Above Image Credit: SI (Sports Illustrated)

When: Thursday, Sept. 12th, 8:15 PM EST

Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)

Channel: Prime Video (click here to subscribe)

Thursday Night Football returns with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Miami Dolphins!

From One Misfortune to Another?

The Dolphins are looking to put the events from this past Sunday behind them when they take on their biggest rival in the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills.

Before gaining their first win on Sunday, WR Tyreek Hill was handcuffed by Miami-Dade police for a traffic violation hours before kickoff. Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith attempted to de-escalate the situation only to end up in handcuffs too. They were all released in time for the game.

Since that day, the team has continued to support their own. However, they will be without some of their own Thursday night.

RB Raheem Mostert has been ruled out due to a chest injury along with WR Malik Washington due to a quadriceps injury. RB De’Von Achane is questionable with an ankle injury but was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Only time will tell if he will take the field.

Buffalo’s Dominion Over Miami

It’s no secret that for the last several games, the Bills had a hold over the Dolphins. Why would that be?

It could be that the defense hasn’t always found the answer to stopping QB Josh Allen and the Bills offense. Perhaps the Dolphins offense isn’t fast enough to outrun the Bills defense.

Whatever the reason may be, the Bills have defeated Miami in 13 of their last 15 meetings. Nine of those last 15 meetings were decided by single digits. The Dolphins last win against Buffalo was September 2022.

This past Sunday, the Bills defense recorded four sacks on route to defeating the Arizona Cardinals. That alone would make the Dolphins nervous. Not to mention that Allen did two rushing and passing touchdowns in one day.

Allen’s plays combined with the Bills defense makes them one of the NFL’s top teams. If the Dolphins can’t find a solution to beat them like they did in 2022, Buffalo will still own them.

Thursday Night Football Prediction

I believe that the Dolphins are a well-oiled machine when they have the right players on the field. Losing a star running back like Mostert is already a huge blow and losing Achane will make it more difficult if he doesn’t play.

Even if the Dolphins come in as the favorites, they still have a lot of work to do to prove they are Super Bowl contenders. An upset win against Buffalo will be the beginning of a big statement.

The Dolphins defense needs to step up this time. The best defensive players they got is Emmanuel Ogbah, Jaelen Phillips, and Kader Kohou. All they need to do to keep the Bills at bay is to target Allen and make sure he doesn’t get a chance to throw or go.

However, without Mostert and possibly Achane, the Bills defense will have an easier time slowing down the Dolphins. They will know the biggest threats to target like Hill and Jaylen Waddle and slightly easy targets like running backs Jeff Wilson, Jr. and Braxion Berrios will be a snap for them.

Final Score: Buffalo 34, Miami 31