The Miami Dolphins know that better than anyone as they get ready to face off against a bitter division rival like the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
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The out of the ordinary (at least in recent memory) hype and attention the Bills received the past few weeks may have been a bit premature.
– One game into his Buffalo Bills career, quarterback Tyrod Taylor had a sterling debut and didn’t show much weakness. Jacksonville QB Blake Bortles threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns in an upset of the Dolphins last week. The Dolphins haven’t been consistent running ball – they’re ranked 30th in the National Football League – but the passing game has been solid when Tannehill’s had adequate pass protection. But if Tannehill is going to create more big plays while maintaining his completion percentage and avoiding mistakes-he hasn’t thrown an interception yet this season, although as mentioned there’s some good fortune involved there-then there’s reason to be more optimistic about giving points with Miami.
Sammy Watkins atoned for his zero catch performance in Week 1 with a 6/60/1 line against the Patriots last week. Through the first two weeks, the Bills haven’t really done any special matchups for their opponents wide receivers, mostly playing a left-right system with their starting cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. Patriots beat the Bills 40-32.
When Taylor does pass the ball, he has outstanding weapons in Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin and Robert Woods.
In their first game of the season, the Bills were able to get past the Indianapolis Colts, but that was with the help of three turnovers.
The Dolphins’ defensive struggles, meanwhile, have come against the run – an area they expected to be a strength following the $114 million signing of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Jordan Reed snagged seven receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 1, and I expect Clay’s stat line to fall somewhere in between.
Problems: After catching six passes for 51 yards and a score in the Seahawks’ season-opening loss against St. Louis, Graham was held to only one reception for 11 yards in their defeat at Green Bay … As such, he should be considered an extremely risky, touchdown dependent, TE2 for Week 2. Defensively, Buffalo is allowing 27 points and 405.5 yards per game. As Kyle Williams said, “We can’t turn one loss into two”, so you better believe the Bills are as focused as ever on getting the W to rise in the AFC East. He’s actually been outplayed by Mitchell through two games. For the Bills, there’s nowhere to hide for Ryan Tannehill. This makes the Dolphins one-dimensional and puts a lot of pressure on Ryan Tannehill and their young receiving corps.
Bills coach Rex Ryan disputed the notion Suh isn’t the same player he was with the Detroit Lions.
Ryan Tannehill is off to a strong start, as is Jarvis Landry.
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On offense the Bills have been highly productive on the ground, managing 307 yards rushing through two games. If there is one player who the Bills should be anxious about on Sunday, it’s Landry.
