The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins will meet for the 125th time this Sunday. The teams have tied once, but the Dolphins have 62 wins and the Bills have 61 wins in the series. Of late, the Bills have had
the upper hand, as quarterback Josh Allen has led Buffalo to victory in 14 of 16 tries, which includes one playoff win.
None of the history matters this Sunday, though, as the Bills need to keep focused on the main goal, which is earning another divisional victory to keep pace with the rest of the AFC contenders. Buffalo trails the New England Patriots by half a game in the AFC East, and with New England possessing the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL, the Bills need to stack wins where they can.
If Buffalo’s going to come out on top this week, they might need some help from some unusual suspects, given the number of injuries the team has at the moment. Here are our five players to watch this week.
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RB Ray Davis
If he’s fully healthy, James Cook is going to shoulder most of the load as he has all season. However, if the Bills have any doubts about his health, it might make sense to give Davis a little more work this weekend. He’s been relegated to kickoff return duty and mop-up work in 2025, playing on just 65 total offensive snaps so far. Davis has 22 carries for just 46 yards, a far cry from his solid, if unspectacular rookie season (113 carries, 442 yards, three touchdowns).
Cook will likely play, but it wouldn’t surprise me if his snaps are limited in an effort to manage the ankle injury. Davis might have an opportunity this Sunday to earn some more touches moving forward.
WR Curtis Samuel
Samuel didn’t see many targets or catch many passes in Week 9, but what he did do was draw plenty of attention. While he caught his only target for a six-yard gain, Samuel was utilized by offensive coordinator Joe Brady to clear out the underneath routes, as the Bills took advantage of Samuel’s 4.31 speed in the passing game.
If he can stay healthy, Samuel adds a speed and separation element that only one other wideout (Elijah Moore) on the current roster offers. Samuel might be in line for some more involvement as this season progresses, but again, that hinges on his ability to stay healthy. The Bills should take advantage of his good health right now.
DE Javon Solomon
Injuries at defensive end will lead to someone seeing additional snaps. While injuries to Michael Hoecht (Achilles) and A.J. Epenesa (concussion) likely mean that rookie edge rusher Landon Jackson will not only dress for the game, but play significant snaps, it also means that someone like Solomon should see some extended run.
Last weekend, Solomon replaced Hoecht as the stand-up, middle-of-the-field rusher. Solomon’s athleticism was on full display, as he was able to loop around offensive tackles, blow past guards, and even drop back into coverage like a Tampa-2 linebacker (Do yourself a favor and watch the interception off Patrick Mahomes again. Watch No. 56 on the play. It’s an incredible display of athleticism for an NFL defensive end).
Solomon has long been someone I’ve been intrigued by, and this week could be one where he introduces himself to audiences outside of Bills Mafia.
LB Terrel Bernard
Miami’s most dangerous offensive player is running back De’Von Achane. He’s the team’s leading rusher as well as the team’s leader in receptions. Bernard will be matched up with him in space at some point, and the defensive captain needs to answer the bell this round. Whether he’s in man or zone, Bernard needs to read his keys and take care of his assignments.
It won’t be his job alone, as I expect that Buffalo will use linebacker Matt Milano and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, along with some nickel and dime safeties, to slow down Miami’s dynamic running back. It hasn’t been a very good year for Bernard, though, so making a play against a great player could give him a confidence boost moving forward.
S Jordan Poyer
Cole Bishop received the headlines last week, and they were well deserved. Poyer has been a calming presence in the back end for the Bills, and now that he’s returning to Miami for the first time since playing for the Dolphins last season, it would be a pretty nice time for him to grab a headline of his own. With all those injuries up front, Buffalo is going to need to blitz to generate some pressure on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Poyer remains an adept blitzer, and while he’s no longer the athlete he once was, he can still lay a boom when necessary. How about Poyer forces a turnover at some point in the game for our bingo board this week?
