Miami Dolphins And Buffalo Bills Wrap Up Season In AFC East Rivalry Game

There are some NFL handicappers with the opinion that you shouldn’t touch ‘meaningless’ games. We beg to differ and will offer Sunday’s AFC East rivalry game between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. Both teams are putting the wraps on substandard seasons and neither will be playing in the postseason. New England clinched the AFC East what seems like months ago so this game has no real implications in the standings whatsoever. The Dolphins’ are 7-8 and as has been the case with so many Miami teams in the past have a brutal home/road performance disparity. At home, Miami finished 6-2 SU but head into this game 1-6 ATS on the road. Buffalo is 5-10 and has demonstrated only marginally better play at home than away.

In reality, no NFL regular season game is ‘meaningless’ in much the same way that the preseason has significance. Jobs are on the line both on and off the field. Players can improve their statistics which might have financial implications for them or at the very least could enhance their position on the depth chart. Sean McDermott might not have turned the franchise around yet but the Bills have played hard for their second year coach and there’s every reason to think that they’ll compete here in what is an extremely winnable game for them.

More motivation—well liked defensive tackle Kyle Williams has announced that he’s retiring after this season which makes this game his last. Williams isn’t the kind of player that gets the blowhards on ESPN screaming and waving their arms around—he just comes to work, plays hard and is a solid citizen off the field. Here’s what the Buffalo Bills’ website had to say about him:

The veteran defensive tackle announced his retirement on Friday morning. Williams, who has established a connection with the people of Western New York like few before him have, will play in front of 70,000 screaming Buffalo fans for the final time this Sunday.

He’s the kind of player that the fans can get behind and more importantly his teammates respect. That guarantees that no one will be ‘phoning it in’ particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

One of the most underreported stories of the 2018 NFL season has been the rebirth of the Bills’ defense. Last season, Buffalo finished #26 in total defense (355.1 yards per game allowed), #20 in passing defense (230.5 yards per game allowed) and #29 in rushing defense (124.6 yards per game allowed). Entering Sunday’s game against Miami the 2018 vintage Bills’ defense has a lot to be proud of–#2 in total defense (298.7 yards per game allowed) and #1 in passing defense (182.7 yards per game allowed). The rush defense has lagged behind somewhat at #19 (116 yards per game allowed) but it’s definitely headed in the right direction.

Certainly the Bills’ defensive renaissance and the Williams retirement are factored into the NFL pointspread for this game which has Buffalo installed as a -5.5 favorite. In some circumstances and matchups that might give us pause but not this one. Miami is a strange team in that they’re not as good as their near .500 record indicates. The record might indicate that this could be a winning team with a few tweaks but the stat sheet says otherwise with the Dolphins ranked #30 in both total offense (294.2 yards per game) and total defense (391.7 yards per game). This will be the third tough defense in a row that Miami has faced and lets look at the tale of the tape: a blowout loss to the Vikings on the road and a 10 point loss to Jacksonville at home.

Miami is a team and in a broader sense a franchise that is playing out the string. The local and national NFL media is reporting that this game will be Dolphins’ head coach Adam Gase’s last and that he could be pink slipped as early as Monday. It has been suggested that Gase won’t be the only casualty as owner Stephen Ross is looking to clean house on the sideline and in the front office. Ryan Tannehill is still competing to the best of his ability but that’s not anything special under the best of circumstances. This year, he’s playing on a gimpy ankle which combined with a disinterested offensive line explains why he’s been sacked 20 times in the past five games. Buffalo has always been a tough task for Miami teams which is why they’ve won only once in the last seven years. It could be even worse this year as a visitor that just wants to get it over with faces a team that is still playing competitive football.

BET BUFFALO BILLS -5.5 OVER MIAMI DOLPHINS