Its week two of the NFL, Josh Allen and the Bills are in Miami, Florida to take on Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins to start the action off.
The Buffalo Bills are the defending four-time AFC East champions and the narrative surrounding Miami is that they cannot beat Buffalo, and the stats support this claim. Josh Allen holds a dominant 10-2 record against Miami and hasn’t lost to the divisional rival since September 2022. Allen has never scored less than two touchdowns in a matchup with Miami, so it seems safe to say that Allen is always prepared to defend the Bills’ title of Kings of the AFC East.
Tagovailoa on the other hand holds an abysmal record of 1-6 in seven career starts against the Bills. He also seems to have issues protecting the ball in this divisional matchup considering his seven interceptions in as many starts. Despite this, and given the Bills depleted receiver core as well as an increased reliance on Josh Allen for wins, Miami comes in as the slight favorites at home.
Bills Injury Report
The Bills’ most recent injury report have seven players listed, but only two have been listed as out. DE Dawuane Smoot is out with a toe injury as well as cornerback Taron Johnson with a forearm injury. This presents opportunities for Miami’s lightning fast receiving core to capitalize on, which should translate into a higher scoring affair.
Josh Allen hurt his non-throwing hand in the game against Arizona on Sunday, and practiced with a protective glove. He has been a full participant in practice and is fully expected to play tonight.
Backup QB Mitch Trubisky was a full participant in practice as he deals with a knee injury, TE Quintin Morris was a full participant with a shoulder injury, and DE Javon Solomon is listed as doubtful with an oblique injury.
Running-back Ty Johnson was a limited participant in practice with a knee injury, potentially giving more opportunities to James Cook for a productive night on the ground.
Dolphins Injury Report
Miami comes into this game just slightly more banged up than Buffalo, with eight players listed on the injury report, two listed out.
DB Elijah Campbell is questionable with an Achilles injury along with Devon Achane who is questionable with an ankle injury. Achane’s injury may have a negative impact on the running game for Miami since the RB Achane tends to split snaps with, Raheem Mostert is listed as Out with a injury to the chest. Wide receiver Malik Washington is still battling a quadricep injury and will not play, but Waddle and Hill should be able to overcome the rookie’s absence.
O-lineman Liam Eichenberg with a shoulder injury, LB Jaelan Phillips with an Achilles injury, and star CB Jalen Ramsey with a hamstring injury were all limited participants in practice. The injury to Ramsey should be something the Bills offense is aware of when trying to establish the deep ball tonight, as long as they also stay aware of their former long-time teammate S Jordan Poyer who has relocated to Miami and has insider information on the Bills.
Linebacker David Long finishes the injury report off with a finger injury but participated fully in practice.
WUFO Predictions
WUFO’s Coach Muki is calling for a 2-0 start to the season for the Bills with a score prediction of 34-26
Raven on the other hand, does believe in a 2-0 start, but with a bit more dramatics. I am calling for a tight game that ends in favor of Buffalo 29-24. While it is only week two, this is one of the more important games of the season for these two teams as Buffalo looks to continue to run the AFC East and Miami looks to dethrone the division champs. Divisional wins impact playoff seeding later on and I expect both clubs to treat this as a must-win.
The New York Jets were a popular preseason favorite to win the AFC East, but after a disaster start, its pretty clear to me that the title will either stay in Buffalo or move to Miami; this game will go a long way in deciding that. NFL Fans are in for a treat to welcome us back to Thursday Night Football on Prime.
Both predictions smash the over on the 48.5 line for the matchup, something to consider when working on a parlay tonight.
Game Information
WHEN: Thursday, September 12th 2024 at 8:15 PM
WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium
WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime Video & Fubo
Written By: Raven Ullah, WUFO Intern
