Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are both going to be a bit undermanned on defense when they meet on Sunday.
Bills safety Jordan Poyer, who has been a staple of Buffalo’s defense for years, is going to miss the Week 4 clash due to a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips, who has already missed one game this season, will also be unavailable this weekend.
Poyer has earned either Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors in two straight seasons, so his absence is a big loss for the Bills. He hasn’t missed a game yet this season.
The 32-year-old has 14 tackles to his credit this season. In the 2022 regular season, he only appeared in 12 games, but he still racked up four interceptions, eight passes defended and 63 tackles.
The Dolphins may be the last team in the NFL that any defense wants to face while missing a key player. Miami’s offense is dangerous to begin with, and Poyer’s absence has the potential to open up more opportunities for the Dolphins to burn the Bills downfield.
However, the loss of Phillips isn’t going to do the Dolphins any favors. The 24-year-old is typically very reliable from an availability standpoint, but he’s having a rocky season so far in that regard.
When he’s been on the field, Phillips has totaled 12 tackles, 0.5 sacks and two quarterback hits across two games this season.
The Dolphins will also be without some offensive players in Week 4.
The good news for Miami is Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are all in line to play this weekend. The Dolphins didn’t have that entire trio available in Week 3 (as Waddle was out), but they still dropped 70 points on the Denver Broncos as part of a 70-20 win.
Sunday’s matchup has major implications regarding the race for the AFC East. If the Dolphins win, they’ll move to 4-0 and have a two-game cushion for the division lead. If the Bills win, both Buffalo and Miami will move to 3-1.
The Dolphins are trying to win their first AFC East title since the 2008 season, and a win on Sunday would go a long way toward accomplishing that goal.
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