Dolphins seek win in finale at Bills to clinch playoff spot

MIAMI (10-5) at BUFFALO (12-3)

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS

OPENING LINE - Bills by 5 1/2

RECORD VS. SPREAD - Dolphins 11-4; Bills 10-5

SERIES RECORD - Dolphins lead 61-51-1

LAST MEETING - Bills beat Dolphins 31-28 on Sept. 20 at Miami

LAST WEEK - Dolphins beat Raiders 26-25; Bills beat Patriots 38-9

AP PRO32 RANKING - Dolphins No. 11, Bills No. 3

DOLPHINS OFFENSE - OVERALL (23), RUSH (22), PASS (25).

DOLPHINS DEFENSE - OVERALL (20), RUSH (17), PASS (19).

BILLS OFFENSE - OVERALL (4), RUSH (19), PASS (2).

BILLS DEFENSE - OVERALL (10), RUSH (20), PASS (8).

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - The Bills have won the past four meetings to match their longest win streak over the Dolphins since a team-best six-game run spanning the 1987-89 seasons. … With a victory, Miami would clinch only its third postseason berth since 2001. … The Dolphins will play at Buffalo in January for the first time since 1991. In December, they’ve lost three in a row there by a combined score of 85-33. … The Dolphins have won nine of their past 11 games. … The Dolphins have allowed the fewest points in the NFL at 18.8 per game, and could finish the season leading that category for the first time since 1998. … They also lead in third-down defense at 31% and are tied for first with 27 takeaways. … Tua Tagovailoa is 6-2 as Miami’s starting quarterback but for the second time this season was benched in the fourth quarter last week. … Tagovailoa’s longest completion all year has been 35 yards. Some 52 players have thrown a longer completion, including three receivers. … Tagovailoa has the NFL’s lowest rate of interceptions, with two in 232 pass attempts. … Ryan Fitzpatrick came off the bench last week at Las Vegas to throw for 182 yards and a score in the final 10 minutes as Miami rallied for an improbable last-second win, but he tested positive for COVID-19 this week. … Last week LB Andrew Van Ginkel became the fifth Miami player to have a multi-sack game this season. … CB Xavien Howard leads the league with nine interceptions and 19 passes defended. … Last week, RB Myles Gaskin had 169 yards from scrimmage, the most by a Dolphins player since 2017. … Mike Gesicki’s 656 yards receiving are the most by a Dolphins TE since Randy McMichael in 2004. … Buffalo has already clinched its third playoff berth in four seasons and first AFC East title since 1995. … The Bills can fall no lower than the AFC’s No. 3 playoff seed, and would clinch the No. 2 spot with a win or a Steelers loss. … Buffalo’s 12 wins are one short of matching a single-season team record set in 1990 and 1991, both AFC title seasons. … Buffalo’s 445 points scored are 13 short of matching the single-season team record set in 1991. … With four TDs passing on Monday, QB Josh Allen upped his total to 34 to break the single-season team record set by Hall of Famer Jim Kelly in 1991. … With 4,320 yards passing, Allen needs 30 to break the team mark by Drew Bledsoe in 2002. … The Bills gave up 78 yards passing to New England, marking the fewest since allowing 69 in a 13-7 overtime win over Indianapolis on Dec. 10, 2017, in a game played in a blizzard. … Fantasy tip: With Bills coach Sean McDermott declining to reveal whether he’ll rest some or most of his starters, the best bet for production would be Miami’s Gaskin facing a defense which has allowed 140 or more yards rushing in each of the past two weeks, and six times this season.

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