Preview & Predictions for Miami Dolphins – Buffalo Bills Week 3 Showdown

Dolphins Meet For Sole Possession Of First Place In AFC East

The Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills entered Week 3 as two of the final six undefeated NFL teams of 2022, but one of the AFC East clubs stands to lose for the first time this season on Sunday.

Miami and Buffalo will square off for the first of two regular-season meetings on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday (1:00 p.m. EST). The winner will claim sole possession of the first place in the division.

Entering Week 3, the Bills are first in scoring (36 points per game) and the Dolphins are fourth (31 points per game). Buffalo has also surrendered the second-fewest points through two weeks (17).

Buffalo’s two wins came against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the Kickoff Game in Week 1, and against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night in Week 2. Miami thoroughly dominated the New England Patriots 20-7 in Week 1, and they followed it up with a stunning comeback against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 (a 42-38 victory).

At the FanDuel sportsbook, the Bills are favored by 6.5 points for this highly-anticipated Week 3 showdown. Bills fans in The Empire State can bet on their team through the FanDuel New York sportsbook which is currently offering new users a risk-free bet of up to $1,000.

Through two weeks, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing yards (739). Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Carson Wentz share the league lead for touchdown receptions with seven.

Bills Have Owned The Dolphins Under Josh Allen

The Dolphins have had zero success against Buffalo since Josh Allen entered the NFL four years ago.

Buffalo has won seven straight meetings over Miami, having performed season-series sweeps in 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons en route to playoff appearances all three years. Miami’s last win against Buffalo came on Dec. 2 of the 2018 campaign (a 21-17 victory).

Allen is 7-1 in his career against Miami, completing 63.24 pass attempts for 21 touchdowns against only five interceptions. Miami has also sacked Allen just eight times in those games,

Tagovailoa has also struggled mightily against the Bills’ defense. He’s 0-3 against Sean McDermott’s squad, completing only 56.44 percent of pass attempts for 579 yards and one touchdown against four interceptions.

The Dolphins memorably imploded in a must-win Week 17, 2020 game against Buffalo with the game on the line. Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in a 56-26 loss which cost Miami their first playoff berth in four years.

In Week 2 of last season, the Bills shut out Miami 35-0 to avoid a disastrous 0-2 start. The two clubs met again in Week 8, with Buffalo cruising to a 26-11 victory.

Of course, Tagovailoa’s play was inconsistent over the 2020 and 2021 seasons. But he looks like an MVP candidate in the early going, making the most out of the superstar receiving duo of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill.

This is the most complete team Miami has fielded against Buffalo since Allen’s arrival in 2018. With a rebuilt offense and an opportunistic defense leading the way, the Phins are better built than ever to put up a fight against Buffalo.

Prediction: Bills Win 31-27

The Dolphins and Bills are loaded with playmakers on their respective defensive units, so it wouldn’t be all that stunning to see this game turn into a defensive slugfest.

But right now, it’s hard to bet against either offense. Tagovailoa and Allen have too many weapons around them, and they’re surrounded by effective pass-blocking and quality running backs as well.

Their Week 3 meeting shouldn’t be so lopsided this time around. Miami will keep it close with Hill and Waddle both going off. But Allen is the better and more experienced quarterback right now, and he’ll make those extra few plays to help Buffalo remain perfect.

Tagovailoa and Allen will each throw for over 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in this one. Waddle and Bills star wideout Stefon Diggs will both find the end zone and put up over 100 receiving yards apiece.

But Allen will put together a signature game-winning drive at the very end to help Buffalo move to 3-0 on the season and claim first place in the AFC East.

Photo from Buffalo Bills Twitter Account