In week 2 of the NFL season, the Buffalo Bills are heading down to South Beach to take on the division-rival Miami Dolphins. The Bills are coming into this game 1-0 as they easily beat the New York Jets at home. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are coming into this game at 0-1 after losing to the New England Patriots 21-11 at Gillette Stadium. The big takeaway from that game was that the Dolphins allowed a league-high 217 yards on the ground. This week’s Thursday Thought: Run the damn football.
Running the damn football was something that the Bills struggled with last week. As a team, they rushed for just 98 yards, averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Josh Allen ended the day as the leading rusher with 57 yards and a touchdown.
For a team that prides itself on being able to run the football, it was an ugly effort. Every time Zack Moss or Devin Singletary got a handoff, they were immediately met by several defenders. However, on Sunday the outcome may be a bit different.
The Dolphins run defense last week against the Patriots was brutal. Not only did the Patriots rush for over 200 yards but the averaged 5.2 yards per carry in the process. Cam Newton led the way with 75 yards on 15 attempts including two rushing touchdowns.
This especially is problematic for the Dolphins as the Patriots passing offense going into this season wasn’t expected to be much in 2020. Especially considering Julian Edelman and James White are the only legitimate receiving threat on the roster. The Dolphins should have known the Patriots would be very run-heavy, yet they still couldn’t stop it.
The Bills are a team that does have a real threat in their passing offense. Josh Allen threw for over 300 yards and a pair scores last week, and behind Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, and John Brown, it’s an explosive passing attack that is tough to stop.
For Sean McDermott and Brian Daboll, the game plan should be simple. Run the ball down the Dolphins throats. Not only do the Bills generally value the running game highly, but Josh Allen is excellent in play-action and could dominate if the Dolphins are getting slashed by Singletary and Moss.
The Dolphins should play a tough game on Sunday, as they have always been a physical football under Brian Flores. However, if we learned anything from week 1, it’s that the Dolphins got shredded on the ground a week ago. This is why the Bills should run the damn football on Sunday.
Mitch Broder is a contributor for The Buffalo Fanatics. To contact him, email him at mitchell.broder@gmail.com or on Twitter @mitchell_broder
