Dolphins Opponent Breakdown: Buffalo Bills
The Miami Dolphins will continue their tough season-opening stretch with their biggest test yet when they face the Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
The Dolphins will be looking to end a seven-game losing streak against the Bills, which included 35-0 and 26-11 decisions last Sunday.
To get some sort of answer on five major questions related to the Bills, we turned to reporter Tim Graham from The Athletic.
1. The Bills certainly have looked the part of Super Bowl favorite so far this season. In what way do you see them being better in 2022 or is it basically the same team as last year?
TG: The Bills brought a vast majority of their pieces back. The most notable subtractions were to the coaching staff, when Brian Daboll became the Giants' head coach and took some assistants with him. The transition to new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has been seamless. The Bills have been scoring with ease, getting their plays called smoothly and not wasting timeouts. Josh Allen has a tendency to make everybody look good. Von Miller has made an immediate impact in several ways, but I'll hold off on those details because I know you want to talk about him later.
2. This looks like a team without a lot of deficiencies. If you see a position or aspect of the game where the Bills are susceptible, what would it be (and you can't answer "punt coverage because they don't get a lot of practice at it")?
TG: Two muffed punts against the Titans, and the Bills recovered one of them, Alain! The biggest question remains cornerback, with a pair of rookies — first-rounder Kaiir Elam and sixth-rounder Christian Benford — forced into significant roles with star Tre'Davious White still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and veteran Levi Wallace gone to the Steelers in free agency. In Week 1 against the Rams, Benford and Elam rotated, but the Bills' pass rush was so dominant the young corners weren't tested. Last week against the Titans, they had to play at the same time when an ambulance took Dane Jackson away after a scary neck injury and held up pretty well. Micah Hyde also left the Tennessee game with a neck injury. Hyde and Jackson hadn't practiced as of Wednesday.
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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM
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3. How much has the addition of Von Miller done for the defense, beyond the obvious of adding a superb pass rusher?
TG: Bills coaches and players have marveled at Miller's leadership since he arrived. The front office has invested a lot of draft capital in young pass rushers, and there hadn't been much production aside from former Miami Hurricane Greg Rousseau. But through these first two games, we've seen second-round picks A.J. Epenesa and Boogie Basham, both of whom previously struggled to get on the field, make big plays. Miller's presence has been cited as a major reason.
4. What's the best way for defenses to deal with Josh Allen?
TG: I don't know, to be honest. I could be flippant and say they ought to sneak a 12th defender on the field or tamper with his pregame meal, but the reality is Allen can hurt an opponent even when they manage lock-down coverage and generate pressure because he can tuck it an run as effectively as most NFL running backs. He can get rattled briefly, so frustrating him with a sequence of great plays/bad bounces/controversial calls might get under his skin. But he also has shown an incredible knack, especially late in games, to shake off distraction and get back in the zone.
5. How big of a concern, if any, are the numerous injuries with which the Bills have to deal in the early part of the season?
TG: Buffalo has been incredibly lucky the past few seasons with avoiding injuries, but the list is long already. We already mentioned the secondary. The defensive line is banged up, too. Top defensive tackle Ed Oliver's ankle hasn't recovered fully yet from opening night. Two other DTs, Jordan Phillips (hamstring) and Tim Settle (calf), are uncertain. On offense, No. 2 receiver Gabriel Davis missed last week with a bad ankle, while Dawson Knox didn't practice Wednesday because of a foot. That's a lot of boo-boos for Sept. 21.
