News Sports writers predict the outcome of Sunday's Bills-Dolphins game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla. The Bills are a 3.5-point favorite.
Jay Skurski
It’s a bit early for a must-win game, but this is about as close as it gets for the Bills. A loss to Miami would turn the disappointment of a Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh into full-blown panic. The good news is, this looks like the right opponent at the right time. Bills quarterback Josh Allen simply owns the Dolphins. In six career appearances against them, he’s won AFC Offensive Player of the Week three times. That’s absurd.
Miami’s pass rush is not on the same level as the Steelers. That’s good news for Buffalo’s offensive line, which got worked last week against Pittsburgh. Allen said the Bills have a prideful group up front, so they’ll be eager to put in a better performance against Miami. Buffalo’s defense played well enough to win in Week 1. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a pretty good showing against New England last week, but he’s probably not keeping defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier up at night. The key against Miami will be to win the turnover battle. If that happens, Allen and Co. should have some short fields to work with. When that happens, the offense needs to do better in the red zone – it went just 1 for 4 in the opener. Bills, 30-21.
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Katherine Fitzgerald
The Bills pick up their first win of the season on the road in Miami, eking out a win over the Dolphins. The Buffalo offense looks closer to what it did last season, as this week it is able to capitalize on red zone opportunities. Quarterback Josh Allen shakes the Week 1 performance, and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders gets his first touchdown as a Bill.
The Bills still rely far more on the passing game, with running the ball a bit of an afterthought, but the offensive line holds up slightly better than against the Steelers. Still, the Dolphins defense is able to continue its takeaway streak.
The Miami offense adds a layer this week with wide receiver Will Fuller set to make his Dolphins debut. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is able to make some big plays against the Bills defense, but overall, the defense gets enough stops to leave Hard Rock Stadium with the win. Bills, 27-24.
"Here we are in 2021, and Bills-Dolphins is pretty hot again for a couple reasons," writes Mark Gaughan.
Mark Gaughan
I like the Bills to bounce back. I think very few teams can duplicate what the Steelers defense did last week, meaning very few can get that much pressure rushing just four men. But I think Miami's defense will spring some unexpected wrinkles on the Bills. They've had nine months to stew over the 56-26 game and draw up something different for Josh Allen. Brian Daboll and Allen will have to adjust. While I think the Bills will shy away from Xavien Howard, I think they can attack the other corners – Byron Jones and slotman Nik Needham.
Road division games are battles, plus the Bills have to battle the heat. So I expect a close, nail-biting finish. Tyler Bass wins it late. But I'll take the extra half point on the spread of 3.5 and go with the Dolphins to cover. Bills, 27-24.
"Miami is also famous for post-Patriots letdowns, just 2-11 against the spread since 2013," writes Marc Lawrence.
Jason Wolf
Josh Allen has a 5-1 record against the Dolphins, and the Bills’ offense has erupted for an average of 39 points in winning each of the last five games against Miami. There’s no reason to expect that to change, especially after Buffalo was stunned in its home opener against Pittsburgh.
The Bills are motivated to prove the season-opening loss was a fluke, that the offense is better than the unit that managed just one touchdown and slogged to 16 points in Week 1, and their redemption tour begins with a resounding road victory at Miami.
Buffalo went 6-0 against the AFC East last season and the reigning division champ understands its first goal this season is to defend the division crown. Bills, 31-20.
There's been a resounding theme for the Buffalo Bills the last few days: it’s never as bad as it seems, and it’s never as good as it seems.
Rachel Lenzi
The Bills cannot afford to open the season 0-2. After showing last week that they may not be the beast of the AFC East after all, the Bills need a win that will pay dividends not just for morale, but down the road if – or maybe when – the AFC East needs to be sorted out.
The Bills’ offense has been extremely productive in recent meetings with the Dolphins, and to continue that run, the Bills have to best a good Miami defense.
The Bills will face another offense that can produce, but isn’t outstanding or overwhelming. The Dolphins had a pair of timely scoring drives in a 17-16 win last week against the Patriots, but their offense is still a work in progress. After an unexpected loss to the Steelers, facing the Dolphins should be a timely remedy. Bills, 28-14.
