The Dolphins pushed around the Bills in Buffalo yesterday.  Matt Moore was very efficient in this game as he completed 10 of 20 passes for 217 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Reggie Bush had a monster game for the Dolphins with 203 yards rushing on 25 carries (8.1 ypc) with a 76-yard TD run.  Daniel Thomas pitched in with 11 carries for 42 yards (3.8 ypc) in this game.  WR Brandon Marshall (3 rec, 84 yards, TD), WR Brian Hartline (3 rec, 69 yards) and TE Anthony Fasano (2 rec, 28 yards, TD) led the way for the Fins in the passing game.  The Dolphins finished up with 254 yards rushing on 38 carries (6.7 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 20 passes (50%) for 194 yards in this game as they had possession of the ball for 28:49.

The defense gave up a lot of yards, but most of them came late in the game.  OLB Cameron Wake (7 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 4 QB hits), CB Will Allen (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed), safety Reshad Jones (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and CB Vontae Davis (5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 2 interceptions) led the way for the Fins on D yesterday.  The Bills finished up with 113 yards rushing on 19 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 47 passes (66%) for 291 yards.  The Dolphins are now 5-9 on the season as Todd Bowles wins his NFL debut as a head coach.

The Dolphins got beat 26-10 last weekend at home against the Eagles and it cost head coach Tony Sparano his job.  Todd Bowles will be the head coach starting this weekend against the Bills.  The Dolphins have won 4 of their last 6 games, including a 35-8 whipping of the Bills just four weeks ago in Miami.  The Bills have lost six games in a row, getting blown out in four of them.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins will likely come out running the ball a lot with Reggie Bush being the main man.  Bush should be able to find a lot of running room against a Bills’ D that is giving up 130.7 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Dolphins have allowed 44 sacks already this year, but the Bills only have 19 of them this year…so something has to give.  If Matt Moore or J.P. Losman have time to throw the ball, they are going to be very successful.  Brandon Marshall is a huge mis-match for any corner on the Bills.  Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano will likely have good games catching balls over the middle of the field.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are a pass first team, so the Dolphins are going to have to get after Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick makes big time mistakes when he gets hit a lot.  He still has decent WRs in Steve Johnson and David Nelson, so the corners better come to play for the Dolphins.  C.J. Spiller is trying to make his mark for the Bills in his second year with the team, and he has gamebreaking type speed.  The Dolphins have been effective stopping the run though as they are only giving up 89.9 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry, so they should be up to the challenge of stopping C.J. Spiller.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 23, BILLS 20

27-year old QB Matt Moore suffered a concussion last weekend and he might not be ready to play the Bills this Sunday.  Moore has played in 10 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has completed 162 of 263 passes (61.6%) for 1,864 yards with 10 TD passes and 6 INTs (86.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 26 times for 74 yards (2.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far this year.  The Dolphins will be in trouble if Moore can’t go this Sunday.  30-year old J.P. Losman would get the start against his old team (the Bills) if Moore can’t play.  Losman has played in 2 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 60 yards without a TD pass or interception (77.1 QB Rating).  Losman has also carried the ball 2 times for 1 yard (0.5 ypc) so far this year.

The Miami Dolphins have fired 50-year old head coach Tony Sparano.  The Dolphins are 4-9 on the season and that’s just not good enough.  Sparano compiled a 29-32 record (47.5%) during the regular season for the Dolphins and he was 0-1 in the playoffs.  48-year old defensive backs coach Todd Bowles will take over as the interim head coach of the Dolphins.  This is his fourth year with the Dolphins and his 7th season as a NFL head coach.  Bowles has little chance of getting the head coaching job next season even if he goes 3-0 the rest of the way.  That’s because Dolphins’ ownership will be looking to catch a big fish as the next head coach.

The Dolphins couldn’t get anything going offensively, which forced them to waste an outstanding effort from the D.  Matt Moore completed 11 of 19 passes for 95 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT before leaving the game due to a concussion.  J.P. Losman finished up the game at QB by completing 6 of 10 passes for 60 yards.  Reggie Bush came to play for the Fins as he rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries (7.4 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 27 yards (5.4 avg).  Daniel Thomas had a rough time against the Eagles with 7 carries for 4 yards (0.6 ypc) and 2 grabs for 9 yards (4.5 avg).  TE Anthony Fasano (3 rec, 56 yards) and WR Brandon Marshall (4 rec, 27 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Dolphins yesterday.  The Dolphins finished up with 109 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 29 passes (58.6%) for 95 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:39.

The defense played excellent for the Fins yesterday.  LB Karlos Dansby (9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and safety Yeremiah Bell (7 tackles) led the way for the Dolphins on D in this game.  Safety Tyrone Culver (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery), CB Sean Smith (interception) and DE Jason Taylor (2 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits) also made big plays for the Fins yesterday.  The Eagles finished up with 51 yards rushing on 32 carries (1.6 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 30 passes (50%) for 188 yards.  The Dolphins are now 4-9 on the year.

The Dolphins have won four of their last five games as they are red hot right now.  The Eagles have lost four of their last five games as they are at the other end of the spectrum as they are ice cold.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins have been really balanced offensive lately and it has helped them on the scoreboard.  Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas will be taking aim at an Eagles’ D that is giving up 115.6 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Eagles are a heavy blitzing team as they have 33 sacks already this year, but, if they don’t get to Matt Moore…he will make plays against a vastly overrated secondary.  WRs Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and TE Anthony Fasano will likely be thrown short passes and have to make yards after the catch.

When the Eagles have the ball:  Michael Vick is returning this weekend but I don’t think he’s going to be running the ball much due to his injured ribs.  The Dolphins need to get after him and pop him a few times to force him to get rid of the ball quicker.  The Dolphins will also need to slow down Lesean McCoy (1,134 rushing yards) and force Vick to beat them with his left arm.  The Dolphins are only giving up 93.2 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry, so they should be up to the challenge.  The Eagles are very dinged up at WR, so the Fins’ safeties might need to give more attention to TE Brent Celek.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 23, EAGLES 21

27-year old WR Brandon Marshall is having another solid year for the Dolphins.  He has played in all 12 games for the Fins so far this year and he has caught 63 passes for 910 yards (14.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Marshall has eclipsed 100 yards receiving four times already this year for the Dolphins.  Marshall has now played in 26 games in his first two years with the Dolphins and he has caught 149 passes for 1,924 yards (12.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

The Dolphins roared out to a 34-0 lead after three quarters before calling off the dogs today.  Matt Moore was really efficient in this game as he completed 13 of 25 passes for 162 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 22 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run today.  Reggie Bush was outstanding today as he rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Donald Thomas also was solid with 73 yards rushing on 13 carries (5.6 ypc) for the Fins.  TE Anthony Fasano (4 rec, 66 yards), WR Brandon Marshall (4 rec, 60 yards) and WR Davone Bess (4 rec, 27 yards, TD) led the way for the Dolphins in the passing game.  The Dolphins finished up with 209 yards rushing on 44 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 25 passes (52%) for 153 yards as they had possession of the ball for 38:20.

The defense was outstanding for the Dolphins today.  LB Karlos Dansby led the way for the Fins with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  Safety Yeremiah Bell (5 tackles) and LB Kevin Burnett (4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and a interception he returned 34 yards for a TD) also had rock solid games for the Fins today.  The Raiders finished up with 46 yards rushing on 14 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 41 passes (48.8%) for 258 yards in this game.  The Dolphins are now 4-8 on the season.

The Dolphins are playing good football right now as they have won 3 of their last four games.  The Raiders are hot right now too as they have won three games in a row.  The Raiders save their best football for the road, where they are 4-1 on the season.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins want to have a balanced offense this Sunday against the Raiders.  Reggie Bush and Donald Thomas will likely share the workload in this game against a Raiders’ D that is giving up 135.3 yards rushing per game and 5.3 yards per carry so far this year.  The Raiders have 32 sacks already this year, so they are going to be coming after Matt Moore.  Moore will probably keep the passing game short and hope that Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano will be able to make plays after the catch.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are a run first team as they are averaging 149.2 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry, so the first thing the Dolphins are going to need to do this Sunday is stop RB Michael Bush.  The Dolphins are going to have to get after Carson Palmer as he loves to throw the ball down the field.  The Raiders have more speed at WR than any other team in the NFL, so the Dolphins’ safeties are going to have to be ready to help out the corners deep.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 21, RAIDERS 20

26-year old RB Reggie Bush always wanted to be a featured RB in an offense.  It just wasn’t going to happen in New Orleans.  The Dolphins though have given him the chance to prove himself as a runner this year and he has been surprisingly productive.  Bush has played in 11 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has carried the ball 133 times for 567 yards (14 short of his career high) (4.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He has also caught 35 passes for 237 yards (6.8 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  Bush has now played in 71 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 657 times for 2,657 yards (4.0 ypc) with 21 TD runs.  He has also caught 329 passes for 2,379 yards (7.2 avg) with 13 TD grabs in his career.  Bush has a lot of tread left on the tires, so he could be solid for the Fins for a while.