Opening Day for the NFL is almost here. This coming Sunday not only the rest of the league will take the field for the first time this season, but your Miami Dolphins and division rival Buffalo Bills will be facing off against each other as well.
For some this game may seem like a warmup for the rest of the season for the Dolphins, but I'm a little more careful when thinking about my prediction for the game. Miami has not won in Buffalo since 2003, and anytime you are facing a division rival on the road, it's a tough game. So no, I'm not counting the Bills out of this game by any means.
The Bills for starters have what appears to be a deadly running game, and the Dolphins will not only need to jam the middle, but set the edge when C.J. Spiller is in the game. Spiller is the X-Factor in this game for me. He has the game-breaking speed to get to the endzone from anywhere on the field. If the Dolphins can shut down the run, this game should be in hand.
The Dolphins run defense is shaping up to be stingy this year, with the addition of inside linebackers Karlos Dansby and backup Tim Dobbins, who will get the start in place of Channing Crowder on Sunday. The team has been focusing on stopping the run this pre-season, and so far, they have looked successful.
But the two big concerns for me are the running game, which has looked horrendous at times, and the secondary.
I have seen no indication that the Dolphins running game will be as dominant as it was last year during the pre-season. The ground game was in fact a weakness at times for the team, and the offense has had to stray away from running the ball a little bit at times because of the struggles.
The Dolphins will not only have to establish the rushing attack early and often to get the rest of the offense going. With the presence of Brandon Marshall drawing double teams and drawing extra players out of the box, if the Fins cannot get the running game going early, there is no excuse this time.
On the defensive side of the ball, there is only one player that can hurt the Dolphins on the Bills offense, Lee Evans. Jason Allen will be matched up on him, and Evans is known as the Dolphin Killer. I will be watching that matchup closely to see what happens there. Vontae Davis will be huge in this game. If he can shut down his man, Allen will be targeted even more, which will give him more chances to deflect the ball away, or get the interception, something he has excelled in this pre-season. Evans is again, the Bills only real threat through the air, and if the defense can shut down the run, the Bills, and their less than stellar quarterback in Trent Edwards will be forced to chuck up more balls than they would like. Allen and Davis should be feasting on Edwards and the throws he will toss their way.
In the end I think the Dolphins win the game, despite playing in Buffalo, because they are the better team from a talent perspective.
In the end, after all is said and done, I believe the final score will be 27-13, with the Dolphins pulling away in the fourth quarter for good. The Bills will keep it close throughout the game, but the final quarter will belong to Miami in this one.
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