Few people expected the Miami Dolphins to travel north for today’s Buffalo Bills game 1-0. Their season-opening showdown against the Patriots was supposed to send them into Week 2 looking to even their record. For that matter, it wasn’t clear Buffalo would enter today’s Dolphins game 1-0 either. The result is one of the most unexpected matchup of 1-0 teams this week.
The Dolphins last week dominated the second half against New England. Miami outscored the Patriots 23-0 and outgained them 222 yards to 67 yards during the final two quarters. The result was a 33-20 victory against one of the NFL’s better teams, and it marked the first time New England had lost a season opener since 2003.
The difference for Miami was running back Knowshon Moreno. Miami’s primary RB rushed for 134 yards and scored a fourth-quarter touchdown when the Dolphins needed it most. His performance actually led Miami to have the fourth-ranked ground game in the league heading into today’s Dolphins / Bills game.
Fortunately for Buffalo, the Bills’ rushing game is ranked third. Last weekend Buffalo ran the ball 33 times for 193 yards compared to gaining just 167 yards passing on quarterback EJ Manuel’s 16-for-22 performance.
Although 38 of those yards came on a last-minute dash by Fred Jackson, the 23-20 win last Sunday over the Chicago Bears showed the Bills are capable of racking up yards on the ground.
Buffalo may be able to continue that in today’s Dolphins / Bills game. Last weekend Miami lost starting linebackers Danell Ellerbee and Koa Misi to injury. The Dolphins still have defensive end Cameron Wake roaming the front, but if the Bills can break through the line they may find room to run.
You can catch the Miami Dolphins’ trip to the Buffalo Bills on TV on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST. You can also watch Dolphins vs Bills online free live stream Week 2 using the CBS Sports website or DirecTV’s website. The latter requires you to have an NFL Sunday Ticket MAX package, which requires a subscription. All subscribers can watch the game online free via the DirecTV live stream if they’re stuck using a smartphone, tablet or PC.
