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The Bills finally enter divisional play today – the last team in the league to do so – as they travel south to face the improved Miami Dolphins at Dolphin Stadium. This game kicks off a pivotal stretch where the Bills will meet each of their AFC East rivals in the next three weeks, and getting off to a good start against a team still trying to find its way under a new regime is imperative because things only get tougher with the Jets and Patriots on the horizon.
BILLS ON OFFENSE
Trent Edwards is coming off the most accurate passing performance in Bills history, and now he will be facing a pass defense that ranks 27th in the NFL, gave up 361 yards to Arizona's Kurt Warner, 371 yards to Houston's Matt Schaub, and is thin right now at CB. The Bills have gained at least 277 yards in all six games, a figure they surpassed six times all of last year. The main reason has been Edwards' passing efficiency, but it would be a good idea for the Bills to try to get their running game going today. The Dolphins will probably be without NT Jason Ferguson, so they could be vulnerable in the middle with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson alternating carries and staying fresh. Also, ball control in the heat would help the Bills defense get some rest. The offensive line needs to have a good day because the Dolphins' LB corps is solid with Joey Porter, Akin Ayodele, Matt Roth and Channing Crowder, and they will be filling running lanes on run blitzes. San Diego didn't touch Edwards last week, but the Dolphins have 16 sacks and they can generate pressure with their blitz packages. If the Bills have to max protect, WRs Lee Evans (8 TDs in 8 career games against Miami), Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish have to be on their games and getting open against man-to-man coverage.
DOLPHINS ON OFFENSE
Since the advent of the Wildcat formation that puts RB Ronnie Brown at QB and taking direct snaps, the Dolphins are averaging 395 yards per game on offense after averaging just 257 in losing their first two games of the season before the Wildcat debuted. One of the keys for Miami is its ability to run out of that alignment, though it didn't work so well last week against Baltimore. In the two games it won against New England and San Diego, Miami averaged 191.5 yards rushing. In the four losses, that average plummets to 72. The Bills have been good against the run as only two opponents have surpassed 100 yards, but Brown and tag-team partner Ricky Williams will test their mettle. The Dolphins will not be one-dimensional, though. QB Chad Pennington is 2-6 with nine career turnovers all-time against the Bills (all with the Jets), but he can still be effective in a short passing game, especially if the Bills don't get pressure on him. In the last four games Pennington's passer rating of 108.8 is the best in the league as he seems to be getting into sync with teammates who he just joined midway through training camp. WR Greg Camarillo, who was a college teammate of Edwards' at Stanford, leads the Dolphins with 27 catches, though his long is a mere 33 yards.
BILLS ON OFFENSE
Trent Edwards is coming off the most accurate passing performance in Bills history, and now he will be facing a pass defense that ranks 27th in the NFL, gave up 361 yards to Arizona's Kurt Warner, 371 yards to Houston's Matt Schaub, and is thin right now at CB. The Bills have gained at least 277 yards in all six games, a figure they surpassed six times all of last year. The main reason has been Edwards' passing efficiency, but it would be a good idea for the Bills to try to get their running game going today. The Dolphins will probably be without NT Jason Ferguson, so they could be vulnerable in the middle with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson alternating carries and staying fresh. Also, ball control in the heat would help the Bills defense get some rest. The offensive line needs to have a good day because the Dolphins' LB corps is solid with Joey Porter, Akin Ayodele, Matt Roth and Channing Crowder, and they will be filling running lanes on run blitzes. San Diego didn't touch Edwards last week, but the Dolphins have 16 sacks and they can generate pressure with their blitz packages. If the Bills have to max protect, WRs Lee Evans (8 TDs in 8 career games against Miami), Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish have to be on their games and getting open against man-to-man coverage.
DOLPHINS ON OFFENSE
Since the advent of the Wildcat formation that puts RB Ronnie Brown at QB and taking direct snaps, the Dolphins are averaging 395 yards per game on offense after averaging just 257 in losing their first two games of the season before the Wildcat debuted. One of the keys for Miami is its ability to run out of that alignment, though it didn't work so well last week against Baltimore. In the two games it won against New England and San Diego, Miami averaged 191.5 yards rushing. In the four losses, that average plummets to 72. The Bills have been good against the run as only two opponents have surpassed 100 yards, but Brown and tag-team partner Ricky Williams will test their mettle. The Dolphins will not be one-dimensional, though. QB Chad Pennington is 2-6 with nine career turnovers all-time against the Bills (all with the Jets), but he can still be effective in a short passing game, especially if the Bills don't get pressure on him. In the last four games Pennington's passer rating of 108.8 is the best in the league as he seems to be getting into sync with teammates who he just joined midway through training camp. WR Greg Camarillo, who was a college teammate of Edwards' at Stanford, leads the Dolphins with 27 catches, though his long is a mere 33 yards.
