Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

‘Still, for the Colts’ offense to hum, it needs to be effective on the ground. That was certainly the case when Richardson was playing, and it remains so with Flacco under center. The Colts were not able to get Jonathan Taylor rolling against the Vikings (13 carries, 48 yards) and he’ll need to be much better against a Bills defense that plays the pass well, but is not at all strong against the run. The Bills allow the seventh-worst yards per run average (4.8) and have given up 35 runs of at least 10 yards, fifth-most in the NFL. Offensive balance will be imperative for the Colts, and Taylor is the key to that.’

‘Then you mix in the fact that Miami was so overdue to get one over on the Bills after losing 12 of the 14 games between the teams since Sean McDermott took over as head coach in Buffalo, it felt like it was Miami’s time and sure enough, the Dolphins played their best game of the season.’

‘Not a great day for the offensive line as it struggled to move the Dolphins out of the way. James Cook had just 44 yards on 10 carries, one of them a 13-yarder, while Ty Johnson had 17 of his 23 yards on one carry. Those helped inflate the Bills’ average per carry to 4.9 yards, but it was not easy out there.’

‘Here are the three positions the Bills might want to explore…’.

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 30, Dolphins 19.’

‘Play-by-play: Kevin Harlan. Analyst: Trent Green. Sideline reporter: Melanie Collins.’

‘McDermott said that wide receivers Amari Cooper and Curtis Samuel, linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford, will all have a chance to play.’

‘There is some nuance to the Bills’ pass rushing metrics. They rank just 17th in the NFL in pressure rate at 33.1%, and are 19th in sack percentage at 6.4%, but that’s partially because the Bills blitz at the fourth-lowest rate in the league at 18%. Because they are routinely rushing with four against five offensive linemen and an occasional chip from a back or tight end, that makes it tough to get home.’

‘NFL Hall of Famer Andre Reed and Buffalo native Chad Michael Murray are stepping in as executive producers for the upcoming series, ‘Just One Before I Die.’ The show will explore the loyal and passionate fanbase as they continue supporting the Buffalo Bills in their pursuit of that elusive Super Bowl victory.’

‘Yet here the Bills are, sitting pretty with a 6-2 record and miles ahead in the AFC East thanks to the struggles of the Dolphins and Jets. Yeah, it has been quite a start for the Bills.’

‘Tagovailoa has faced Buffalo eight times, he has won just once (and barely at that in Week 3 of 2022), and in those games he has completed just 61.8% of his passes, has averaged just 200 yards per game and 6.78 per attempt, his TD-to-pick rate is terrible at seven to 10, and most importantly, he has suffered two concussions.’

‘The Dolphins are a middling run defense as they rank 16th in the league with an average yield of 123.7 yards per game. They have already lost outstanding edge rusher Jaelen Phillips for the season, and in their somewhat stunning final play 28-27 loss to Arizona Sunday, star safety Jevon Holland, always a hammer against the run, left the game with a knee injury.’

‘And who knows how much more lopsided it would have been had the Bills not committed so many penalties, several of which wiped out nice offensive plays, prompting McDermott to add, “Definitely things, again, that we have to improve on – pre-snap penalties and the penalties overall, and then just some decision-making.”’

‘The Bills were ready to play, another check in the positive column for the coaches, but the penalties are a problem. Two weeks ago in the win over the Jets the Bills committed 11 for 94 yards, and in this one they had 13 for 85 yards. They managed to win both those games, but that’s not always going to be the case.’

‘Sal’s prediction: Bills 30, Seahawks 24.’