Bills-Dolphins wild card playoff date and time announced

Following the Buffalo Bills’ inspired victory over the New England Patriots in Week 18, we knew Buffalo was set to host the Miami Dolphins in the wild card round of the AFC playoffs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY. We just had to wait until the end of the day to find out when the divisional foes would play.

With the NFL Super Wild Card Weekend schedule finally set, we now know that the Bills will play the Dolphins at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 15. As of this writing, Buffalo is a 10-point favorite over Miami.

Amid a season of mountainous adversity, emotions will be sky high for the Bills and all of Bills Mafia. With the incredible continued improvement of safety Damar Hamlin following his life-threatening traumatic cardiac arrest under the national lights of Monday Night Football, the home crowd is sure to represent well knowing a familiar divisional foe is once again headed to Western New York.

The Bills have become more well-rounded on offense in recent weeks, with a dangerous ground game that seems to surprise opponents in key situations. Against the Dolphins, it will be paramount for the passing game to find its groove once again with deep throws — something that hasn’t come easy or often since the early part of the 2022 season. Still, there are few teams more dangerous in as many ways as Buffalo.

Miami is a different team when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa plays. Unfortunately, he’s once again in concussion protocol, and his status for Sunday’s playoff game is still up in the air. So, too, could be the status of receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Hill was hobbled all day with what appears to be a lingering ankle injury, while Waddle was injured and left the game following a horse-collar tackle in Week 18 against the New York Jets.

The Bills bring a seven-game winning streak into next Sunday’s game (discounting their no-contest Week 17 game against the Bengals), while the Dolphins just broke a five-game losing streak by the skin of their kicker’s foot — against a Jets team led by a past-his-prime Joe Flacco conducting an anemic offense.

Heading toward the playoffs, one team feels like it’s swimming out to catch the curl of a once-in-a-lifetime breaker, while another seems as if it’s simply trying to ride the ripples back to shore.

While the opening line and the past month-plus of 2022 regular-season games seems to set a promising stage for Buffalo, counting out Miami would be foolish, at best. Their last visit to Highmark Stadium on December 17 had the potential to end much differently if head coach Mike McDaniel trusted his dominating run game close to the goal line. Fortunately, Josh Allen played nearly flawless ball that evening, and the team’s elite passing attack experienced a brief in-season Renaissance. The Bills will need to be even better on offense next weekend, and more opportunistic on defense. Divisional matchups are some of the most difficult games for NFL teams to emerge victorious from, no matter the weather or location.

For breaking news, in-depth analysis, the best podcasts/vidcasts, and juicy opinions on all things Bills-Dolphins Part III, keep refreshing your feeds and affix your eyes to Buffalo Rumblings all week leading up to Sunday’s game.

NFL Super Wild Card Weekend schedule in full

Saturday, January 14

• Seattle Seahawks (7) at San Francisco 49ers (2) — 4:30 p.m. EST, FOX
• Los Angeles Chargers (5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4) — 8:15 p.m. EST, NBC

Sunday, January 15

• Miami Dolphins (7) at Buffalo Bills (2) — 1:00 p.m. EST, CBS
• New York Giants (6) at Minnesota Vikings (3) — 4:30 p.m. EST, FOX
• Baltimore Ravens (6) at Cincinnati Bengals (3) — 8:15 p.m. EST, NBC

Monday, January 16

Dallas Cowboys (5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4) — 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN