The Chop Up: Miami Week

Dolphins week is here! There are so many questions surrounding the Buffalo Bills following a disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 in Orchard Park. Is Josh Allen regressing? Is Brian Daboll the offensive genius that we thought he was? Is head coach McDermott turning into a variation of Doug Marrone by punting on 4th and short on the Steelers’ side of the 50? These questions and so many more have been the topic of conversation within the Buffalo Bills fanbase as well as the national media.

According to PFF, Josh Allen was pressured 19 times in Week 1, with 11 of those pressures coming within 2.5 seconds of the snap. So while his performance seemed to be less impressive than what Bills fans were hoping for, it’s fair to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers defense deserves more credit for winning at the line of scrimmage than saying Allen played terribly. Starting left tackle Dion Dawkins looked to be gassed early and often. Contracting COVID-19 has affected players around the league differently. In this case, Dawkins looked slower than usual. He’s one of the most athletic tackles in the league, but was beat consistently by Melvin Ingram. This led to several holding penalties that killed momentum and ended drives. There has also been concern about Feliciano not performing up to par due to his weight loss. While I’m not sure if the weight loss has anything to do with the performance, “Mongo” certainly did not make Bills fans happy with the lack of protection he provided the quarterback and running backs.

The focus has now shifted to the Miami Dolphins. The defense of the Bills was excellent in Week 1. Holding the Steelers offense to 16 points, and containing electric rookie RB Najee Harris for the most part of the game. Defense is not a concern heading into Hard Rock Stadium. The defensive line looked fresh, energetic and disrupted the Pittsburgh offense more frequently than last season. But will Josh Allen and the offensive line bounce back?

Historically, Josh Allen has dominated Miami. 25% of his career touchdowns have come against the Dolphins. He has also won NFL Offensive Player of the Week three times after playing the team. All eyes will be on Allen and the offensive line. Devin Singletary showed flashes of what made Bills fans excited after his rookie season. But those flashes came in the 4th quarter and weren’t consistent throughout the entirety of the game. Whether you want to blame it on blocking scheme or blocking execution, the run game has to be better. Hopefully this week Zack Moss is not a healthy scratch. The two-man rushing attack should provide some relief for Allen if the line can win the battles up front to allow Singletary and Moss even the slightest of holes to run through.

What’s your prediction? What’s your take? Will the Bills bounce back? Or do they go into Monday 0-2?

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