Tua Tagovailoa will play the Bills again after suffering a potentially career-ending concussion in Week 2. The Miami Dolphins have improved upon his return but as they face Buffalo, their history against the divisional rivals proves that Josh Allen and Co. have an upper hand.
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Jon Gruden, back with another episode of Gruden’s picks, commented on the upcoming Bills vs Dolphins matchup. He revealed that Buffalo has won four straight AFC titles. They have also won the last five and 12 of the previous 13 matchups between the two teams.
Josh Allen and his offense have put thirty points on Miami four times in the last five matches and have a points differential of +62. The Dolphins’ only win came in 2022, winning 21-19. The previous matchup between these two teams in week 2 witnessed the Bills claiming a 31-10 victory.
Thus, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that it is one of the most uneven rivalries in the NFL. Miami hasn’t been at their best this season, partially because of Tua missing games. However, even with him, they haven’t played the free-flowing football they played last season.
Now, going up against a well-coached Buffalo defense will be challenging. It will come down to the creative thinking of Mike McDaniels. While the team will look to capitalize on their defense against the Bills, the role that Tagovailoa will play against Allen would be crucial.
Josh Allen and Tua’s head-to-head record
Since becoming the starting QB for the Bills, Josh Allen has great stats when it comes to the Dolphins game. He is 12-2 against the divisional rivals, with one of the losses coming in his rookie year.
Following that loss, he won seven straight games. In his 14 matches against them, he has thrown 37 TD passes, turning the ball over only nine times. This season is no different as Allen has been playing at an MVP level and currently leads the race.
He has thrown for 1,766 yards along 14 TD passes and just one interception, which came last week against the Seahawks. Tua, on the other hand, has only won one game in his career against Buffalo, holding a 1-6 record. In those games, he was picked off ten times.
The Alabama Alum threw for merely 145 yards in week 2 while turning the ball over thrice. This season he has already missed four games due to concussion. Meanwhile, Coach McDaniel’s record against the teams with a winning record has been abysmal.
He is 1-13 in his last 14 matches against +500 teams. The team performed well last week, putting up the season’s best 27 points but still ended up losing the game.
The Dolphins also have a -3 turnover differential coming into this game while the Bills have the best in the league with +11. The defense has caused 14 turnovers while the offense has given up the ball only thrice, thanks to Allen.
Hence, going up against the 6-2 Bills, which has put 30 points five times this season, Miami seems out of luck. Buffalo will likely take all the points they can from the game, further solidifying their position as the top seed in the AFC East.
