The big day has arrived, Miami’s first playoff game since 2016 will take place on Sunday.
We won’t bore you with the question of “Can Miami Win?” because we already did enough of that the other day. Check it out, if you haven’t yet. Nothing has changed since that story and the odds remain low for a victory on Sunday. But yes, to sum it up, we’re telling you there’s a chance.
Buffalo is going to be amped up for this game after the miraculous recovery of Damar Hamlin. The 24-year old visited the team during their practice this week and word is, Buffalo players were absolutely ecstatic to see him. We’re all ecstatic about his recovery and you can only imagine the extra jolt he gave to his brothers in that locker room. Hamlin will of course not play on Sunday and there’s no word if he’ll even be at the stadium. But his presence will undoubtedly be felt regardless. The Bills would be playing hard regardless, but this can only make them try even more.
Miami is going to be without their primary QB and primary RB on Sunday. Not exactly a recipe for an upset victory, but weirder things have happened. Did you all see the Jaguars storm back from a 27-0 hole in the second half on Saturday evening? Well the odds of that happening were less than a Dolphins win on Sunday, so we have that going for us! Football is a weird game sometimes, and having nothing to lose is a good thing for an underdog. Absolutely nobody expects Miami to win on Sunday and that means they don’t really have much to fear. The Bills however would be utterly embarrassed by a defeat, or even a close game. Buffalo is expected to win this game in a rout and Miami’s locker room knows that.
Skylar Thompson is going to need to play the game of his life, and Jeff Wilson, Jr. is going to need to help him do that with a big day on the ground. Wilson can open Miami’s playbook and keep the Bills guessing if he gets off to a quick start. Thompson is no slouch, but he also is inexperienced in the NFL and this is his first career playoff game. Normally the butterflies would be going, but Thompson knows the expectations are low for him and Miami. All he has to do is play his game and let the chips fall where they may.
The Dolphins absolutely need to keep Buffalo from opening a two-score lead early, as it will be virtually impossible to fight back at that point. Yeah, the aforementioned Jaguars did it last night. However, they were playing at home and the game was expected to be close. Sunday’s game in Buffalo has a 13.5 point line and it has grown over the week. If Miami wins the opening coin toss, it may be a good idea to choose to receive. Getting Sunday’s first score could be absolutely crucial for any chance of an upset win.
Even if Miami loses, it is nice to see this team back in the playoffs finally. Enjoy Sunday’s postseason game, it’s been six years since the last one and nobody knows when the next one will be.