Recreation Predictions | Payments at Dolphins | Week 18 – BuffaloBills.com

Senior Director of Content material
The Buffalo Payments (10-6) are 3.0-point favorites heading into Sunday’s recreation in opposition to the Miami Dolphins (11-5) at Exhausting Rock Stadium. The sport will air at 8:20 pm on NBC.
For the most recent level spreads, test FanDuel.
The Payments presently sit within the sixth place within the AFC. With a win, the Payments will win the AFC East division title for the fourth consecutive season and safe the No. 2 seed within the 2023 AFC playoffs. The Payments also can clinch a playoff spot with a Pittsburgh (9-7) loss to Baltimore (13-3) (Saturday, 4:30 pm) or a Jacksonville (9-7) loss to Tennessee (5-11) (Sunday, 1 pm). Click here for a list of all the clinching scenarios for Week 18.
With a win, the Miami Dolphins will win the AFC East. They haven’t received a division title since 2008.
Here is a listing of further notes for this week …
ESPN
Storyline to observe: The Dolphins do not anticipate cornerback Xavien Howard to play Sunday in opposition to the Payments, however defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would not reveal whether or not he would have Professional Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey shadow Payments WR Stefon Diggs — who torched Miami for 120 yards and three touchdowns in Week 4 — or have him match up with a number of receivers. Contemplating Eli Apple’s struggles in opposition to Baltimore in Week 17 (three catches, 104 yards and a landing allowed in protection), the place Ramsey strains up will probably be one thing to observe. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Daring prediction: Diggs may have his first 100-yard receiving recreation since Week 6 and catch a number of landing passes for the second time this season. The manufacturing between Diggs and quarterback Josh Allen simply hasn’t been constant for a good portion of the season, however with the Dolphins’ secondary in a state of flux attributable to accidents, Diggs may have one in all his largest outings of the yr at a time when the Payments actually need it. — Alaina Getzenberg
Stat to know: Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa enters Week 18 main the NFL in completion charge (69.6%) and passing yards (4,451). Tagovailoa is seeking to develop into the eighth QB because the 1970 merger to steer the NFL in each completion charge and passing yards — and the primary since Drew Brees in 2011.
Matchup X issue: Allen. By his personal admission he performed poorly in Week 17. Buffalo wants him at his finest in opposition to the Dolphins. In the event that they get it, the Payments may have an incredible shot on the AFC East crown. — Walder
What’s at stake: Winner takes the AFC East and the convention’s No. 2 seed. However whereas Miami is in it doesn’t matter what, Buffalo might miss the playoffs if it loses. To make the playoffs in that state of affairs, it might want both a Jaguars loss, a Steelers loss or a Texans-Colts tie.
What to know for fantasy: Prior to now three video games, the Payments’ protection has given up the second-fewest passing yards per recreation, so Tagovailoa might battle. He hasn’t scored 20 fantasy factors in a recreation since a Week 8 win over the Patriots.
Betting nugget: The Dolphins are 1-4 ATS this season in opposition to groups presently with profitable data.
Moody’s decide: Payments 31, Dolphins 27
Walder’s decide: Dolphins 27, Payments 21
FPI prediction: BUF, 54.3% (by a mean of 1.5 factors)
Pete Prisco | CBS Sports
The winner wins the AFC East. The Payments and Josh Allen have dominated Miami in Allen’s profession, and I do not see that altering right here. Search for an enormous recreation from Allen in opposition to a protection that’s banged up. The Payments win it.
Choose: Payments 30, Dolphins 23
Vinnie Iyer | Sporting News
The Payments have received 4 consecutive video games to surge into playoff place after a disappointing .500 begin by way of midseason. However they have not clinched something thanks to a few groups (Colts, Texans, Steelers) staying on their heels at 9-7. They now face a high-stakes alternative to comb the Dolphins and take their fourth consecutive AFC East title.
Buffalo will not cross it up, because it has the general offensive momentum with James Prepare dinner boosting Josh Allen and their defensive making large performs in opposition to a rival reeling due to accidents. Tua Tagovailoa will stay shellshocked from the Ravens rout.
Choose: Payments win 24-20 and canopy the unfold.
Mike Florio, Chris Simms | Pro Football Talk
Each groups have had their struggles. For Miami, the accidents and final week’s blowout in Baltimore is perhaps an excessive amount of to beat.
Florio: Payments, 28-20.
Simms: Payments, 27-21.
Sheil Kapadia | The Ringer
The winner of this one takes the AFC East. If the Payments lose, they will nonetheless get in as a wild-card workforce with a Steelers loss or a Jaguars loss. But when each these groups win, the Payments are out of the playoffs fully. They could possibly be a 2-seed, or they could possibly be on trip subsequent week.
The Dolphins have already clinched a playoff spot, however a win right here means the 2-seed and doubtlessly only one street playoff recreation en path to the Tremendous Bowl. A loss means the 6-seed and a visit to Kansas Metropolis within the first spherical. I like this Miami workforce, but it surely’s laborious to disregard how a lot it is struggled in opposition to good groups. The Dolphins have performed 5 video games in opposition to groups which might be presently projected to make the playoffs: the Payments, Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Ravens. They’re 1-4 in these video games, together with a loss to Buffalo in Week 4, and three of the losses have been by double digits. They’re banged up on protection and could possibly be with out large receiver Jaylen Waddle as soon as once more.
I do not belief the Payments, however I am reluctantly rolling with them right here.
The decide: Payments (-2.5)
Ryan Reynolds | 33rd Team
The Buffalo Payments have received 4 in a row and 5 of their final six, pushing themselves again into the playoff image. If Buffalo wins this recreation, will probably be AFC’s No. 2 seed. If the Payments lose this recreation, there are situations the place they will not make the playoffs.
Buffalo beat Miami 48-20 in Week 4.
At full power, the Miami Dolphins are a supremely proficient workforce with nice play-callers on either side of the ball. Sadly, the Dolphins are managing a litany of accidents which might be turning them right into a much less succesful workforce.
A number of key gamers on offense are questionable for this recreation, however Miami’s protection has been hit laborious. The Dolphins will probably be with out each of their beginning edge rushers and, seemingly, CB Xavien Howard. LB Jerome Baker remains to be on injured reserve, which means Miami could possibly be down 4 of its finest seven defenders.
If the Dolphins win, they end the yr as AFC East champions and the No. 2 seed within the convention. That stated, they’re three-point dwelling underdogs for a cause.
Rating Prediction: Payments 27, Dolphins 23
John Breech | CBS Sports
The NFL is saving its finest for final. The ultimate regular-season recreation of the 2023 season will function the Payments taking part in the Dolphins with the AFC East title on the road. There is also some additional drama on this recreation if each the Jaguars and Steelers win in Week 18: If that occurs, then the Payments will probably be in a scenario the place a win provides them the division title, however a loss LEAVES them OUT of the playoffs altogether.
I repeat: The Payments could possibly be in a spot the place a win provides them the No. 2 seed within the AFC, however a loss would drop them COMPLETELY out of the playoffs. On the Dolphins’ finish, they do not have to fret about getting overlooked, as a result of they’ve already clinched a playoff spot. Going into this recreation, the Dolphins know they’re going to get the 2 seed with a win or the sixth seed with a loss.
The factor concerning the Dolphins is that if they might have hand-picked their opponent for this recreation, I am fairly certain the Payments would have been their final selection. The Dolphins are 1-10 of their previous 11 video games in opposition to the Payments and that is largely as a result of they cannot determine the right way to decelerate Josh Allen.
The Payments quarterback has thrown no less than TWO landing passes in his previous 12 video games in opposition to the Dolphins, which is the longest streak by any QB in opposition to one workforce in NFL historical past. Again in Week 4, Allen threw for 320 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 48-20 win over the Dolphins and I will not be shocked if he doubles these numbers on Sunday evening.
The Dolphins might go all-in to try to cease the cross, however that would really make issues worse contemplating the Payments are averaging 130.7 yards per recreation on the bottom, which ranks seventh within the NFL. The Dolphins have performed three groups this season in opposition to groups that rank within the top-seven in dashing yards and never solely have they gone 0-3 in these video games, however they have been outscored by a mean rating of 45 to 18.6.
The Payments are one of many hottest groups in soccer, they have not misplaced in additional than a month and there is not any workforce Josh Allen loves beating greater than Miami. The Dolphins are banged up proper now and so they simply misplaced Bradley Chubb to a torn ACL and I feel what I am attempting to say right here is that I do not be ok with Miami’s probabilities this week.
The decide: Payments 34-24 over Dolphins
Frank Schwab | Yahoo Sports
I do not assume the Payments got here all this fashion simply to lose to the Dolphins with a division title on the road. The Dolphins have a number of accidents and regardless of the win over the Cowboys, I nonetheless have questions on them vs. prime competitors.
Choose: Payments -3
NFL.com
Why Gennaro is taking the Payments: Each NFL marketing campaign is a battle of attrition. And as we head into the 272nd and closing recreation of the 2023 common season — a de facto AFC East title bout — one workforce is dropping the battle. Whereas Buffalo encountered a vicious harm bug in October — dropping crucial items on all three ranges of the protection — the Payments weathered the storm and now seem to be they’ve come out on the opposite facet. Yeah, star QB Josh Allen’s slightly banged up, however by and enormous, this feels just like the healthiest Buffalo has been since September. The identical can not be stated about Miami. The workforce’s two star edge rushers — Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips — are on injured reserve. The offensive line has been a MASH unit all season. And Wednesday’s harm report was a depressingly star-studded listing. Lengthy story brief, the Dolphins are limping into the playoffs, whereas the Payments are surging down the stretch with a four-game win streak in tow.
Can Payments keep away from a sweep by the Patriots and hold their 2023 playoff hopes alive? Discover out what the specialists are predicting for this week.
Will the Payments win their closing primetime recreation of the 2023 common season? Take a look at what the specialists are predicting.
Payments want to win their third straight recreation in opposition to Dallas.
Discover out who prime NFL analysts are choosing for Sunday’s AFC conflict between the Payments and the Chiefs.
Can Buffalo finish Philadelphia’s seven-game dwelling win streak? Discover out what the nationwide specialists are predicting for Sunday’s conflict.
Can the Payments win their fourth consecutive dwelling recreation in opposition to the Jets? Take a look at what nationwide analysts are predicting for Sunday’s AFC East matchup.
Will the Payments hand Denver its eighth consecutive loss on Monday Night time Soccer? Discover out what the specialists are predicting.
Can the Payments proceed their five-game win streak on Sunday Night time Soccer? Take a look at what the nationwide specialists are predicting for Sunday evening.
Will the Payments win their first dwelling Thursday Night time Soccer recreation since 2012? Discover out what the specialists are predicting for this week.
Will Buffalo get its sixth straight win (together with playoffs) in opposition to the Patriots? Take a look at what the specialists are predicting for Sunday’s recreation.
Will the Payments enhance to 5-0 on Sunday Night time Soccer since 2019? Discover out what the specialists are saying about this week’s matchup in Highmark Stadium.
© 2024 The Buffalo Payments. All rights reserved

source