Storyline: The Dolphins’ wildcard chances will increase if they can knock off Buffalo on Saturday. But the game will be played on Lake Erie’s cold and windy shores. Written by Liam Miller, Gainesville, FL.
To say the Miami Dolphins are on a roll would be an understatement. Winners of eight of their last nine games, the Fish are in control of their own destiny heading into the last two weeks of the regular season.
This success puts the Dolphins in uncharted territory. The organization has not produced a playoff team in over a decade. But these Dolphins just secured a winning season–their first since 2008–with a 34-14 thumping of the New York Jets.
Matt Moore had a career game against the Jets (photo, ESPN)
And Miami won that game without starting QB Ryan Tannehill, who went down in Week 13 with a knee injury.
The good news is that Miami has Matt Moore, a 9-year veteran and Tannehill’s backup for the past five years. Moore has starter’s experience and it showed against the Jets. He threw for 236 yards and a career-high four TDs. Moore stepped right into the starting role and had good rapport with his receivers.
The Dolphins’ wildcard chances will increase if they can knock off the Bills this Saturday. The match-up should favor Miami because the Bills have “issues,” including rumors swirling about Rex Ryan’s job security. And QB-sniffing Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh should put on a show against Buffalo, just as they did against the Jets last week.
But the game will be played in cold and snowy Buffalo on Lake Erie’s windy shores. Playing conditions may be the reason why the betting line has held steady through the week at -3.5 Bills.
Miami needs this win.
The Dolphins will be a team to watch if they get to the playoffs. Any team on a roll is dangerous.
And this team is both.
