Bills Host Dolphins in AFC Wild Card on Sunday

The Bills and Dolphins will meet for the third time this season in the NFL’s wild card weekend. Both AFC East team’s vie for a spot in the divisional round, but the Bills are playing for much more than another home playoff game.

Bills

After Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field at Paul Brown stadium just 10 days ago, the Bills reeled off an impressive 35-23 over division rival New England Patriots in his honor. Hamlin is doing better and so are the Bills.

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Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 19/31 passes for 254 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on the day. While, Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs hauled in seven catches for 104 yards and one touchdown.

Now, Buffalo will open its quest for a super bowl against a familiar foe.

Allen was asked about the Bills approach ahead of his team’s upcoming game against the Dolphins.

“Guys don’t want to go home, we’re playing for each other, we love each other and we got a job to do,” Allen said.

The teams split the season series 1-1.  The latest matchup on December 17 saw the Bills squeak out a 32-29 victory in Western New York. Bills Kicker Tyler Bass drilled a 25 yard attempt as time expired. Here’s what Allen had to say about his division rivals.

Since dropping two straight to the Jets and Vikings in the middle of the season, the Bills have won six straight. Allen cites ball security as the primary focus to win on Sunday.

Additionally, Allen expects the game to be a battle for all 60 minutes.

“We know its gonna be a dog fight,” he said.

Dolphins

The Dolphins will be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) on Sunday. That means rookie seventh round pick Skylar Thompson will earn his third start of the season. Thompson started week 18 against the Jets and completed 20/31 passes for 152 yard in the Dolphins 11-6 victory over the Jets.

Although the win wasn’t pretty, Thompson was able to lead the Dolphins down the field for a 50 yard go-ahead field goal by Jason Sanders. The win secured the Dolphins the final wildcard spot in the AFC and snapped a five game losing streak.

PLAYOFFS BOUND‼️ pic.twitter.com/WDl1xp0pHu

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 8, 2023

After an impressive 8-3 start to the season, the Dolphins lost five consecutive games and were in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. With Tagovailoa out, the Dolphins are expected to struggle against a top 10 Bills defense.

Additionally, the Dolphins will have to stop Allen and the big-play-threat of the Bills offense. ESPN Analytics gives the Dolphins a measly 4.3% chance to win.

Game Details

The Miami Dolphins will take on the Buffalo Bills at Orchard Park on Sunday. The game will be aired on CBS at 1 p.m.