Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Fla.,
Monday, Oct. 4

AT A GLANCE: Buffalo seeks revenge for its playoff loss at Miami last January. The Bills have righted their ship after a season-opening loss, while the undefeated Dolphins are coming off a Week Three bye.

Their last visit to south Florida ended in a 24-17 wild-card defeat on Jan. 2. But the final score barely told the story of Buffalo’s heartbreak.

With his team down 24-14 and two minutes remaining, Bills WR Andre Reed thought he had scored. When the official said Reed didn’t break the plane of the goal line, the veteran wideout bumped him, earning an ejection and a 15-yard penalty. The Bills had to settle for a field goal, but they weren’t done yet.

They recovered an onside kick and drove to Miami’s five-yard line. But QB Doug Flutie was sacked and fumbled, and the game was over. Buffalo was so close, yet so far away.

Now the Bills (2-1) have a chance for revenge, not to mention getting a leg up in the AFC East race vs. the preseason division favorites.

The Dolphins (2-0), who were off last week, are nearly invincible at home, having won nine of their last 10 at Pro Player Stadium, including the playoff win over Buffalo. The Dolphins have won their last four regular-season meetings with the Bills in Miami (3-1 vs. the spread).

WHEN THE BILLS HAVE THE BALL:

The matchup between the Bills’ offense and the Dolphins’ defense is truly a case of strength vs. strength.

The offensive leader for Buffalo is Flutie, whose scrambling ability and improvisational skills can be downright scary for an opposing defense. While Flutie can do major damage with his feet, Miami’s defense — which is built for speed — seems practically designed to stop him.

Dolphins LBs Zach Thomas, Robert Jones and Derrick Rodgers can all run, and it will be incumbent upon them to make sure Flutie doesn’t pick up huge chunks of yardage once he flees the pocket.

Flutie’s favorite target is WR Eric Moulds, a big, fast, physical player who set an NFL postseason record with 240 receiving yards in the wild-card loss. Moulds isn’t afraid to mix it up with opposing cornerbacks, and that plays right into the hands of Miami’s top cover men, Sam Madison and Terrell Buckley, who are instructed to play tight, bump-and-run coverage (with emphasis on the bump).