Where to watch Dolphins vs. Bills: TV channel, live stream, spread, odds, prediction, TNF picks

The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have arguably garnered equal attention as playoff contenders in recent years, and yet their rivalry in the AFC East has been a fairly one-sided affair. Since 2017, the Bills have won 13 of their last 15 meetings with Miami, including the playoffs. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, has just a 1-6 record against his divisional opponents.

Both sides enter their next matchup with a 1-0 record – a highly anticipated Thursday Night Football matchup that kicks off Week 2 of the 2024 season. But questions still simmer beneath the surface, with Buffalo narrowly fending off the upstart Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 and the Dolphins coming off a dramatic week that included a highly publicized pregame standoff with police.

Who has the best chance of remaining undefeated in the early stages of the new season? How can you be there when the battle for the AFC East resumes? Which players could be X-factors? And who has the best chance of winning? Here's our preview and prediction for the latest clash between two of the AFC's most explosive rivals:

How to watch

• Date: Thursday, September 12th | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
• Electricity: Prime Video
• Opportunities: Dolphins -1.5 | O/U 49 (SportsLine consensus)

Important encounters

• RB De'Von Achane (MIA) vs. LB Terrel Bernard (BUF): With ball carrier Raheem Mostert out with a pectoral injury, Achane could be the best running back for Mike McDaniel's offense if he can continue playing despite his ankle issues. He's the game-changing athlete that makes him a nightmare opponent for Bernard, the new centerpiece of Sean McDermott's linebacker team.
• WR Tyreek Hill (MIA) vs. CB Rasul Douglas (BUF): After a dominant deep-ball performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars and an equally spectacular back-and-forth with Miami-Dade Police, Hill remains one of the game's most dangerous playmakers. Douglas has proven to be an aggressive ball-hunter on the perimeter, but is now the No. 1 cover man in a revamped and rebounding Buffalo secondary.
• WR Keon Coleman (BUF) vs. CB Jalen Ramsey (MA): While Tua Tagovailoa has tremendous speed on the wing, Bills quarterback Josh Allen practically led Buffalo to victory in Week 1 with rookie Coleman serving unobtrusively as the primary pass receiver. The experienced Ramsey, still reveling in his new contract, only returned from a hamstring injury less than a week ago.

Burning questions

• Bills: Can Sean McDermott's defense get in shape? Most Buffalo fans probably aren't too worried about whether Josh Allen can hold up against a makeshift supporting cast and throw the ball against Miami, especially given his track record in this series. Days after giving up 28 points to a young Cardinals group in a Week 1 shootout, McDermott's unit will face a difficult task trying to slow the speed of Miami's downfield toys, which are already without injured veterans like Matt Milano and Taron Johnson.
• Dolphins: Can Mike McDaniel open the running game? One of the reasons Tagovailoa and Co. are playing so effectively is the dual threat of Miami's deep backfield, which is also exploding. But Mostert is banged up, Achane has yet to play in the game, and the entire collective managed just 3.2 yards per carry in Week 1. That means backups like Jeff Wilson and rookie Jaylen Wright could play significantly more snaps. If Buffalo can force the Dolphins to play one-dimensional, the game could go in their favor.

forecast

Almost everything points to it being time for McDaniel, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins to turn the tide in this “rivalry” with the Bills: They're playing this game at home on a short week, the weather is still warm and familiar, and Allen doesn't have the abundance of options as a pass receiver that he once did. Add to that the fact that the Bills gunslinger is also still recovering from an injury to his non-throwing hand, and there's reason to believe Miami could open the season 2-0, even with the sudden lack of healthy running backs.

And yet: Josh Allen. We've seen time and time again in the NFL that a quarterback who is head and shoulders above most others at the position is bound to win, even when circumstances don't call for it. Allen is in that class, along with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, etc. He's a superhero at quarterback, and while that sometimes hurts him in terms of ball security, he has an underrated James Cook by his side, ready to tip this matchup in Buffalo's favor.

Expected result: Bills 28, Dolphins 26

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