Miami Dolphins must beat Buffalo Bills on "Sunday Night Football" to meet moment, make statement
MIAMI GARDENS — The Dolphins can't beat the Bills; Tua Tagovailoa can't beat the Bills; the Dolphins can't stop Josh Allen; the Dolphins and Tua can't win a big game in December or January; the Dolphins can't be trusted and will make you cry.
Does that about cover it?
"You have to earn everything you get," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said this week.
The Dolphins (11-5) can win the AFC East, make a statement, meet the moment and quiet naysayers with a home defeat of the Bills (10-6) on "Sunday Night Football."
"We have a lot of guys that have been told they can’t," Tagovailoa said this week. "A lot of guys ‘can’t do this, can’t do that.’ I think they’ve heard enough..."
So, do it.
Defeat the Bills before a national television audience in the last NFL game of the regular season. Even though Miami is 1-10 in its last 11 games against Buffalo.
"I think we do a pretty good job of understanding that each game is won in itself," McDaniel said.
So, do it.
Win the AFC East for the first time since 2008.
"I’ve been here four years and I’ve only beat (Buffalo) once," guard Robert Hunt said. "So to beat these guys, it would be a good day. I’ll have a great night if we win.”
So, do it.
Finish with 12 wins for the first time in 33 years.
Claim a top 2 AFC seed for the first time in 31 years.
"You get an opportunity to go play basically another playoff game," fullback Alec Ingold said of Sunday night.
Miami Dolphins are home underdogs to Buffalo Bills
The Dolphins are 2.5- to 3.0-point underdogs at home for reasons.
And, yes, the Dolphins have had key season-ending injuries such as those suffered by Connor Williams, Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb.
But every team has key injuries.
Buffalo will play the rest of this season without Matt Milano, Tre'Davious White and Jordan Phillips.
The Dolphins are underdogs at home, in part, because Tagovailoa is 10-9 as a starter in December and January, and 22-9 in other months.
And because Tua is 1-5 against the Bills and Josh Allen is 9-2 against the Dolphins.
Quarterback play has been advantage Buffalo in this series.
"This guy is the new John Elway on steroids," Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said of Allen. “And I don’t mean he’s taking steroids. He’s just bigger, faster, cannon for an arm, tough. He’s a dude.”
Allen, dealing with neck and finger injuries, hasn't quite been himself lately. Nor has mercurial star Buffalo receiver Stefon Diggs.
Should Jalen Ramsey shadow Stefon Diggs?
But those two have destroyed Miami for years, leading some to wonder if Miami's star cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, should shadow Diggs on Sunday.
The Bills beat the Dolphins 48-20 in Week 4.
Miami believes it's a different team now. For example, players were very early in the process of absorbing Fangio's system.
It was also the third straight time Miami had faced Buffalo on the road.
"We’ve been dangerous at home," said Miami offensive tackle Terron Armstead.
Miami has come up short in road trips to Philadelphia and Baltimore and a neutral-site game with Kansas City.
But it was only two weeks ago they made a statement by defeating Dallas at home.
Who will Miami Dolphins face in NFL Playoffs?
If the Dolphins win on "Sunday Night Football" they'll be the AFC's No. 2 seed and host Buffalo, Pittsburgh or Jacksonville in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
If the Dolphins lose to the Bills, they'll be the AFC's No. 6 seed and play a first-round game at Kansas City, where the low temperature next Sunday could be -3 degrees.
Schad: Tua Tagovailoa has already earned new contract
The nation is watching. Miami knows how important it is to meet the moment, make a statement and win an enormous game.
Dolphins edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel says the team is "hungry" and "motivated" and "we know what’s at stake, so we’re going to come out in full force.”
After a blowout loss at Baltimore, McDaniel has tried to refocus the Dolphins on the significance of one final regular-season game.
"We’re eager to press forward and do something that we feel very fortunate to do, which is compete for a division," McDaniel said. "That's something that has been on our mind since we started this in April.”
Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on social media platforms @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing.
Sunday's game
Bills (10-6) at Dolphins (11-5)
8:15 p.m., NBC; streaming on Fubo, NFL+, Peacock and YouTube Sunday Ticket outside South Florida
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagovailoa and Dolphins know all that's on line vs. Bills on Sunday
