Head coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins are not fans of Thursday night games, especially with injuries to their top two running backs.
“Typically, when we have padded practices,” McDaniel said Wednesday, “we don’t even have them until Thursday because Wednesday the guys are still working through their ailments from the game previous. So, there are several guys we’ll be feeling out and go from there.”
“Go from there” meaning gametime decisions, specifically for De’Von Achane. An ankle injury kept the second-year back out of practice most of the short week. After leading the NFL last season with 7.8 yards per carry, Achane is questionable.
Raheem Mostert is not. The veteran who led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns a year ago, is out with a chest injury and could miss multiple weeks. Those could be critical injuries for a Dolphins team trying to change the narrative against a playoff opponent. Under McDaniel from 2022-23, the Dolphins won 20 games, but only three were against teams that went on to earn playoff berths.
And if Achane can’t go Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video), the Dolphins will miss more than an explosive rushing threat. Miami lacks a true third option when receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle stretch the field. Braxton Berrios played that role in last week’s win over Jacksonville and didn’t catch a pass. Tight end Jonnu Smith caught one pass against the Jaguars.
But quarterback Tua Tagovailoa knows the Bills are also short-handed. Nickel corner Taron Johnson (forearm) is out a significant loss. Johnson is a three-down defender who stays on the field in short-yardage situations, unlike most corners.
And, Tagovailoa said this week he’s leaned on former Bills defensive backs Jordan Poyer and Siran Neal, who both signed with Miami this offseason. The quarterback confirmed they will help him.
“Yeah, they definitely can,” Tagovailoa said. “They know in the back end signals with what the Bills do and how they communicate things that they’ve done to stop us previous years.”
Previous years have not been good to the Dolphins in this series. Including a playoff game, the Bills have taken 11 of the last 12 meetings dating back to 2018, when Buffalo drafted quarterback Josh Allen. In their last meeting, Allen threw for 359 yards, including a tie-breaking, fourth-quarter touchdown pass to clinch the division title.
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins know flipping that script starts with them.
“That’s going to be what’s written out there until we do something about that,” the quarterback said. “That’s going to be the narrative, that we can’t beat the Bills. And until we do beat them, and we beat them consistently, none of that’s going to change. And we have an opportunity to do that this year. We have an opportunity to do that this Thursday.”