Thursday Night Football: Bills vs. Dolphins
Credit: WPTV
NFL Non-Members Season Record: (5-4) (+0.63 units)
7:20PM CST: Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins -2.5; Total 48.5
The NFL is back on Thursday night, and we are set for an AFC East showdown between the Bills and Dolphins. The Bills struggled against the Cardinals at home, and the Dolphins had a tough time with the Jaguars at home, each pulling away late. How will tonight shake out?
The Bills are still transitioning into their new phase without some key offensive and defensive weapons, along with a somewhat new offensive scheme. Miami has also been trying to figure out how to attack their opposition without their pair of pass rushers, who are out due to injury for the foreseeable future.
Buffalo will again be leaning on Josh Allen, as they did against Arizona. How long will he be able to keep it up? The Bills have won nine of the last ten meetings against the Dolphins. Dominant. However, this is not the team we are used to seeing from Buffalo.
After the first half against the Jaguars, the Dolphins eventually settled down and did not allow a score in the second half. The Dolphins held the Jaguars to 139 passing yards, 129 rushing yards, and 2/10 (20%) on third down conversions. Pretty impressive defensive game.
The Bills’ defense didn’t have a terrible game either but allowed the Cardinals to convert 7/13 (54%) on third down. Buffalo also had nine penalties in the game. They played a better game than expected, especially because six of the Cardinals’ points came from a kick return for a touchdown.
Buffalo will still have a banged-up defense dealing with pass defense issues. Miami has been great at home against AFC East opponents. The Cardinals had success with the running game, so if Tua can get into a groove taking advantage of the Bills’ secondary, the Dolphins can attack on the ground as well. Although they are dealing with running back injuries, they should still be able to run the football. I also saw a couple of sportsbooks noting that Josh Allen has never lost on a Thursday either. I like how Miami can attack the Bills through the air and on the ground in this matchup. The defense held a good offense like Jacksonville in check as well. The Bills are also away from home and will be dealing with about 80% humidity during the game. Give me Miami in this one.