NEW YORK —— The Miami Dolphins, the No. 7 seed, are gearing up for their first playoff game since 2016 against the second-seeded Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and they’ll have to do so without Tua Tagovailoa, who remains in concussion protocol. This AFC Wild Card Playoffs game will be live on CBS at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, starting at 1:00 PM ET.
Instead, Miami will put their faith in seventh-round draft pick Skylar Thompson, who completed 20 of 31 passes for 152 yards in the Dolphins’ win last week that clinched their playoff spot. Thompson has just one touchdown and three interceptions in seven appearances (two starts) during the regular season.
The Dolphins (9-8) will have to try to take down the Bills, who have been on a roll lately. Buffalo ended the regular season with a seven-game winning streak and the emotional boost of safety Damar Hamlin’s discharge from the hospital after suffering a cardiac event in a Week 17 game against the Bengals. – Read more: Emotional video shows players praying and crying after Damar Hamlin’s collapse
In addition, the Bills (13-3) returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in their Week 17 win against the Patriots, one of Nyheim Hines’ two return scores on the day.
The Bills and Dolphins split their season series, with Josh Allen having 400 passing yards in the Dolphins’ win and throwing for four touchdowns in the Bills’ win. Allen is 8-2 in his career against Miami, who ranked second in the NFL this season in blitz rate.
Buffalo has been Super Bowl favorites since the offseason and boast the second-ranked scoring offense (28.4 points per game) and the second-best scoring defense (17.9 points allowed).
The Dolphins started the season 8-3, with the addition of Tyreek Hill helping to boost the offense before Tagovailoa’s head injuries. However, the Dolphins’ injury woes run much deeper than the quarterback position.
Leading rusher Raheem Mostert (891 yards) has a broken thumb, and several other key players – such as linebacker Bradley Chubb and offensive linemen Terron Armstead, Liam Eichenberg, Kendall Lamm, and Brandon Shell – are also dealing with injuries.
Miami will need to put together a complete team effort if they have any chance of upsetting the Bills in this playoff matchup.
