While Bills fans are glad to hear that Josh Allen will be back in action for Thursday Night Football, they have bigger fish to fry as the Miami Dolphins will be docking in drier, sunny fall weather in Western New York.
Even with the Dolphins losing 10 of their last 11 games between the two squads, they still boast a solid quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa and two great wideouts in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. This AFC showdown promises to give fans an intriguing matchup to watch.
Key matchups between the Bills and the Dolphins that could change the outcome of the game
Bills' passing attack against Dolphins' defense
Against the New York Jets in Week 2, it was James Cook and the Bills' running game that carried the team against an aggressive Jets defense. The former Georgia Bulldog hit the century mark in this game for the first time this season. While the passing game was limited, Allen and the receivers did just enough to secure a comfortable win, moving the team to 2-0 on the young season.
However, this week against the Dolphins, the Bills' passing game must be able to better complement the run game as the Bills' offense seeks to continue scoring as many points as possible.
This means that the offensive line must worry about being able to protect Allen in the pocket and give him enough time to throw the deep ball against a cornerback group led by Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The running game should be the least of the Bills' concerns against a Dolphins defensive line that struggles to stop the run, much like the Jets did in Week 2. If the Bills continue to rely on their offensive line to open up holes for Cook, look for him to have his second straight game of at least 100 yards rushing.
Tua Tagovailoa vs. Bills' pass defense
The question of the day is, who are the real Miami Dolphins, and which team will show up to play the Buffalo Bills in a rocking Highmark Stadium crowd on Thursday night? Will they be the team that lays another dud game like when they lost to the Colts 33-8 in Week 1?
Or will they be the team that always plays the New England Patriots tight at home, especially in Week 2 when they lost 33-27 on a failed game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter?
The Dolphins can be whatever team they want to be as long as Tagovailoa can stay healthy all year. When he's healthy, Tua has two great outside receivers he'll always be able to rely on in Hill and Waddle.
If the Dolphins watched film on the Bills' defense in Week 2, they could see that the Jets didn't really test them by going deep against their depleted secondary. They can also see that the Bills' strengths, though, are their defensive line and linebackers, who can fly around to the ball and also create pressure on the quarterback.
If Tua wants to avoid facing all kinds of pressure, he will have to rely on his very quick release, getting the ball out of his hands before players like Joey Bosa and Greg Rousseau have time to bring him down.
Prediction
If the Bills want to win this game, they will have to continue scoring as many points as they can and get a lead big enough for the defense to be able to close out the game. If the defense doesn't, it may be a surprising high-scoring game.
That won't be the case this week, though, as the Bills win comfortably, 38-17, and move to 3-0 on the year and 2-0 against AFC East opponents.