Thursday night football is an opportunity for either the Buffalo Bills or Miami Dolphins to gain an advantage in the AFC East. For quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, it's an opportunity to change the narrative.
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The Dolphins enter Thursday night's game (8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video) riding a four-game losing streak against the Bills. The South Florida team is also 1-11 in the last 12 matchups. The lone exception is a 21-19 win on Sept. 25, 2022.
Now, the two teams will face off once again. Both are 1-0, but only one team will leave the game undefeated.
"That's going to be what's written out there until we do something about that," Tagovailoa said about the losing streak during his Sept. 10 press conference. "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."
Can the Dolphins finally overcome the Bills in Week 2? pic.twitter.com/arIg5scOZX
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Tagovailoa, in particular, has made seven starts against the rival Bills since joining the Dolphins as the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has completed 61.1% of his attempted passes for 1,454 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions. These seven interceptions are the most he has thrown against any NFL team.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who enters the matchup nursing an injury on his left hand, has gone against the Dolphins 13 times in his NFL career. He has won 11 of these games while accounting for 41 touchdowns. This includes a matchup last October when Allen threw four touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown. The Bills won 48-20.
However, the situation has significantly changed for both quarterbacks. Allen no longer has Stefon Diggs after a trade sent the dynamic receiver to Houston. He doesn't yet have a No. 1 receiver entering the second week of the season.
Tagovailoa has his top receivers available. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are back to serve as deep-play threats, which they showed in the first week of the season while combining for 239 yards and a score.
The biggest concern for Tagovailoa as he tries to change the narrative is the backfield. Raheem Mostert will miss Thursday night's game with a chest injury. De'Von Achane will be a game-time decision after delivering 100 total yards and a touchdown in the opening week.
Losing key offensive weapons will potentially pose problems for a high-speed offense like the Dolphins. The team will place greater emphasis on veteran running back Jeff Wilson Jr.
Snapping the losing streak and starting to change the narrative will not be a simple task, but it is one Tagovailoa feels his team is prepared to complete. He's seen the buy-in throughout the locker room as the pivotal AFC East matchup approaches.
"Every game is important, but I think guys that are in the locker room, guys are in the right frame of mind," Tagovailoa said.
"Guys are ready to play this game and there's just been a lot of guys that have been here for their off days — not just getting work in, but talking to each other, communicating things that we could get better with.
