Dolphins Facing Another Speedy Back Sunday
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins have no time to lick their wounds after getting thumped by the Tennessee Titans 37-3 on Sunday. The team is on a short turnaround and now must get ready for another team with a very fast running back, the Buffalo Bills.
Last week against the Titans, Tennessee punched holes right through Miami's usually reliable front seven. The Titans' Chris Johnson ran 23 times for 126 yards and became the first running back to top 100 yards rushing against the Dolphins in the last 22 games.
Now, the front seven will have to deal with a back who could be even faster than Johnson, Buffalo's C.J. Spiller.
Spiller has carried the ball 87 times for the Bills this year and run for 632 yards and four touchdowns. Spiller's per-carry average of 7.3 yards is one of the highest in the league. But, the former Clemson Tiger has not gone over 100 yards rushing since Week 2.
Spiller has run for 109 yards on 15 carries since the Bills' bye week. Both games were losses for Buffalo, who has struggled to a 3-6 record on the year. The Bills have yet to win a division game in 2012 and have lost their last three games in a row.
A win by Miami would help the Fins even their record at 5-5 on the season and help them stay afloat in the race for a wild card playoff spot. But Miami's offense has to show up much better than it did against the Titans, when it managed just three points in the game.
Luckily for Miami, the Bills are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, despite spending millions of dollars trying to revamp it. Buffalo is ranked dead last in scoring defense and next-to-last in yards allowed in 2012, according to pro-football-reference.com.
A key for Miami will be to determine how it will use Reggie Bush. The 1,000 yard rusher in 2011 was benched during the Titans game after a costly fumble. Bush agreed with the benching and apologized to the fans for his poor play.
If Miami can get Bush, and his backup Daniel Thomas, going early, it'll lighten the load on rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Buffalo may be easy pickings the Bills rank last in rushing yards allowed, rushing touchdowns allowed, and rushing yards per carry.
