There is still hope for the 5-6 Miami Dolphins to make the playoffs, provided that they do well the rest of the way this regular season. That of course means a loss to the 4-7 Buffalo Bills would be a painful punch in the gut for the Dolphins’ playoffs aspirations. Will that be the case this weekend? Or will Ryan Tannehill and company come out on top at home? Going into the game, NFL Futures price the Dolphins at just +50,000 to win the AFC while the Bills are out of that conversation. Still, bettors might like the underdog on this Week 13 matchup.
The Bills are not unlikely to play beyond Week 17 this season, but they reminded people that they’re still in the NFL after back-to-back wins against the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10 and 12, respectively. Coming off a Week 11 bye, the Bills made Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey eat his junk talk prior to the season by taking down Jacksonville, 24-21 at home last Sunday. Finally healthy again after missing five weeks of action, rookie quarterback Josh Allen passed for 160 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-19 completions while adding 99 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Having beaten bad teams in the Jet and the supposedly good Jaguars, Buffalo should come into this weekend’s matchup with another punching bag in the form of the Dolphins, whose soft defense offers a positive outlook for another good showing by Allen and company.
The under is 4-1 in the Bills’ last five road games.
Betting on the Miami Dolphins (5-6)
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill returned to action last Sunday after missing several weeks of action due to a shoulder injury, but his presence wasn’t enough for the Dolphins to avoid a 27-24 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts. But at least Tannehill played well, passing for 204 yards and two touchdowns without an interception on 17-of-25 completions. Meanwhile, Ageless wonder and running back Frank Gore chipped in 67 rushing yards on 14 carries. Gore may have a heavier workload this coming weekend, as the Bills have seemingly the toughest pass defense in the league. The Bills are allowing just 193.7 passing yards per game, which means the already injury-depleted Dolphins’ receiving corps are likely to have a harder time getting looks downfield. Gore and Miami’s backfield should be encouraged to run the ball against the Bills, especially after Buffalo surrendered 226 rushing yards to Jacksonville in Week 12.
Miami is 4-1 ATS in its last five home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Buffalo pulls off a bit of an upset and wins, 24-21.
