Week 11: Bills vs. Dolphins
at
Thursday, Nov. 13th
8:25pm ET
You don't usually have must win games this early in the 2nd half of the season but that is what this game is. The Bills and Dolphins are both in that situation after both teams suffered devastating losses on Sunday after leading in the fourth quarter. Which team bounces back mentally first will have the best shot at winning this game on a short week.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (5-4) vs. Miami (5-4)
Place: Sun Life Stadium
TV/Radio: Network: NFLN; DirecTV: 212; Sirius: 93
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Tracy Wolfson
Spread: Dolphins by 6
Series: Dolphins Lead 56-40-1 (Bills 3-1 in playoffs)
Streak: Bills Won 3
Last Meeting: Bills 29-10 in Buffalo (2014)
Dolphins Offense: Rush (7th); Pass (20th); overall (14th)
Dolphins Defense: Rush (10th); Pass (2nd); overall (4th)
Bills Offense: Rush (20th); Pass (18th); overall (23rd)
Bills Defense: Rush (8th); Pass (7th); overall (6th)


INJURY UPDATE

The Bills will likely be without Marquise Goodwin and Jairus Wynn after they got hurt in the loss to the Chiefs. Goodwin suffered a ribs injury while Wynn hurt his knee. Goodwin is practicing some. Sammy Watkins and Fred Jackson played against Kansas City with groin injuries but one or both may be hobbled again on a short week. Ron Brooks and Marcus Easley are also still battling injuries. Brooks has a groin injury while Easley has missed six games with a sprained MCL. Easley will likely be healthy enough to play if needed.

The Dolphins suffered a devastating injury in their loss to the Lions when their start left tackle Branden Albert suffered a torn ACL and MCL and is out for the year. G Daryn Colledge (Back) and CB Cortland Finnegan (Ankle) both missed practice time in this short week putting their status up in the air for this game.

Check out our Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.

KEY MATCHUPS

RT Seantrel Henderson vs. DE Cameron Wake:
Henderson did pretty well against the NFL sack leader on Sunday and now faces another of the better pass rushers in the league in Wake. He has 8½ sacks on the season.

WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Brent Grimes:
Watkins needs to bounce back from a sub par outing on Sunday and his health may have had a lot to do with that performance. If he's healthy he needs to make a few big plays against the veteran Grimes.

DE Mario Williams vs. RT Dallas Thomas:
Williams gets to go up against a man making his first start at tackle as Thomas kicks outside from guard.

DE Jerry Hughes vs. LT Ju'Wuan James:
With Thomas playing right tackle, James moves to left tackle to replace the injured Albert. Hughes gets the matchup with the rookie switching sides to protect Ryan Tannehill's blind side. Both of Buffalo's ends should have the advantage against the out of place tackles for Miami.

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Pressure Tannehill: The Bills usually bring out the worst in Tannehill and if they continue to get relentless pressure on him like they have in the past it will go a long way in pulling out the victory. Tannehill has completed only 52.4% of his passes against the Bills and has been sacked 18 times in just five game. The shuffle of the Miami offensive line should help the Bills succeed at this goal.

2. Finish Drives! The Bills red zone difficulties on offense have been well documented as they are dead last in the NFL with a 41.2% touchdown rate inside the opponents 20 yard line. They were 0 for 4 last week they need to have success in that role in order to get the road win in prime time. They need to keep Mike Williams active and use him on the goal line that is why they traded for him.

3. Establish Running Game: They have had success against Miami in the past two years because they have been able to run the football. They got their running game back on track last week and if they can continue that success it should make things easier on Kyle Orton.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

This will be a tough one for the Bills as road teams don't normally play well on Thursday night games. Miami is playing much better than they were when the Bills beat them in Buffalo week two but the Bills seem to have the Dolphins number over the past few years. The more mentally tough team will win this and I think the Bills have been resilient this year and will find a way to win it:
Bills 21, Dolphins 17

Season Prediction Record: (2-7)
Season Record Against The Spread: (2-7)

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