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Week 12: Bills vs. Dolphins
 at 
Sunday, Nov. 29th
1:00pm ET
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The surging Miami Dolphins head to Ralph Wilson stadium to face the struggling Bills. Miami got their first win of the season against the Bills and used it as a spring board to winning five of their last seven to pull even on this season. The Bills have been a team in flux and will try to get interim head coach Perry Fewell his first victory. Miami has had extra time to get ready for this game since they last played last Thursday night in a win over Carolina.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (3-7) vs. Miami (5-5) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Television: |
CBS |
| Announcers: |
Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker |
| Spread: |
Dolphins by 3 |
| Series: |
Dolphins lead 53-37-1 (Bills 3-1 in playoffs) |
| Streak: |
Dolphins Won 3 |
| Last Meeting: |
Dolphins 38-10 in Miami (2009) |
| Dolphins Offense: |
Rush (4th); Pass (30th); overall (23rd) |
| Dolphins Defense: |
Rush (12th); Pass (22nd); overall (19th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (21st); Pass (25th); overall (28th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (31st); Pass (9th); overall (25th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills lost two guards for the season in last week's loss to Jacksonville as Eric Wood and Seth McKinney bring the total number of players on injured reserve to 14. They join Keith Ellison, Derek Fine, Kawika Mitchell, Marcus Buggs, Leodis McKelvin, Derek Schouman, and Brad Butler as players who are out for the season. Marshawn Lynch (shoulder) and John McCargo (calf) also were hurt last week and will likely be gametime decisions. Demetrius Bell (knee) and Ashton Youboty (ankle) remain out after suffering injuries in Tennessee. Terrence McGee hopes to return this week after having knee surgery over the bye week.
The Dolphins lost DT Jason Ferguson for the season after he suffered a quadriceps injury last week. They were already without starting RB Ronnie Brown who has been lost for the season with a Lisranc fracture. G Joe Berger and C Jake Grove both left last week's game with injuries. TE Anthony Fasano missed their last game with a hip injury. LB Erik Walden and DL Paul Soliai missed last week's game as well.
Check out our  Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.
KEY MATCHUPS
LB Paul Posluszny vs. RB Ricky Williams:
With Brown on the shelf Williams is now the feature back and looks to build on an impressive performance last week against Carolina. Poz had perhaps the best game of his career last week and if he can duplicate that it could be tough sledding for Williams.
WR Terrell Owens and Lee Evans vs. CBs Sean Smith and Vontae Davis:
T.O. erupted in a big way last week and Evans had a long touchdown called back as the Bills appear ready to chuck the ball up deep more in the Ryan Fitzpatrick-Perry Fewell era. They go against two rookie corners in Smith and Davis so the opportunities for big plays should be there.
S Jairus Byrd vs. QB Chad Henne:
Byrd was banged up last week and played sparingly so his interception streak came to an end at five games. He looks to start a new streak against Henne who needs to throw the ball more out of a conventional front because of the injury to Brown.
DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Jake Long:
Schobel has struggled against the young phenom Long. He needs to make things uncomfortable for Henne so he needs to get pressure on him even if he doesn't get the sacks.
LT Jonathan Scott vs. DE Randy Starks:
Scott will man the most important position of the injury riddled offensive line and has to watch for sack leader Starks as well as OLB Joey Porter who will be coming in right behind him. A tall task indeed.
RB Fred Jackson vs. SS Yermiah Bell:
Jackson will likely be the main guy running the ball for the Bills even if Lynch is healthy enough to play. Jackson is flat out the better player and with Lynch banged up it would be a surprise if Jackson didn't get the majority touches. Bell leads the Dolphins in tackles as he comes up into the box frequently to make the plays in the running game.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: They came out throwing last week and will likely take to the air again against a pass defense that isn't one of the better one's in the league. With the offensive line so banged up the team is struggling running the football so look for Fitzpatrick to continue to take his shots deep as the Bills will likely feature the passing game.
When The Dolphins Have The Ball: Their wildcat offense has been severely hampered now that Brown is out for the season. Look for them to run a more conventional offense behind QB Chad Henne. Look for them to attack the Bills on the ground with rejuvenated RB Ricky Williams.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
The Bills return home for only the second time since early October and will look to use a little home cooking and the 12th man to get them over the hump after three straight losses. Miami doesn't usually fair well in late season games in Orchard Park and even though weather won't be a factor I smell a Bills victory as the offense will build on last week's promising performance:
Bills 27, Dolphins 20
Season Prediction Record: (5-5)
Season Record Against The Spread: (5-5)
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