Streaking Bills intent on putting slumping Dolphins out of misery Thursday night

No way around it, Thursday night's game between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins looks like the NFL's mismatch of the early season.

Since Josh Allen entered the league in 2018, the Bills have dominated this AFC East rivalry. With him at quarterback, Buffalo is 13-2 against the Dolphins. Included in that is a current six-game winning streak in which the Bills have averaged 33 points per game.

The Dolphins have never beaten Allen in Orchard Park, last winning at Highmark Stadium in 2016.

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And that's just the history. As for the present, the advantage for Buffalo may be even bigger. The Bills are 2-0; Dolphins 0-2. One team has scored 71 points, second-most in the NFL. The other has allowed 66, second-most in the league.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott (right) has words with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel after a NFL wild card game in 2023 | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Bills are favored by 12 points, expected to be one of the NFL's biggest lines of the season.

In the wake of their ugly home loss to the New England Patriots last weekend, the Dolphins held a players-onlly meeting and there are already rumors about head coach Mike McDaniel being on the hot seat. In western New York, meanwhile, Bills' head coach Sean McDermott can afford to spend time joking about clobbering the New York Jets despite his quarterback playing with a bloody nose.

While the Bills appear poised for a Super Bowl run, the Dolphins feel like a team on the brink. It's only Week 3, but Buffalo expects a desperate opponent in primetime.

MORE: Bills' head coach turning Josh Allen's bloody nose into comic relief

"Maybe they throw in some gimmick stuff or start blitzing or more trick plays, whatever they've got," said Bills' offensive tackle Spencer Brown. "But we’re ready for that, we're ready for whatever they bring for us.”

A three-game lead over the Dolphins in mid-September of an 18-week season isn't necessarily a death knell. But the Bills realize a win would go a long way to burying Miami while clearing a hurdle for their sixth consecutive AFC East title.

“They're going to be a hungry team,” Bills' defensive end A.J. Epenesa said. “They're going to be fiery. The atmosphere is going to be rocking and we’ve just got to deflate them."

Bills running back James Cook (4) runs the ball against the Dolphins in 2024 | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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