McDaniel: Revenge not on Fins’ minds vs. Bills

MIAMI — Seven months ago, the Miami Dolphins‘ season ended at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC playoffs.

The Dolphins need no reminder. But when the divisional rivals square off Sunday for the first time since that matchup, revenge won’t be on the Dolphins’ minds.

Miami coach Mike McDaniel said his team doesn’t need to manufacture any additional motivation for a game against the three-time reigning AFC East champions.

“If you need to be motivated for a game like this, check your pulse,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “Or maybe consider a career adjustment.

“I think it’s a very, very difficult challenge that I think our players are pumped for because you sign up to play the best, and I think [the Bills] fit that.”

Miami boasts the best offense in the NFL through three games, leading the league in yards per game (550.3), passing yards per game (362), rushing yards per game (188.3), yards per play (8.38), scoring (43.3) and offensive expected points added (66.97). The Bills rank second in yards allowed per game (253) and scoring (18.7) and lead the league in sack rate (16%), interception rate (9.33%) and takeaways (9).

In a 37-3 blowout win over the Washington Commanders in Week 3, Buffalo recorded nine sacks and forced five turnovers. McDaniel called the Bills’ defense an “opportunistic group” that’s going to force his team to remain on the same page throughout the game.

“You want to talk about making people pay for their mistakes. If they get their hands on any sort of ball, they’re turning the ball over, and it’s a very, very important thing to be good at,” he said. “They’re very well-orchestrated with their assignments and knowing each other’s assignments. They play great team ball and they really strain each and every play. Part of that straining doesn’t show up in the box score, but a couple of those turnovers were a result of quarterback pressure and a guy having to let it go before he wanted to, before he saw things.

“That’s what they rely on and they’re very good at it. And that’s a great way to win a lot of football games, which they’ve done doing that.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who threw three touchdown passes in Buffalo’s 34-31 victory over Miami in the wild-card round, said Wednesday he relishes the chance to play in rivalry games like Sunday’s.

“I think that’s what football’s all about, and those type of rivalries — they get emotions going,” Allen said. “But we play an emotional game at the end of the day. That’s why we play this game. That’s a big part of the reason why I play this game. It makes me feel certain things and to go against in-division rivals and have that type of vibe with some of the guys, and it makes you want to get out of your seat. But at the same time, trying to stay as level as possible and just try to focus on what I need to focus on.”

The Dolphins are coming off their own standout performance in Week 3 — a historic 70-20 drubbing of the Denver Broncos. They became the first NFL team since 1966 to score 70 points in a single game, and the first team in league history to record 350 rushing yards and 350 passing yards in a single game.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa currently leads the league in QBR (82.9) after completing 23 of 26 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns in the contest. He also completed all 15 of his passes to in-breaking receivers for 207 yards and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Against Washington, the Bills held quarterback Sam Howell to a 12.0 rating on in-breaking routes, intercepting him once in nine pass attempts.

Bills coach Sean McDermott, after calling Miami’s schematics “almost revolutionary” earlier this week, said Wednesday that the Dolphins are as good “as advertised.”

“They’re explosive,” McDermott said. “Anybody that touches the ball can score, whether it’s what you think is going to be a 2-yard run turns into a crease and a gasher — same thing with the passing game. So Coach McDaniel does a great job of just moving guys around, creating different styles of offense. It’s a handful.”

McDaniel insisted the responsibility falls on the entire offense to not allow Buffalo to dictate the flow of the game come Sunday.

“It’s not just on Tua; it’s literally the entire offense because it’s a collective group,” McDaniel said. “A receiver has to run the appropriate route against the right coverage at the appropriate timing and depth. The quarterback has to be on that and be in sync with him and throw an accurate ball. And that can only occur if the protection allows him to execute his technique and fundamentals. It is quite literally one of my favorite types of football games, because with that offense they have and how good they are, and the defense they have and how good they are … it takes the entire team to execute, and you can’t overcome that teamwork that they have with individuals.

“So those are my favorite type of games, the ones that take an absolute team commitment. It’ll be fun. Two teams that really want to have no business leaving that stadium with loss. So good players, good coaching staffs, and it’ll be a fun one.”

ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg contributed to this report.