Chris Perkins
South Florida Sun Sentinel
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jerome Baker had no idea the Miami Dolphins were playing the Buffalo Bills this Sunday. Honestly.
I discovered this in the Dolphins’ postgame locker room not long after their amazing 70-20 victory over the Denver Broncos.
I was chatting with Baker, the Dolphins’ seventh-year linebacker, and I told him that the 50-point win sets up a huge matchup this weekend.
“Who do we play?” he asked.
I smiled.
“Seriously,” he said. “I don’t know.”
I was in brief disbelief.
“Y’all are at Buffalo,” I said.
“Ooooh, yeah!” Baker remarked excitedly.
Yeah, indeed.
It’s on.
Dolphins vs. Bills.
Highmark Stadium.
Sunday, 1 p.m.
It’s a huge matchup, the NFL’s Game of the Year so far (well, until another one comes along).
Two bitter AFC East rivals. Two contenders for the AFC crown. Two high-profile quarterbacks, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
The hype machine runs itself.
But let’s turn the crank a few times anyway.
If the Dolphins (3-0) win, they would take a two-game lead over the Bills (2-1), and grab a meaningful head-to-head victory at Highmark.
A win would also allow the Dolphins to start realistically thinking about the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a first-round playoff bye.
Additionally, a Dolphins victory would allow Miami to make a strong statement about how things are now, and how things could have/should have been in those December and January visits to Highmark Stadium last season.
Those visits to Buffalo were both close losses, one with Tagovailoa, the regular-season 32-29 loss (the game in which the Dolphins were relentlessly pelted with snowballs by Bills fans), and one without Tagovailoa, the 34-31 wild-card round playoff loss.
Even though it’s only October (well, it will be when they play), it’d be a significant win for the Dolphins.
The same for the Bills.
If the Bills win, everything is the same as it ever was.
It’ll mean the Dolphins are who the Bills thought they were, a second-class citizen, another not-yet-ready AFC hopeful such as, say, the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and, well, Buffalo (it had to be said).
The Bills would have three consecutive victories over the Mike McDaniel-led Dolphins, all in Buffalo.
Three consecutive losses in Buffalo would be a major exception to the Dolphins’ list of accomplishments under McDaniel, and it would stick in the Dolphins’ craw until the regular-season finale when Miami hosts Buffalo for what could be the AFC East title game.
Now, before we get too hyped up let’s remember this is an early-season matchup.
The Dolphins’ Week 3 victory over Buffalo didn’t matter in December or January last season.
The same rule will apply to Sunday’s Week 4 winner.
Except for one thing.
The mental edge, the psychological game.
That’s what was mentioned earlier, either the Dolphins showing the Bills there’s a New World Order, or the Bills showing the Dolphins you can’t be The Man until you beat The Man.
Don’t discount that aspect.
Buffalo having three consecutive victories over Miami at Highmark Stadium would mean no matter what happens in the season finale at Hard Rock Stadium between these two teams, the Dolphins would want no part of a playoff game in Buffalo.
And the Bills would know that.
By the way, I’m guessing revenge will be on the Dolphins’ minds.
Well, maybe not direct revenge, but something in the same family.
The Dolphins will want to show themselves, the Bills, and the NFL world that last season wasn’t an accurate reflection of their ability.
Why do I say that?
Running back Raheem Mostert acknowledged that was the case with the season-opening 36-34 victory over the Chargers, which kinda, sorta avenged last season’s 23-17 loss to the Chargers.
“It was a little bit of, not revenge,” Mostert said days after the Chargers victory, “but we were still thinking about last year and how that game turned out with some key guys that we missed at the time.”
I’m thinking that sentiment will pop up again this Sunday as the Dolphins prepare to face their longtime rivals.
“It was hostile out there,” wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said a day after the playoff loss. “It got chippy. It was a great, great playoff game.”
The Dolphins have come a long way since that playoff loss.
They’ve now got defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, a healthy Tagovailoa, a healthy Mostert, rookie running back De’Von Achane, wide receiver Braxton Berrios, linebacker David Long Jr., and right tackle Austin Jackson, to name a few.
McDaniel is in his second season as a head coach and wiser, the run game is much better, the offensive line is much better, and the defense is much better, even without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey (knee injury).
And, of course, the Miami offense just hung 70 points on Denver, and they did it without Waddle, who was still in the concussion protocol for that matchup. We’ll have to see if he is cleared in time for the Bills game.
Whatever.
No excuses.
This is Dolphins vs. Bills.
Game on.
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