Dolphins Bills: Final Injury Reports and TNF Implications

The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins enter tonight’s game with an equal 1-0 record and a tie for first place in the AFC East. While it’s only Week 2 and there’s still a lot of football to be played, tonight’s game will give the winner the early advantage to win the division title in January.

But this is football, and the NFL has become a major player in the entertainment industry. So what would a division rivalry be without a little drama? This week, that drama comes in the form of weekly injury reports and how missing members of each team affect how they play the game.

For Buffalo, the big blow comes in the form of nickel cornerback Taron Johnson’s forearm. Johnson, one of the league’s best, was ruled out of Thursday’s game into Tuesday. The ruling may have helped Buffalo adjust its defensive packages early this week.

Last week, when Johnson left the game after just seven plays, the Bills had to scramble to fill the void and created more holes in the process. Buffalo used defensive back Cam Lewis to fill the vacancy in their defensive backfield, but the move resulted in their new defensive coordinator, Bonny Babich, having to adjust his play calls. Lewis was scheduled to play safety when the Bills were in a dime defense, but he played the entire game instead. Enter defensive back Ja’Marcus Ingram, who stepped up when his name was called — and played a key role in ending the Arizona Cardinals’ late-game bid for an opening weekend win.

Knowing Johnson won’t play in Week 2 has given Babich time to work on schemes that will hopefully neutralize some of Miami’s offensive velocity. While not having their All-Pro cornerback is definitely a disadvantage for Buffalo, having time to prepare other pieces of their roster for prominent roles swings that pendulum back toward neutral a little bit.

Buffalo will also be without defensive end Dawuane Smoot, and likely rookie Javon Solomon. Last week, the Bills’ defensive line and pass rush didn’t suffer from what seemed like a lack of depth. Defensive linemen Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa and Von Miller did a great job of pressuring quarterback Kyler Murray and not showing any fatigue. Buffalo likes to rotate its linemen to keep everyone fresh, yes, but the fact that Smoot and Solomon aren’t available tonight doesn’t seem to be as much of a liability as it might have been in Week 1.

The other big news out of Western New York this week was the status of quarterback Josh Allen’s hand. While it wasn’t his throwing hand, there was some uncertainty about whether he would be able to handle snaps cleanly and, of course, whether he would be able to go rogue this week if necessary.

However, videos from practice show that Allen can take snaps both under center and from the shotgun. And while he’s wearing a glove — likely covering a brace or some sort of tape — on his left hand, it’s unlikely that JA17 will dampen his play tonight. And when Josh Allen plays, the advantage usually swings in his favor.

The host team is also struggling with injuries. The Dolphins have ruled out one wide receiver and one running back and have listed another as questionable.

At receiver, Miami isn’t really making Malik Washington sit idle, just like it wouldn’t if he were active. The rookie would just play when Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle needed a breather. Those two are still healthy, and that’s all it would take to give Miami an edge over Buffalo’s young defensive secondary.

The injuries at running back aren’t so good, however. Raheem Mostert threw for over 1,000 yards in a Pro Bowl season last year. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced Tuesday that Mostert would be unavailable for game day as he battles a pectoral injury.

Complicating Miami’s offense even further is that sophomore running back De’Von Achane is also nursing an injury. Achane had just over 800 yards on the ground plus nearly 200 more through the air. Achane missed two days of practice and was limited on the final day — a recipe for improvement that even *if* he plays, he may not be as potent as usual. McDaniel said Achane will be a game-time decision, as they’ll test his running ability this afternoon.

While Miami possesses a number of quick, flashy and very expensive receivers that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can use as weapons, the lack of a legitimate ground game could allow Buffalo’s defense to return more players in an effort to contain the Dolphins’ wideouts.

While Bills Mafia will tell you that all they need is a healthy Josh Allen to have the edge, he isn’t fully healthy. However, Buffalo’s offense isn’t the part of the game that’s a concern. That title is reserved for the defense.

Without linebacker Matt Milano (who is on the injured list) and Taron Johnson, the middle of the Bills defense is in the questionable category. That was made up for by Miami’s lack of running backs. Last year, McDermott came up with a great game plan that neutralized Miami’s speed. It’s logical to think that happened again this week.

I would say the injury advantage is actually with Buffalo this week, especially if Achane is out.