Bills aim to extend winning streak against Dolphins in Sunday's AFC East matchup

BetMGM NFL Odds: Bills by 9 1/2.

Series record: Dolphins lead 62-61-1.

Against the spread: Bills 4-4; Dolphins 3-5.

Last week: Bills beat Chiefs; Dolphins lost to Ravens 28-6.

Last meeting: Bills beat Dolphins 31-21 on Sept. 18 in Buffalo.

Bills offense: overall (1), rush (1), pass (14), scoring (3).

Bills defense: overall (12), rush (28), pass (2), scoring (9).

Dolphins offense: overall (27), rush (25), pass (23), scoring (26).

Dolphins defense: overall (24), rush (30), pass (10), scoring (t-24).

Turnover differential: Bills plus-3; Dolphins minus-8.

Bills player to watch

RB James Cook. Though his injury status bears monitoring after missing practice Wednesday because of an ankle issue, the fourth-year running back has topped 100 yards five times this season, including a 108-yard, one-TD outing against the Dolphins in Week 3. Cook’s 867 yards rushing rank second in the NFL entering Week 10. Buffalo’s 5-0 this season when Cook tops 100 yards rushing, and 6-0 when he tops 100 yards from scrimmage. If Cook's not able to go, backup Ray Davis and Ty Johnson will be asked to fill in behind an offensive line that's been intact since the start of 2024.

Dolphins player to watch

WR Jaylen Waddle. He has at least five catches and 80 yards in four of the past five games, bringing him to 586 yards and 41 receptions through the first nine games of the season. That nearly surpasses his 2024 total of 744 yards, which were a career low. Waddle is averaging 14.3 yards per catch and has been Tua Tagovailoa's most reliable option since Tyreek Hill went suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4.

Key matchup

Bills rushing offense vs Dolphins run defense. Buffalo has the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL and will go against a Miami defense that has struggled against the run this season. The Bills lead the NFL in rushing yards per game with 161.5 and total yards rushing with 1,292, with 16 rushing TDs. The Dolphins are allowing 145.6 yards rushing per game, the third-worst mark in the league.

Key injuries

Bills: WR Josh Palmer (knee/ankle) is nearing his return after missing two games. The same applies to starting DT DaQuan Jones (calf). Nickel CB Taron Johnson (groin) and backup LB Shaq Thompson (hamstring) each could miss their second straight games. DE A.J. Epenesa's status bears monitoring because of a concussion. Buffalo is particularly thin along the defensive line with DT Ed Oliver (bicep) and Michael Hoecht (Achilles tendon) both on IR.

Dolphins: CB Rasul Douglas (foot/ankle) and S Ifeatu Melifonwu (foot/ankle) did not practice Wednesday. LB Chop Robinson's status is in question as he remains in the concussion protocol. ... TE Julian Hill (ankle) returned to practice after missing the past two games. ... S Ashtyn Davis (quad), LB Bradley Chubb (foot) and RB Ollie Robinson (ankle) were limited.

Series notes

After beating Buffalo 21-19 in Week 2 of the 2022 season — Mike McDaniel first year as Miami's coach — the Dolphins have lost seven straight games against the Bills, including a playoff game in the 2022 season. ... The seven-game winning streak ties the Bills' longest against the Dolphins. Buffalo also won seven straight against Miami from Week 17 of 2018 to Week 8 of 2021. Since 2017, Sean McDermott’s first year in Buffalo, the Bills have averaged 31.5 points against Miami, which is the second-highest points-per-game average any team has against any division opponent over that span.

Stats and stuff

Buffalo has won six of its first eight games to a season for the fifth time under McDermott. ... Josh Allen is coming off an outing in which he completed 23 of 26 passes to set the franchise record for completion percentage with 15 attempts or more. ... Allen is coming off his second turnover-free outing after combining for four interceptions and a fumble over a three-game stretch. He’s 5-0 this season when not committing a turnover and 37-7 overall. ... Buffalo’s 16 TDs rushing through the first eight games of a season match the most in team history. The Bills had 16 through eight games of their 1964 AFL championship season. ... Rookie CB Maxwell Hairston had his first career interception in just his second NFL game last week. ... Buffalo has allowed a league-low seven TDs passing. ... The Dolphins enter Sunday's matchup sitting third in the AFC East, only ahead of the 1-7 New York Jets. ... Miami's minus-8 turnover differential is one of the worst in the NFL, only better than the Jets at minus-9. ... Miami has an 8-3 record in the month of November since McDaniel became head coach in 2022. The Dolphins’ .727 winning percentage in November is tied for the sixth-best mark in that span. ... Tua Tagovailoa remains tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with 11, and his current passer rating of 87.6 is the lowest in his career since his rookie season, when his rating was 87.1. He has gone just three games this season without throwing an interception. ... Despite entering Thursday's game with one of the best red zone offenses in the NFL, the Dolphins went 0-for-3 in the red zone against the Ravens while allowing Baltimore to score on all three trips inside the red zone. ... LB Jordyn Brooks leads the NFL in total tackles (93) and is the only player in the NFL with 90-plus tackles, a fumble recovery and multiple sacks in each of the past two seasons.

Fantasy tip

Allen has 43 passing touchdowns vs Miami in his career and 4,994 total yards. He threw for three touchdowns and 213 yards in the Bills' win over the Dolphins in Week 3.

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