Below is my final score prediction for the Buffalo Bills matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17.
Heading into Week 17, the Buffalo Bills can control their own playoff destiny. If the Bills win this game, they solidify their position as the two seed in the AFC playoff picture. If they lose, they will need the Steelers to lose as well if they want to hang onto the two seed. Luckily, no matter what happens in Week 17, the Bills cannot fall any further than the three seed.
Coming into this game the Bills only have two players with injury designations, these players are Cole Beasley and Reggie Gilliam. Gilliam has been dealing with a lingering injury that has landed him on the injury report for multiple weeks. Beasley on the other hand, suffered an injury late in last week’s game against the Patriots that head coach Sean McDermott has described as week-to-week. It’s uncertain how long Beasley will be out past this game, but it is certain that he and Gilliam will be out for the Bills in Week 17.
As for the Dolphins, they have found themselves with a bit more crowded injury report relative to what the Bills have. The Dolphins will be entering Week 17 with 11 players on their injury report compared to the Bills who only have 5. Furthermore, the Dolphins have 4 players with an injury designation, all four, DeVante Parker, Solomon Kindley, Jakeem Grant, and former Bill Shaq Lawson will be questionable for Week 17.
If the Dolphins find themselves without Parker and Grant for this week on top of Ryan Fitzpatrick who is on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Bills defense may be able to pin their ears back and attack the Dolphins running game.
Outside of Parker and Grant, the Dolphins are very thin at the receiver position after losing Preston Williams to a foot injury earlier this season. Every Buffalo opposition knows that the best way to attack this Bills defense is on the ground, but if injuries force their hand, the Dolphins may have no other choice. This would give the Bills a significant completive advantage just in terms of player personnel alone.
With all that being said, it is still unclear just how much playing time the Bills starters will get in Week 17. As mentioned before, the lowest the Bills can drop is to the three seed, and this team has greater aspirations than just earning the two seed. This Buffalo Bills team would like to stay healthy and make a push for the Super Bowl. In order to do that, the starters may find themselves on the bench for a majority of this game.
Although the starters may not be in for the most part of this game, the Bills still have a good chance to win this game if attack the Dolphins’ weaknesses and defend against their strengths, as mentioned in my Week 17 Keys to Victory. My Final Score Prediction is for the Bills to come out victorious and round out a fantastic regular season with a narrow 27-24 win.