Week 2: Bills at Dolphins Preview
The Bills hit the road on a short week after their home opening victory to travel to 1-0 Miami for their Thursday night football showdown. They will be without starting nickel corner Taron Johnson and, most likely Dawuane Smoot for the second week in a row. The Dolphins have a few players listed as “limited” on their current injury report, most notably CB Jalen Ramsey, OL Liam Eichenberg, and LB Jaelan Phillips. The advantage that I expect the Bills to exploit in this matchup is the Dolphins' offensive line. They struggled in week 1 in the run game and gave up three sacks. Tua Tagovailoa finished the game 23-37 with 338 passing yards, but 182 came on three passes. If the Bills can limit the explosive plays and be physical at the line, they will be in a good spot to win this game. In this preview, I will cover three players to watch from both teams and my matchup of the game. Let's dive in.
3 Bills Players to Watch
RB James Cook: Cook has struggled vs the Dolphins over the first four matchups in his career, with an average of 52 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns. This will change on Thursday. The Dolphins' defense allowed 117 yards at a 4.9 yards per carry average to Jaguars RBs in their week one victory. The Bills showed in their first game that they are committed to the run game, and I expect they will start run-heavy Thursday night. Cook should have a good game on the ground and continue to be an outlet in the passing game.
WR Curtis Samuel: This is purely a gut feeling. I expect Samuel to have a big game against the Dolphins secondary. The Dolphins will focus on Coleman, Shakir, and Kincaid, opening the door for Samuel to exploit his matchup. Kader Kohou is the nickel corner for the Dolphins that will likely cover Samuel. Trevor Lawrence had a 104.2 passer rating when targeting him in coverage last week. Expect the Bills to move Samuel around to create mismatches in the passing game.
EDGE Greg Rousseau: Rousseau put the league on notice with his week one performance, likely winning him Defensive Player of The Week honors. His matchup with Austin Jackson will be a step up in competition from last week but one that he can win. Rousseau has 5.5 sacks and 18 total tackles in 6 career regular-season matchups with the Dolphins. Rousseau will have another big game against the division rival.
3 Dolphins Players to Watch
RB De'Von Achane: In the two meetings with the Bills in 2023, Achane racked up 157 yards on the ground (8.7 YPC) and 3 TDs with another 24 yards on 4 catches. He didn't have a great game on the ground in week 1 (24 yards) but did have 7 receptions on 7 targets for 76 yards. The Bills must account for him in the passing game without a true WR 3 threat. Given their offensive line issues, he will be a safety valve for Tua when things break down.
WR Tyreek Hill: An obvious choice, but it’s hard to deny Hill’s ability to take over a game with his speed. Hill was targeted 12 times against the Jaguars and ended the day with 7 catches for 130 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown that brought the Dolphins back to life. The Bills have been successful against Hill in previous matchups, with averages of 5.25 catches and 60.5 yards per game in the four regular-season matchups since joining the Dolphins. I expect this trend to continue on Thursday night.
DT Calais Campbell: I talked about Campbell earlier in the offseason about New Division Players to Know. He showed why he needs to be respected with his week one performance, racking up 3 tackles, 2 TFLs, and 1 sack. At age 38, Campbell still plays at a high level and pairs nicely with fellow DT Zach Sieler. Handling this duo will help keep the pocket clean for Allen, and open running lanes for Cook.
Matchup of the Game
QB Josh Allen vs the Miami Defense. Allen’s career stats vs the Dolphins are phenomenal. They don’t need to be restated here, but Allen needs to build off his performance from last week and continue taking what the defense gives him. He showed patience versus the Cardinals by not forcing the ball to Dalton Kincaid when they took him away and spreading it to nine different receivers. I believe the Bills will have a similar advantage this week as their offense is still unknown, especially regarding who the defense needs to hone in on. If Allen stays patient, I expect another big game from him through the air and on the ground.
Prediction: Bills 38 Dolphins 27
