You might remember back before these two teams played to kick off the season that myself and Brian Galliford from Buffalo Rumblings got together for some cooperative posts about game. Those posts seemingly went over well. So Brian and I are going to give it a go once again.
What Brian and I did today was each select two key matchups for Sunday's game between the Dolphins and Bills. Below are Brian's thoughts on two matchups I selected. If you head over to Buffalo Rumblings, you can read my thoughts on two matchups that Brian highlighted.
Brandon Marshall vs Buffalo's CBs
Brian: Marshall is going to catch passes against Buffalo. He always does. He's never caught fewer than five balls in a game against Buffalo. But Buffalo's secondary remains very good - the Bills are currently the fourth-best pass defense in the NFL, and the pass rush is showing more flashes of late - and if we can hold Marshall to a similar stat line as he had in Week 1 (8 catches, 53 yards), the Bills will keep themselves in the game. The key is preventing him from making huge plays.
Steve Johnson vs Miami's CBs
Brian: Teams have focused on stopping Johnson in recent weeks, and having Roscoe Parrish and now Lee Evans out of the lineup has really hurt his production. I don't expect much from Stevie this week; he's by far the most proven receiver on the roster. Mike Nolan would be insane not to double Johnson and let the likes of Donald Jones, David Nelson and Naaman Roosevelt try to beat them. Johnson will catch a few passes, but they'll be of the short, possession-type variety.
My Quick Thoughts
Buffalo's secondary is definitely one of the most underrated in the league. But Terrence McGee is still slowly returning to form after missing time with that knee injury. And my gut just tells me Marshall is due to break out much like he did against the Jets back in week three.
Defensively, the Dolphins clearly caught a break with Lee Evans being lost for the season. The Dolphins can turn their attention to stopping the run and taking away Johnson, forcing Ryan Fitzpatrick to go elsewhere through the air. I believe the defense will do their job - as they have done the past several weeks.
The offense, though, is another story - which is why a big game from Marshall would be huge.