In Week 17, the Buffalo Bills (5-10) play host to the Miami Dolphins (7-8) for a 1 p.m. Eastern clash Sunday against an endangered regime and roster.
With both teams eliminated from the playoffs, CBS’s telecast of the Bills and Dolphins will be seen by a very limited television audience. New York State west of the NYC/NJ market, a small portion of north-central Pennsylvania, and the southern tip of Florida will get to enjoy the once-classic rivalry, which once again closes out the teams’ seasons.
CBS’s No. 3 broadcasting team of Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Steve Beuerlein (analyst) will handle the Bills/Dolphins game as Buffalo looks to improve to 2-4 against the AFC East. If Mowins’s name is familiar, you may remember she also called last season’s Bills/Dolphins finale.
The areas that can see the game are highlighted in green (map courtesy of 506sports):
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The early CBS telecast available to most of the country (including Anchorage and Fairbanks, AK, as well as Honolulu, HI) is the New York Jets at the New England Patriots (in red), followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Houston Texans (blue).
This will be the 106th meeting all-time between two teams that used to enjoy as fierce a rivalry as any the league has ever seen. Miami owns a 60-44-1 record all-time, including a 21-17 win December 2 where, had Josh Allen and Charles Clay properly connected, the Bills might have completed a huge divisional road win in the final two minutes of play.
In 2017, the Bills swept Dolphins twice in December. While playing host to Miami on December 17th, they won 24-16. The very last day of the year found them in Miami with a lot to play for—most notably the chance to end a 17-year playoff drought. Win they did, 22-16, and with a little help from the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills found themselves playing a 17th game the following week in the same state where they ended that 17-year nightmare.
Since 2015, the Bills and Dolphins have exchanged season-sweeping blows. Miami got the best of Buffalo in 2016, while the Bills swept the ‘Phins in 2015 and again during 2017 in the most unforgettable of ways. The Bills will look to end history’s recent trend, and attempt to split the season series with Miami on Sunday—something the teams haven’t done since 2014.