Dolphins vs Bills NFL Wild Card Weekend: QB matchup | Tua out; Skylar Thompson vs Josh Allen
This season will likely be regarded as the one that could have been for Dolphins fans. Now with a third string QB set to start, they’ve got to dig deep against a highly favored signal caller and his team.
With their third string quarterback set to play, the Dolphins will need to bring their A-game against a Bills side that has one of the top signal callers in the game, but is still reeling from an absolute nightmare involving safety Damar Hamlin
Dolphins vs Bills: The Lay of the Land
On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins will go head-to-head with a place in the AFC Divisional round on the line. With the Bills on hosting duty at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, they will be bringing down the curtain on Wild Card weekend with their matchup. Yet, the true focal point of this clash will be how the quarterbacks match up. Having seen their starter, Tua Tagovailoa, ruled out with a concussion for the third time this season, the Dolphins should be turning to backup Teddy Bridgewater. Unfortunately, the No. 2 has been struggling to recover from a finger injury, leaving third string QB Skylar Thompson, who head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed on Friday will be starting on Sunday. Needless to say, this is not the best time.
How does Skylar Thompson measure up?
To be clear, these two teams are division rivals, which is to say they’d love nothing more than to bring an end to each other’s season. Even more so, when you consider that Dolphins and Bills have had to share the spoils this season. Back in Week 3 the Miami pulled off a 21-19 win, while the Bills got themselves a 32-29 in Week 15. This brings us to Skylar Thompson, who got the start in the final game of the Dolphins’ regular season, which turned out to be an 11-6 win over the New York Jets.
On the night, Thompson completed 20-of-31 passes for 152 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Perhaps not the most impressive introductory performance, but it would be unfair to say that Thompson looked out of sorts. At any rate, by the time he faces the Bills on Sunday night, he will have had a week to adjust himself to the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, both of whom are very dangerous players.
Josh Allen is no joke
As one can imagine, the big news out of Buffalo this past week has been the return of Damar Hamlin - to his home - after what was an extremely scary moment against the Cincinnati Bengals. It goes without saying that the Bills and everyone associated with them will feel a deep sense of relief. On the other hand, there is likely to be a high level of motivation for Buffalo coming into this one. As they go on the hunt for their first ever Super Bowl title, there will be good reason to feel confident, following a 13-3 record and the securing of the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
It’s got to be said, that major part of the process has been quarterback Josh Allen. Indeed, the signal caller was named the NFL’s FedEx Air Player of the Week following his Week 18 performance in a 35-23 win against the New England Patriots. That night, Allen completed 19 of his 31 passes for 254 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Among the highlights that night, was a 49-yard touchdown pass to receiver Stefon Diggs in the fourth quarter, which basically brought the game to a close.