for the Seattle Seahawks' meeting with the San Francisco 49ers. On the road, Seattle is currently 10-point underdogs against a Niners team that has won 10 straight.
But even that isn't enough to close the gap on a three-point betting difference between Seahawks-Niners and Bills-Dolphins.
With all that said, it's safe to say that Buffalo is expected to come out with a purpose, especially with all that's happened to the organization recently. But it's hard to rule out anything in the postseason.
The Bills and Dolphins kickoff at 1 p.m. ET from Highmark Stadium on Sunday.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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