Buffalo Bills fans can relate to what Miami Dolphins fans are experiencing right now. (Not that that's something we should feel great about.) Buffalo started 0-8 last season, then won two straight games. We felt pretty good about those wins. Miami started 0-7 this year, and have now won two straight by a combined score of 51-12.
Even though Buffalo beat those opponents (Kansas City and Washington) by a combined score of 41-7 - clearly the Bills' two easiest wins of the year - Miami fans are still feeling good about their team.
"Fans are definitely relieved," says Kevin Nogle of ThePhinsider.com. "Well, at least those who aren't fully aboard, strapped in, tied down, with the doors locked from the outside of the 'Suck for Luck' bandwagon. There are still a few fans who resent the Dolphins having won, giving them a worse drafting position. But overall, winning feels good. The team seems looser now that they've won. The fans seem happier now. It's just a better atmosphere. We all know Miami isn't a Super Bowl bound team, and they aren't taking the NFL by storm this year, but to know the team is competitive every week, and can actually put teams away - it's a huge sense of relief."
If one extreme is Dolphins fans being upset at winning, then the other extreme is pondering Miami's playoff chances. After two straight wins, however, fans in South Beach are discussing exactly that.
"There are predictions of everything from ending up 9-7 and in the playoffs - which I will admit, I posted a story on this week - all the way back to not winning another game and ending up 2-14," Nogle told me.
Clearly, if Miami wants to keep its playoff hopes alive, they'll need to beat the Bills on Sunday. Ironically, the Bills are playing for the same (more legitimate) stakes.