Bills focus on Dolphins while Hamlin recovers at home
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — With Damar Hamlin recovering at homeWhen asked by the Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott if he believed that the tide of bad news was finally turning in his favor, McDermott smiled.
He seized the opportunity to advance to Sunday’s wild-card playoff match between the AFC East champion Bills (13-3), and their division rival Miami Dolphins (9-8).
“I appreciate where you’re going with that, but this is not a soap opera,” McDermott responded. “We’ve got one game to get ready for, and that’s really what we’re focused on.”
In the wake of an emotionally draining stretch during which the Bills were inspired by the outpouring of support from around the NFL, and uplifted further by Hamlin’s remarkable recovery since he had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati, McDermott’s message was clear.
Given the adversity the Bills have overcome — from two snowstorms, injuries and four four-quarter deficits — already this season, this is no time for a letdown or occasion to overlook an opponent that may well be down to its third-string quarterback in rookie Skylar Thompson.
The Bills are heavily favored — by 13 1/2 points on FanDuel Sportsbook — with Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa already ruled out Because of the concussion he sustained three weeks back, backup Teddy Bridgewater has a broken pinky finger.
The Bills are also riding momentum in closing out the season on a 7-1 run. This included a 32-29 win against Miami four weeks ago. Buffalo, which is making its fourth consecutive postseason appearance in the playoffs, is also more playoff-tested.
The Dolphins, by comparison, stumbled down the stretch in losing five straight before clinching their first playoff berth since 2016 with an 11-6 win over the New York Jets last weekend — and only after New England was eliminated following a 35-23 loss at Buffalo.
Mike McDaniel, a first-year coach, remains positive despite the challenges ahead.
“I know we have a dedicated, hungry football team that’s excited to play a game they earned to play in,” McDaniel said.
Rather than view the Dolphins’ late-season skid as a negative, the coach attempted to turn it into a positive by informing his players they’re one of five NFL teams to lose five straight and still qualify for the playoffs.
“You prefer to not lose five in a row, but I think it also more precisely speaks to the level of determination, the lack of splintering,” McDaniel said.
The Bills Know plenty about perseverance, while also appreciating what they’ve overcome doesn’t provide them a pass into the next round.
“We understand the mortality of this team, and granted that might be the wrong choice of words in this given moment,” center Mitch Morse said. “But we understand that anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We do not feel like we’re owed anything.”
SEASON SPLIT
The season series was split between the two teams. In September, the Bills lost a 4th quarter lead to South Florida heat and suffered a defeat of 21-19. Four weeks back, the Dolphins were frozen in the fourth period when snow began falling and they lost an eight point lead in a loss of 31-28.
For Sunday, expect sun and temperatures to reach 32 degrees.
HOW COLD?
McDaniel’s attempt at reverse psychology failed before Miami’s most recent trip to Buffalo. The coach turned up the air-conditioning in the Dolphins indoor facility and wore a shirt with the words, “I wish it were colder” printed on it.
After the win, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had one last laugh when he ended an interview by repeating these words.
“We’ll see,” Allen said this week, when asked about his remark.
The Bills are also 8-2 in their past 10 home games against Miami played in December or later, not including a 16-3 loss in Buffalo’s “home” outing played indoors in Toronto in 2008.
PLAYOFF INEXPERIENCE
Dolphins veteran cornerback Xavien Howard remembers one thing about Miami’s last playoff game in the 2016 season.
“We got whooped,” he said, recalling Miami’s 30-12 loss at Pittsburgh in the wild-card round.
Howard was the only Dolphin to play in the game. More than three-quarters (33) of the team’s players have never played in a playoff. Receiver Tyreek Hill leads Miami with 13 career postseason games — all with Kansas City, including the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win three years ago.
What is SKYLAR TIME?
Thompson is 1-1 this season in two starts. He was selected out of Kansas State in the seventh round. He closed his career by going 21 of 28 for 259 yards and three TDs in the Wildcats’ 42-20 win over LSU in the Texas Bowl a year ago.
“I feel like I got a pretty good feel for what a playoff game kind of would look like just last week,” Thompson said of beating the Jets. “It was a win or go home type of situation for us, so getting to experience kind of what that felt like last week I think was helpful.”
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Alanis Thames, AP Sports Writer, contributed.
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