Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 27 in Seattle.Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press
With the Bills enjoying the rarified air of having a four-win edge atop the AFC East, edge rusher Greg Rousseau figures Buffalo is challenged with facing two opponents entering Week 9.
There’s the division rival Miami Dolphins (2-5), who hit town on Sunday. And then there’s making sure to ward off any sense of overconfidence.
“It’s cool to be sure,” Rousseau said, when informed the Bills (6-2) are the league’s eighth team since realignment in 2002 to hold a four-or-more-win edge over their division through eight weeks. “But I’d say the biggest thing that comes with being up four wins is being able to battle complacency. You never know. We haven’t clinched anything.”
And forget asking Rasul Douglas, because the Bills cornerback said he doesn’t pay attention to the standings by instead asking: “We got a four-win lead versus who?”
The entire division.
“Geez,” Douglas said. “I guess at this point, you just want to keep the distance.”
The Dolphins, by comparison, certainly know the score. After blowing 10-point leads in each of their past two outings, they’re running out of margin for error to entertain thoughts of climbing back into contention.
Important as it is to remain positive, even ever upbeat quarterback Tua Tagovailoa acknowledged urgency must enter the equation.
“The thing that can become very discouraging is the message starts to sound redundant,” Tagovailoa said, referring to the numerous discussions the Dolphins have had over correcting the various issues.
“What are we going to do about it as a locker room, as a group of guys, and how do we want to change what that looks like coming this Sunday?” he said.
Injuries have been an issue, with Tagovailoa returning last week after missing four games with a concussion sustained in a 31-10 loss to Buffalo in Week 2. Turnovers are a problem, with Miami not creating enough in being tied for 26th in the NFL with five takeaways. And then there’s a once-dynamic offence which ranks last in the league in averaging fewer than 14 points an outing.
Making matters more challenging is Miami’s recent struggles against Buffalo. The Dolphins have lost 13 of 14 meetings, including a playoff loss, and have dropped eight straight at Buffalo.
“The biggest opponent that we have to overcome is ourselves, really,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
“I believe that we have the right guys to get that fixed and so we’ll press forward with no other thought, but that’s to be proud of the game we put out there and understand what it takes for this team to win against any opponent,” he added. “Long season. It’s front-loaded with results that nobody’s accepting and we have a lot of guys that are trying to be the reasons for the solution and not the reasons of the problem.”
The four-time defending AFC East champion Bills have won three straight after a two-game skid and are showing signs of establishing an attacking identity on both sides of the ball.
In their past two games, the Bills have used a balanced attack to outscore their opponents by a combined 65-20, with four touchdowns passing and four rushing, and have gained 834 yards. Their defence has allowed just 522 yards the past two outings, and has forced a takeaway in eight straight.
“Not getting complacent and not just saying things are taken care of, because they’re not,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “Anything can happen, and we got to keep our foot to the gas.”
Receiver woes
The Dolphins are still struggling to identify a No. 3 receiver to complement Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Free-agent addition Odell Beckham Jr. was expected to fill that slot, but he doesn’t have a catch in three games since being activated off the physically unable to perform list. River Cracraft, coming off a shoulder injury, could make his season debut on Sunday. “Now the band is sort of coming back together and meshing, being able to throw more routes, more timing throws with them,” Tagovailoa said. “Hopefully this Sunday we get to use the weapons that we’ve acquired this offseason.”
Miller time
The Bills are welcoming back Von Miller, who returns after serving an NFL-issued four-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Miller had three sacks before his suspension to increase his NFL active career-leading total to 126 1/2 — tied for 17th overall with Derrick Thomas. “I’m happy. I’m in a great spot. I’m healthy,” the 35-year-old said. “We got all our hopes and our aspirations in front of us, whether that’s on a team level or an individual level.”
Gotta run
The Dolphins have jumped to ninth in the NFL in rushing after three straight games with at least 150 yards rushing for the first time since 2009. Second-year running back De’Von Achane leads the team with 81 carries and 357 yards. Veteran Raheem Mostert has a team-high two rushing touchdowns. Rookie Jaylen Wright has the highest per-carry average among the three at 5.3 yards per touch.