Bills vs. Dolphins: 5 Keys to Victory in NFL Week 2

The Buffalo Bills open AFC East play by visiting the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. We have five keys to a win for the away team.

Greg Vorse | Sep 12, 2024

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The Buffalo Bills opened their 2024 season with a 34-28 home win over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, and they now prepare for a quick turnaround and a clash with the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins as they visit Florida for Thursday Night Football. Here are five keys to victory when the AFC East foes take the field Thursday night from South Beach.

Just Josh'ing Around

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It sounds simple, but let Josh Allen be Josh Allen and continue to dominate Miami the way he has his entire career. Wins aren't a quarterback stat, but when Allen starts for Buffalo vs. Miami, the good guys are 11-2 overall and 10-2 in the regular season. The Wyoming product has a passer rating north of 110 with roughly 4,000 total yards, 38 total touchdowns, and seven interceptions against the Dolphins in the regular season. If he puts up 333+ total yards and three or more total touchdowns, the flight home for the Bills should be a joyous one.

Make Tua Move

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Tua Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards in the Dolphins' Week 1 win over Jacksonville thanks in large part to his ability to be comfortable throwing the ball. The NFL average in Week 1 for separation from a pass rusher to the quarterback was 4.56 yards; Tagovailoa didn't see a Jaguars defender under that number, per NextGenStats. It's not a secret for Tagovailoa, or any passer for that matter, that if you can get him off his spot and make him go to his second or third read, your success rate goes up.

Front Four

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This is a continuation of "Make Tua Move" because the Bills getting pressure with just the front four will give Sean McDermott and Bobby Babich seven players to try and slow down the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Buffalo was amazing at getting pressure on the Cardinals' Kyler Murray last Sunday. Looking at the separation stats again, Rousseau had an average separation of 4.21 yards. Ed Oliver (4.25), AJ Epenesa (4.35), and DaQuan Jones (4.37) were all under the league average. With Taron Johnson out for the foreseeable future, being able to get home with just four or five will be a massive benefit to Buffalo.

Limit Explosive Plays

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The Dolphins had three plays of 39 yards or more on Sunday, including an 80-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill. It's no secret that when you have Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who had a 63-yard catch on Sunday, taking the top off the defense is one of your focal points. The Bills allowed zero plays of 30 yards or more against the Cards on Sunday. Whichever team can keep up their pace will have a leg up when things are all said and done on Thursday.

One Dimensional

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Miami could be down its top two running backs for Thursday and will most likely turn to veteran Jeff Wilson Jr. and rookie Jaylen Wright. Stuffing the Dolphins' run game early and making it easier to key on the pass will make the above three keys significantly easier. In his two career games against the Bills, De'Von Achane has three rushing touchdowns and a yards per carry of 8.72. His not being in the lineup would be a good thing for Buffalo.

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