Dolphins-Bills matchup in Week 3 already takes strange turn

The Miami Dolphins’ Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills is roughly a fortnight away still, yet the matchup between the two divisional rivals has already taken a strange turn.

In light of Friday’s news that Buffalo has placed kicker Tyler Bass on injured reserve, neither the Dolphins nor Bills will have their starting kickers in the Sept. 18 showdown. For the Dolphins, kicker Jason Sanders is also on injured reserve. Bass and Sanders will each have to miss a minimum of four games.

Journeyman Riley Patterson is set to fill in for Sanders while he recuperates from his injury. Patterson has bounced around from team to team over the years and will look to make a statement with Miami.

He has made 85.1 percent of the field goals he has attempted in his NFL career, which actually gives him a higher career percentage than Sanders. But Patterson had trouble converting field goals in his limited opportunities last season, as he was off on three of his seven attempts.

For the Bills, veteran Matt Prater could fill in while Bass is on the shelf. Prater is a two-time Pro Bowler but is getting up there in age at 41.

That Week 3 contest for the Dolphins against a Bills team that has had their number in recent years stands out as one of Miami’s more important games of the season, but the team still has two games to play before it sees Buffalo.

Miami has a contest against the Indianapolis Colts coming up on Sunday, and it could be important that it gets the season off on the right foot leading up to the Bills showdown. If Miami can’t take care of business in its opening games against the Colts and New England Patriots, it’s hard to imagine the team will be able to hold its own against a heavyweight such as the Bills.

The news that Bass will be sidelined for the contest along with Sanders adds an interesting wrinkle to the looming showdown between two of the top teams in the AFC East division in recent years. Hopefully for Miami fans, even without Sanders available to play, the Dolphins can pick up their first win against the Bills since September of 2022.