Two 1-1 AFC East teams battle it out on Sunday evening. Matchbook Sports analyses the match-up.
The Tyrod Taylor hype-train slowed up a bit last week following his performance against the Patriots, but there’s still no denying that he looks a very suitable QB in Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman’s Offense. In his debut 2 games for the Bills, Taylor is averaging a 75.6% pass completion (3rd in the NFL) and 8.9 yards per completion (4th in the NFL). Not bad numbers for a 4-year backup QB with limited NFL experience.
Having said that, everybody was praising his control of the game in the Bills’ opening win against the Colts, but we saw the other side of his game last Sunday against the Pats when he threw 3 picks against one of supposedly the worst secondaries in the league. What will Taylor bring in his first road game as a Bill against divisional rivals Miami? That could be the key to the game on Sunday evening.
Taylor’s performance against New England wasn’t the only aspect of the Bills’ game that came under scrutiny. Their Defense went from a much-hyped potential top-5 D following their dismantling of Andrew Luck and the Colts in Week 1 but came crashing back down to earth after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick had their way with them last Sunday. Their pass and run Defense are on polar opposite ends of the scale. Following Brady’s trip to Buffalo, they now rank last in pass D having given up 691 yards in the opening 2 games, and being thrown against 64 times, both league worsts. They have been pretty measly against the run however, allowing only 120 yards in their 2 games, the second best in the NFL.
Based off this, you’d imagine that coach Philbin and QB Tannehill of the Dolphins will be set up to throw against the Bills on Sunday, especially considering the have the 30th ranked run game in the NFL. The Dolphins Offense has been solid but underwhelming so far this year, ranked at 24th in the NFL largely down to their poor run game and they’ve yet to find the endzone on the ground heading into Week 3.
The Dolphins and Bills share a 1-1 record to start the season but their schedules have been uncomparable. The Dolphins came won a scrappy 17-10 game against the 1-2 Redskins and lost to lowly Jacksonville last week in Florida by a score of 23-20. The Bills meanwhile have started the season against two teams with very possible Super Bowl aspirations as they knocked off the Colts in Week 1 and lost a close a one-score game against the rampant New England in a shootout last week.
Based on what we’ve seen from both teams so far this season, it’s safe to say that the Bills are a much better 1-1 team than Miami. The AFC East could be one of the most competitive divisions this year, particularly for the number 2 spot. Rex Ryan knows this division like the back of his hand and is a lot better equipped at Buffalo than he was in New York.
Expect him to have his team ready to play on Sunday and put up a fight against Miami. Take them with a +2.5 headstart.