Miami Dolphins up next for Buffalo Bills: Here’s what to know about huge AFC East showdown
ORCHARD PARK - The Buffalo Bills took care of their own business Sunday, but much to their chagrin they didn’t get much help anywhere else in their pursuit of a playoff berth.
The Bills had a fairly direct path to clinching at least a wild-card berth in Week 17, but by now you know what happened. Almost none of it worked out which prevented them from clinching a spot. They handled the first layer by defeating New England 27-21, but ultimately the Steelers beating the Seahawks 30-23 in Seattle was the killer.
However, one very important result did go Buffalo’s way. The Dolphins lost in horrific 56-19 fashion to Baltimore, so even though the Bills’ wild-card hopes are precarious at best heading into Week 18, their best possible playoff scenario remains alive.
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Buffalo Bills clinching scenarios for Wek 18
If they win at Miami in what is now the final regular-season game on the NFL schedule - the 8:20 Sunday Night Football window on NBC - they will capture the AFC East division title and will be the No. 2 AFC seed which means potentially two home playoff games.
If they don’t beat the Dolphins, they could still get in, but they would need either Pittsburgh to lose at Baltimore, or Jacksonville to lose at Tennessee. Yeah, it’s crazy that they could be the No. 2 seed, or no seed at all.
The Jaguars have played poorly down the stretch but they got things figured out in their 26-3 rout of the lowly Panthers Sunday. The Titans are walking dead at 5-11, so there wouldn’t seem to be much hope there.
As for the Steelers, the interesting part of their game will center around what Baltimore coach John Harbaugh decides to do with his starters because the Ravens have clinched the No. 1 seed and do not need to win the game. They could easily sit down, for instance, quarterback Lamar Jackson plus several other frontline players to protect them from injury, and that would give the Steelers - playing for their playoff lives - a great chance to win.
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“I feel like this is not the first time we’ve done this,” said safety Micah Hyde, recalling 2021 when the Bills won their last five games to clinch the AFC East. “We continue to build each other up and push each other to keep going the next week. Play our best ball coming into December and early January, and here we are. It says a lot about this team.”
True, but ultimately, the Bills have no one to blame but themselves for the situation they’re in. Losing to the Jets, Patriots and Broncos is why they are 10-6 and not already division champs, plus in position to win homefield advantage throughout.
Here’s an early look ahead to the Bills matchup with the Dolphins:
Top players for Miami Dolphins on offense, defense
∎ QB Tua Tagovailoa: The lefty leads the NFL with 4,451 yards passing and a 69.6 completion percentage while also throwing 28 TDs, but he served up two picks in the nightmare loss to the Ravens while playing without a couple key performers.
∎ RB Raheem Mostert: One of those players missing in Baltimore is one of the NFL’s most prolific scorers. Mostert leads the league with a franchise-record 18 rushing TDs and his 21 total TDs are tied with Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers. He also has 1,012 yards rushing, but knee and ankle injuries will likely make him questionable this week.
∎ RB De’Von Achane: Not a bad backup if Mostert can’t play. The rookie, one of the fastest players in the NFL, has missed six games with injuries yet still has 744 rushing yards with an incredible 8.0 yards per carry average.
∎ WR Tyreek Hill: Arguably the league’s most dynamic WR, Hill has been battling an ankle injury but he played against the Ravens. He has 112 catches for 1,717 yards and 12 TDs.
∎ WR Jaylen Waddle: Another key player who missed the Ravens game, Waddle is Hill’s running mate with 72 catches for 1,014 yards and four TDs, but he has a high ankle sprain.
∎ DT Christian Wilkins: One of the keys to Miami’s No. 7-ranked run defense (95.1 yards allowed per game) and he also has eight sacks.
∎ DE Emmanuel Ogbah: With star edge rushers Bradley Chubb (11 sacks) and Jaelan Phillips (6.5) out for the season, Ogbah - who was a healthy scratch in Baltimore - needs to step up. He has 5.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble this year.
∎ LB David Long: Miami’s leading tackler with 102 pairs with Andrew Van Ginkel (68 tackles, 6 sacks) to give defensive coordinator Vic Fangio two athletic linebackers who fly around the field.
∎ CB Jalen Ramsey: Still one of the best cover CBs in the NFL, he has allowed only 46.4% of the passes into his coverage area to be completed and you can be certain that he’s probably going to match up with Stefon Diggs. Since his return in late October from a knee injury the Dolphins have risen from 20th in pass defense to 12th as they now allow just 213.5 yards per game.
∎ S Jevon Holland: Pro Football Focus has him as Miami’s top-graded pass defender because he always seems to be around the ball.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Dolphins?
The Bills have opened as a 3-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-155 (bet $155 to win $100) and Dolphins plus-135 (bet $100 to win $135). The over-under is 49.5.
What time does the Bills vs Dolphins game start?
Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.
How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins game on TV, streaming
∎ Cable/Network TV: NBC. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WHEC (Channel 10, Rochester), WGRZ (Buffalo area), WSTM (Syracuse area), WKTV (Utica area), WETM (Elmira area), WNYT (Albany area), and WBGH (Binghamton area).
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
∎ TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Peacock.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Dolphins game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 81 and XM channel 226 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 85 and XM channel 225 (Dolphins feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who do the Bills play next? Playoff push moves on vs Dolphins, Week 18
