Week 10: Bills vs. Dolphins
at
Sunday, Nov. 11th
1:00pm ET
Stats Matchup
This is a game of two teams going in the opposite directions. The Bills have won three straight and four of their last five to get to the .500 mark. Miami is one of two winless teams and are in a free fall. The Bills are sticking with J.P. Losman this week while the Dolphins are also sticking with their starter Cleo Lemon despite cries from the fans to start rookie John Beck. This could be a trap game for the Bills with a prime time battle with the Patriots lying ahead next week.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (4-4) vs. Miami (0-8)
Place: Pro Player Stadium
Television: CBS
Announcers: Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
Spread: Bills by 2½
Series: Dolphins lead 50-35-1 (Bills 3-1 in playoffs)
Streak: Bills Won 2
Last Meeting: Bills 21-0 in Buffalo (2006)
Dolphins Offense: Rush (12th); Pass (18th); overall (18th)
Dolphins Defense: Rush (31st); Pass (6th); overall (23rd)
Bills Offense: Rush (18th); Pass (29th); overall (31st)
Bills Defense: Rush (19th); Pass (29th); overall (29th)


INJURY UPDATE

The Bills are hoping that Trent Edwards injured wrist will be healthy enough for him to act as the backup QB this week but they likely won't know until later this week. John DiGiorgio suffered a concussion against the Bengals putting him in doubt for this week. Roscoe Parrish suffered a thigh contusion in last week's win, they hope he'll be back. Derek Schouman is slowed with an ankle sprain suffered against Cincinnati. Leon Joe is suffering from a back injury and remains out. Ashton Youboty hopes to work his way back on the field after missing three games with the dreaded high ankle sprain, he remains limited in practice. Peerless Price, Ko Simpson, Kevin Everett, Paul Pozluszny, Jason Whittle, and Jason Webster are among the players that are on injured reserve.

The Dolphins are getting healthier as they come back from their bye. They are expected to get DL Vonnie Holliday back this week. He has missed time with an ankle injury. Former Bill Travares Tillman remains out with a knee injury. TE David Martin is practicing and should be able to go, he's suffering from a groin injury. LB Zach Thomas is expected to play after missing the game in London with a neck injury suffered in a car accident. They are without FS Renaldo Hill and RB Ronnie Brown who are on IR.
Bills Daily Injury Page

KEY MATCHUPS

LT Jason Peters vs. DE Jason Taylor:
This is a big battle for the Bills. Peters held his own last week against Justin Smith. If he does it again against the dangerous Taylor than the Bills should be able to put up good numbers on offense.

RB Marshawn Lynch vs. MLB Zach Thomas:
Lynch is coming off his best game as a pro and should be able to put up good number against the league's 31st rank run defense. Thomas is the leading tackler for the Dolphins and will be the man the Bills have to watch out for so Lynch can get to the 2nd level on running plays.

FS George Wilson vs. QB Cleo Lemon:
Even though Jim Leonhard is healthy now it is believed that Wilson will remain as the starter in the deep middle. Lemon has been known to throw the big pick and Wilson could be watching the young QBs eyes to make a big play.

DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Vernon Carey:
The Miami offensive line has played pretty well in pass protection. Schobel needs to get pressure on Lemon to force him into mistakes and should be able to do some damage against Carey.

K Rian Lindell vs. K Jay Feeley:
The two kickers have combined for 26 field goals and just three misses between them. If this game is close, and it could be since it's on the road, it may come down to a kicker missing a field goal.

Bills Coverage Units vs. KR/PR Ted Ginn Jr.:
Another big special teams gaffe can cause the Bills to get upset this week. Ginn Jr. is the most explosive player on the Dolphins and a couple of big returns can turn the tide in this game.

GAME PLAN

When The Bills Have The Ball: Look for them to do the same things that were successful last week against Cincinnati. They will likely try to go with the long ball early to loosen up the Miami defense and that should open it up for some good runs by Lynch.

When The Dolphins Have The Ball: The Dolphins don't have a lot of playmakers on offense so look for them to go with a ball control approach to keep the Bills offense off the field and wear down the defense. Look for a heavy dose of RB Jesse Chatman who has enough talent to have a good game.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

On paper this should be an easy win for the Bills. The Dolphins aren't nearly the threat on offense that the Bengals are and the up and coming defense shut them down. Conventional wisdom says the Bills should be able to shutdown Miami's attack for that reason alone. The injury to DiGiorgio may force the Bills to scale back the defensive game plan if he's unable to go which could cause some issues defensively. Losman should play with desperation again as he continues to fight to regain total control of the starting job. That should be good news for the offense and keep the team from getting upset:
Bills 27, Dolphins 9

Season Prediction Record: (5-3)
Season Record Against The Spread: (5-3)

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