There is still plenty of football to be played, but Sunday's divisional showdown between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills has a ton of early playoff implications. With both teams at 3-4 and on the periphery of a closely bunched AFC wild card race, neither can afford to lose this game and slip further behind in the standings.
Dolphins vs. Bills 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Bills and Dolphins are at a crucial point in their seasons, needing a win on Sunday to keep within shouting distance of a playoff spot.
This is a true gut-check game for the Dolphins, who need to regroup after they came crashing back to earth with a mistake-filled 36-7 loss to the New England Patriots last Thursday night. Miami had won its first two games by a combined 82 points under interim coach Dan Campbell before getting crushed in Foxborough.
The Dolphins probably aren’t as bad as they looked in that humbling defeat last week, but also aren’t as strong as they appeared to be during their mini-hot streak in the prior two games -- the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Miami is at a make-or-break point in its season, needing to rebound from this adversity to set up a successful run down the stretch.
That task got a lot tougher this week with the loss of defensive end Cameron Wake to a season-ending Achilles injury. Wake was the unquestioned leader of the defense on and off the field. He had a team-high seven sacks -- more than the rest of the entire defense combined -- and was a huge presence in the locker room. There is now even more pressure on Ndamukong Suh and Olivier Vernon to step up their production and solidify the Dolphins' front seven.
Although Miami is likely out of the division race with the unbeaten Patriots holding a commanding lead, it still has a good shot to make a push for a wild card spot. Their second-half schedule sets up favorably with a combined opponents' win percentage of .448, the fifth-easiest remaining slate in the league. Only two teams left on their schedule currently own winning records (Patriots and New York Jets).
The Bills, on the other hand, are in a much worse situation schedule-wise. Five of their final eight games are on the road, including an upcoming three-game gauntlet that includes back-to-back-to-back trips to New York, New England and Kansas City. Football Outsiders rates their future schedule as the second-hardest in the NFL, accounting for both their remaining opponents and the remaining split of games home and away.
The next three contests on their schedule, including Sunday’s battle with Miami, could decide their fate this season. And based on Rex Ryan’s awful record coming off bye weeks, that sets up poorly for the Bills. Ryan went 1-5 in games immediately following the bye with the Jets and, more critically, has a 5-13 career record in the first three games after a bye.
Buffalo did get one piece of good news this week: Tyrod Taylor is expected to start after missing the last two games with a knee injury. The Bills lost both games in his absence with backup EJ Manuel under center. Taylor had been one of the most effective signal callers in the league before he went down, ranking in the top 10 in passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt among qualified quarterbacks through the first five weeks.
How to Watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
TV: CBS
Commentators: Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots
Online: NFL Game Pass
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