Bills vs. Dolphins Final Score Prediction for Thursday Night Football in NFL Week 2 (Bet on Buffalo?)

Who will win this clash between the AFC East's top teams?

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Week 2 of the NFL season has another banger on Thursday night, as the Miami Dolphins host the Buffalo Bills in a rematch of last year’s regular season finale.

Buffalo got the best of Miami in Week 18 in 2023, winning the AFC East in the process, after the Dolphins led the division for the majority of the 2023 campaign. 

Now, Miami will look for revenge as a home favorite in Week 2 of the 2024 campaign. 

Both of these teams picked up a win in Week 1, coming from behind in their respective games to win as favorites. Buffalo failed to cover the spread against the Arizona Cardinals while the Dolphins failed to do so against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

With that in mind, who has the edge on Thursday night?

Using the latest odds – and insight from our NFL betting insiders – I’m going to attempt to predict the final score in this matchup, and hopefully it will give bettors some more clarity on which side they plan to bet on.  

Bills vs. Dolphins Odds, Spread and Total for NFL Week 2

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Bills +2.5 (-110)
• Dolphins -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Bills: +114
• Dolphins: -135

Total

• 49 (Over -108/Under -112)

Bills vs. Dolphins Final Score Prediction

It’s rare that I’ll go against SI Betting’s NFL betting insider Iain MacMillan, but this happens to be one of those cases.

MacMillan is siding with the Dolphins his Road to 272 (he picks every game of the NFL season) this week, but Buffalo is my upset pick of the week. First, here’s what Iain had to say about this matchup: 

Despite the Bills overall looking like the better team in Week 1, I'm still a believer in the Dolphins. Their offense may not have been as explosive early in the game, but I expect them to get rolling sooner rather than later.

An under-talked-about aspect of the Jaguars vs. Dolphins game was how solid the Miami Dolphins looked, allowing just 5.3 yards per play and racking up three sacks. Meanwhile, the Bills' defense has left a lot to be desired, allowing the Cardinals to put up 28 points against them.

I'm sticking with my preseason belief that the Dolphins are the best team in the AFC East, so I won't hesitate to back them as 1.5-point favorites at home on Thursday.

While the Miami defense did look good, it was also aided by a horrible fumble from Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne that would have put the Jaguars up 24-7 in the third quarter.

Jacksonville didn’t score the rest of the game, and Miami won on a last-second field goal. Sometimes it’s good to be lucky, but I don’t see that playing out against Buffalo.

While the Bills did give up 28 points to the Cardinals, some of that came on a kickoff return touchdown and they also rallied after being down 17-3. 

Josh Allen looked terrific in Week 1 even without his top weapons from last season, and let’s not forget about Buffalo’s dominance over Miami in recent seasons. 

Including the playoffs, Buffalo has won 11 of the last 12 games in this matchup, including the matchup in Miami last season. 

Plus, De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert have been banged up and not practicing, so it’s fair to wonder how effective they’ll be – if they even play – on a short week. 

Give me Buffalo to pull off the short road upset. 

Final Score Prediction: Bills 24, Dolphins 20

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