With the Bills enjoying a four-game lead in the AFC East, edge rusher Greg Rousseau believes Buffalo has two challenges heading into Week 9.
First, they face their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins (2-5), who will visit on Sunday. Second, they need to avoid becoming overconfident.
“It’s cool to be sure,” Rousseau said when he learned that the Bills (6-2) are one of only eight teams since 2002 to have such a large lead in their division after eight weeks. “But I’d say the biggest thing that comes with being up four wins is being able to battle complacency. You never know. We haven’t clinched anything.”
As for cornerback Rasul Douglas, he doesn’t focus on the standings and instead asks, “We got a four-win lead versus who?” The entire division. “Geez,” Douglas said. “I guess at this point, you just want to keep the distance.”
On the other hand, the Dolphins are fully aware of their situation. After losing leads of 10 points in their last two games, they have little room for error if they want to get back in the race.
Even quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is usually upbeat, recognized the need for urgency.
“The thing that can become very discouraging is the message starts to sound redundant,” Tagovailoa said, referring to the many talks they’ve had about fixing their problems.
“What are we going to do about it as a locker room, as a group of guys, and how do we want to change what that looks like coming this Sunday?” he asked.
Injuries have been a concern for the Dolphins, with Tua Tagovailoa returning last week after missing four games due to a concussion he got in a 31-10 loss to Buffalo in Week 2. Turnovers are also an issue, as Miami is tied for 26th in the NFL with only five takeaways. Their once-strong offense now ranks last in the league, averaging fewer than 14 points per game.
Things are made tougher by Miami’s poor record against Buffalo. The Dolphins have lost 13 of their last 14 meetings, including a playoff game, and have lost eight straight games in Buffalo.
“The biggest opponent that we have to overcome is ourselves, really,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
“I believe that we have the right guys to get that fixed, so we’ll move forward with the goal of being proud of the game we put out there and understanding what it takes for this team to win against any opponent,” he added.
“It’s a long season, and we’re not accepting the results we’ve had. We have a lot of guys trying to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
The Bills, who have won the AFC East four times in a row, have won three straight games after a two-game losing streak and are beginning to show a strong offensive identity.
In their last two games, the Bills have used a balanced approach, outscoring their opponents 65-20 with four touchdown passes and four rushing touchdowns, gaining a total of 834 yards.
Their defense has given up just 522 yards in those two games and has forced a takeaway in eight consecutive games.
“Not getting complacent and not just saying things are taken care of, because they’re not,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “Anything can happen, and we got to keep our foot on the gas.”
