The Five Biggest Storylines for the Dolphins-Bills Week 17 Matchup

The Miami Dolphins will look to clinch a playoff berth when they face the Buffalo Bills at Bills Stadium on Sunday.

The Dolphins are 10-5 and coming off their improbable 26-25 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders and will clinch the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs by defeating the Bills, otherwise they'll need for Baltimore, Cleveland or Indianapolis to lose as heavy favorites.

The AFC East champion Bills (12-3) are locked into either the second or third seed in the AFC playoffs; they will get the No. 2 seed with a victory against the Dolphins or a Pittsburgh Steelers loss at Cleveland.

Here are the five biggest storylines for the game:

1. Full control

One year after finishing 5-11, the Dolphins have put themselves in position to not only have a shot at the playoffs heading into Week 17 but even more importantly not having to rely on any other team to get in. That in itself is a major accomplishment for this organization, which clearly is way ahead in the rebuilding project it began in 2019. This is the Dolphins' first win-and-in season finale since 2008 when they pulled out a 24-17 road victory against the New York Jets to capture the AFC East title with an 11-5 record.

2. Checking on the Bills

The big variable in this game will be whatever Buffalo coach Sean McDermott came up with in terms of how much playing time he'll give to quarterback Josh Allen, wide receiver Stefon Diggs and other front-line players. We might have gotten an indication with the inactive list that the Bills won't be going full out for a win because veteran defenders Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison and Tre'Davious White all will be sitting out this game. But then ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington said on the pregame show that the Bills really want that second seed. So who know? From a practical standpoint, it would be a lot easier for the Dolphins defense to shut down Matt Barkley than Allen, who just might get some MVP notes.

3. Tua Time

Rookie first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa is going to be running the show against Buffalo, and that's going to be start to finish. The Dolphins have pulled him twice from a game to replace him with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they won't have that option in this game because Fitzpatrick is on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. This will be the coldest game Tagovailoa has played in going back to his days at the University of Alabama, though the weather could be a lot worse for a January Sunday in Buffalo.

4. Parker's Presence

The return of wide receiver DeVante Parker could be huge for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense, which has had problems producing big plays in recent weeks. This also is whether White sitting out for the Bills could make an impact.

5. Another Case for the Defense

The Dolphins will head into Week 17 in scoring defense, with a six-point lead over Pittsburgh and a seven-point advantage over the Rams, and the ability to cement that No. 1 spot in that category would go a long way toward helping deliver a win in this game. The formula needs to be the same for the Dolphins, which means the defense producing a turnover or two, succeeding on third down and making life as easy as possible for Tua and the offense.

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