The Bills square off in NFL Week 4 against a familiar foe, the Miami Dolphins.
Mike McDaniel’s squad comes to Orchard Park fresh off a near-record 70-point performance against the Broncos.
Unlike the Broncos, Buffalo has one of the top defenses in the league.
And on the other side of the ball, QB Josh Allen and company will face the challenge of Miami’s defense.
“We understand that their their defense is playing at a high level as well too, so we got to put in the work this week have a great week of uh preparation and go out there and try to execute on Sunday,” Allen said ahead of the matchup.
The Bills offense will square off against another familiar foe in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who they faced previously when he was in Denver.
“I think that he’s going to force us to be methodical,” Allen added of Fangio. “The shots down the field aren’t always there so again taking what’s given and then a big emphasis is the red zone, you know he’s always been very good in the league when he gets inside the 20 of making sure his defense is locked down kind of a ‘bend don’t break’ mentality.”
Buffalo is 9-2 against Miami including the postseason during Allen’s time under center and Buffalo has not lost to them at home during that time. The QB has averaged 37.4 total points in those games.
They’ll need that productivity on offense, as Miami is averaging a league-best 43.3 points per contest, and has the most hards (1,651) with the second-most points (130) to start a season in NFL history. Their 8.4 yards-per-play average is the most through three games in the Super Bowl era.
One of Allen’s opponents in the game, with whom he’s shared some in-game competitive moments, is Dolphins DT Christian Wilkens.
Josh Allen mixing it up with Christian Wilkins after the failed 2-point conversation. Gotta love the long wave goodbye 👋 👋 #Bills pic.twitter.com/MPEyDEfrcs
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) October 31, 2021
On Monday Wilkins made some headlines with high praise for Allen.
“[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media],” Wilkins said to the media. “We’re cool, we’re tight. But no, he’s a heck of a competitor. I love playing against him. He definitely brings the best out of you as a defense, as an individual.”
While the 6’4 310 lb defensive tackle might have surprised with the comments, he didn’t stop there.
“His resume speaks for itself. But definitely a heck of a player and we’re going to have to be on it this week as a defense and as a team because they’re a really good team and they play tough and we know them, they know us. There’s no secrets. Just have to go out there and ball, compete, and may the best man win.”
Allen responded to his opponent’s comments during a press session Wednesday.
“I do love playing against him,” Allen said. “In terms of tightness, we don’t really talk all that much. But I do respect his game… We do get a little chippy, but that’s a part of the game… When you’re playing against guys you can chirp with and then show respect after the game, that’s what football is all about. To go against individual rivals and have that type of vibe with some of the guys, it makes you want to get out of your seat but at the same time, stay as level as possible and focus what I need to focus on.”
In the Bills 34-31 home win over Miami in the wild-card round of last year’s playoffs saw the two players got into it after Allen threw an interception downfield, and Bills center Mitch Morse ran over to not only break it up, but he put Wilkins on the ground.
The Dolphins will be facing a revamped Bills offensive line this time around, one that is making headlines for its success in warding off defenders.
If Allen can continue to execute and not turn the ball over, the Buffalo offense might get the best of the Dolphins’ defense on Sunday.
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