Dud’s Highly Biased Game Preview
So this is it. It all comes down to one last game, plus a few other games going on at the same time. This game basically decides if the Buffalo Bills will be joining the Dolphins standing naked on a tropical island balcony or playing at least one extra game. So lets see how these two teams stack up against each other.
Quarterback – Bills: At QB for the Dolphins we have the formerly retired ex Bear trying to get one last pay day before Tony Romo makes him look as dumb and unenergetic as we all know he is, Jay Cutler. At QB for the Bills the man Bills fans hate to not love and love to hate, Tyrod Taylor. Cutler in his first, and most likely only season with the Fins, has came and played slightly less mediocre as the man he replaced, Captain Mediocre himself, Ryan Tannehill. Putting up 2660 yards 19 TDs and a nice whopping 14 INTs. Leaving him with a QB rating of 80.9, leaving him with less yards less TDs and more INTs than T-hill’s avg year. Tyrod has been his normal mind numbing inconsistent, unexplainable sack escaping self. Tyrod has thrown for 2595 yards 13 TDs 4 INTs plus rushed for another 392 yards and 4 TDs. Giving him a passer rating of 88.1 and making more efficient and more productive than his opponent this week.
Running Back – Bills: There really isn’t much to discuss here. Shady (1128) has almost as many yards as the entire Dolphins (1295) team. Shady continues to be a great rusher well passed his prime and remains one of Whaley’s greatest acquisitions. I expect with everything on the line this to be one of Shadys best games as a Bill. Dolphins traded away their top RB earlier in the season in Jay Ajayi and promoted Kenyon Drake to the number 1 spot. Drake has been good with 4.8 yards per carry but just doesn’t have enough carries to put up Shady’s numbers.
Wide Receiver – Dolphins: The Dolphins WRs are very talented group led by a very good, although dirty, Jarvis Landry. Landry alone has put up twice as many yards as any WR in Buffalos stable. Buffalo traded and let go most of the receiving core before the season leaving their top receiver, rookie Zay Jones. Zay has had a very up and down season much like you would expect from a rookie. Mix that with often injured Jordan Matthews and trade deadline often injured Kelvin Benjamin its been a rough year for Buffalo’s WRs.
Tight Ends – Push: Charles Clay has had an ok season at TE catching for 494 yards and 2 Tds, leading the Bills in receiving yards combine that with Nick O’Leary’s 296 yards and 1 Tds the Bills definitely have been making use of their TEs. The Dolphins with slightly less yards, Julius Thomas with 388 yards and Anthony Fasano with 106 yards, have 1 extra TD. It’s a pretty even matchup I’d give a slight edge to the Bills but it’s a bit to close for me to objectively give the Bills.
Offensive Line – Push: Offensive may be the perfect term for both these groups. While the Bills lead the way in rushing with 1891 yards vs Dolphins 1295 yards they have also given up 43 sacks compared to Miamis 32 sacks. Buffalo’s OL will need major help coming into next season with an aging left side of the line and inadequate right side they are going to have to spend picks and money on it to avoid neglecting it much like Miami has done year after year.
Front 7 – Dolphins: On paper Miami should be worlds better than the Bills. They have big stars and some big money tied up in the line. But in reality, they are just slightly better. Both Teams have gotten to the QB 26 times but Buffalo has given up 1901 rushing yards compared to Miami’s 1642 yards. This is another area the Bills are going to have to spend some picks on both at DT and LB.
Secondary – Bills: Coming into the season this was a major area of concern for the Bills after losing most of their secondary to free agency and trades and bringing a who’s who of back ups and some rookie this looked like it could be a very bad year for the DBs but they have all stepped up nicely including Rookie of the Year candidate, and my favorite current Bills player, Tre White. The teams are pretty even in yards given up but Buffalo leads the way in interceptions with 17 compared to Miami’s 9. Giving the edge to Buffalo.
Special Teams – Bills: Miami does have a slight edge in percentage of field goals made at 90.9% versus the Bill’s 86.7%, Haus Money has made 6 more FGs giving the Bills the edge here.
Coaching – Bills: Like Gase, McDermott’s rookie season has been very respectable. The problem is Gase couldn’t overcome Tannehill’s injury and with what most seen as a much better roster even without Tannehill he has had a worse season than McD giving the edge to Coach McDermott here.
With everything on the line for one team and nothing for the other I hope to see the Bills come out and dominate. My prediction: 24-10 Bills
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