Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 34, Dolphins 31.’

‘Flex it out in favor of Bills-Dolphins, you say? Not possible because flex scheduling isn’t allowed for SNF before Week 5. So, while the showdown at Highmark Stadium, with CBS’ top announcing crew, will be shown to approximately half the country according to the 506 Sports TV coverage map, it won’t have the massive audience it could have for what is being deemed the early-season game of the year.’

‘Time of possession could prove to be vital for the Bills in their AFC East showdown against the Miami Dolphins because, in the simplest terms, the longer the Bills have the ball on offense, the more time Tua Tagovailoa and his arsenal of weapons will be in dry dock on the sideline which is certainly the safest place for them to be.’

‘“You always want to win your in-division games,” said Josh Allen. “It’s a team that we play twice a year. I know it means a lot for our fans and their fans, whatever it means for standings, this and that. At the end of the day, it’s Week 4. They all mean the same for us. This is the biggest one that we have on our schedule because it’s the next one and it’s a team that’s playing extremely well. They’re all important. We’re not going to put any more emphasis on one more than the other.”’

‘In his 10 regular-season games against Miami, Allen has been named AFC offensive player of the week four times, has thrown for 27 TDs with just five interceptions, has completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,684 yards, and he has rushed for 556 yards and four TDs. The Dolphins have a good defense, but I would expect that the Bills are going to score plenty and the issue will come down to whether the Buffalo defense can hold up well enough to win a high-scoring game.’

‘(Warning: The following rankings may trigger Bills fans.)’

‘Right now, Miami’s offense is unstoppable. With Tua Tagovailoa firing on all cylinders, the Dolphins have piled up 1,651 yards, the most-ever for a team through three weeks, while their 130 points are the second-most behind only the 1968 Dallas Cowboys.’

‘There was never really a moment when it felt remotely possible that the Bills were going to lose to the Commanders. That doesn’t happen too often in the NFL, but this game looked like a blowout, it felt like a blowout, and ultimately it was a blowout as a huge contingent of Bills fans took over the stadium in the fourth quarter.’

‘Calling it a remarkable outing barely scratches the surface. The Bills pressured Howell on nearly 70% of his dropbacks, they recorded nine sacks, four interceptions and a fumble recovery. The Commanders’ offensive line looked helpless trying to stop the tidal wave of pressure.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 27, Commanders 16.’

‘Play-by-play: Andrew Catalon. Analysts: Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan. Sideline reporter: AJ Ross.

‘The storm is forecast to bring heavy rain and high winds to the mid-Atlantic region, and tornadoes are even a possibility along with flooding and storm surge along the coast. While the winds are expected to die down in time for the 1 p.m. kickoff against the Commanders, it will most likely be raining for part, or most of the game.’

‘When asked if he loves Jesus, Kelly answers with the enthusiasm Bills fans love him for. “Yeeesss I do!”, he says with conviction.’

‘If you were building a team from scratch, this is the defensive line you would craft. Young is 6-foot-5, Sweat is 6-6 and with their length, power, athleticism and speed, they not only can create havoc in the pocket, they tighten the throwing lanes with their wing spans. On the inside, Payne is a 320-pound brick wall against the run, and Allen is a 6-3, 300-pounder who excels against the run but also pushes the pocket as his 34.5 career sacks since 2017 would attest.’

‘Oliver played outstanding in the loss to the Jets and the victory over Raiders. He has totaled eight QB pressures with one sack and two QB hits, has six total tackles, five of which were considered by Pro Football Focus as “stops,” meaning a tackle that constituted a “failure” for the offense.’