Fresh off an impressive comeback win over the New England Patriots, Joe Philbin's 1-0 Miami Dolphins travel to Ralph Wilson Stadium to take on Doug Marrone's 1-0 Buffalo Bills, who return home after an overtime victory in Chicago.
The majority of Dolphins' offensive surge came on the ground, with Knowshon Moreno rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries and earning a run grade of +1.8 that was outdone by only four runners on the week. Moreno was given plenty of room thanks to standout performances from left tackle Branden Albert and center Samson Satele, which saw them record overall grades of +4.4 and +3.1, respectively, both of which were good enough to earn starting places on the PFF team of the week. The Bills allowed 4.8 yards per carry against the Bears and will need to do a better job at the line of scrimmage this week.
In many respects, Buffalo might not have been expected to pull out the win against Chicago as the Bears sustained long drives (recording 29 first downs to the Bills' 15) but interceptions by defensive tackle Kyle Williams and corner Corey Graham changed the game. Graham's +3.3 coverage grade was the joint best amongst all cornerbacks and a repeat performance this week could prove equally significant.
Here are three more notable numbers for each side:
Miami Dolphins
Cameron Wake – Wake recorded two sacks (both of which forced fumbles), two QB hits and three QB hurries for seven total pressures and a 14.0 Pass Rushing Productivity score.
Dolphins defensive tackles – Earl Mitchell and Jared Odrick also contributed to the pressure on Tom Brady recording a combined three QB hits and six hurries, good for Pass Rushing Productivity scores of 9.1 and 8.2, respectively.
Cortland Finnegan – Pressure works best when combined with good coverage, and that is what Finnegan provided, recording a +2.1 coverage grade, a pass defensed, and allowing just two catches on five passes thrown his way.
Buffalo Bills
Fred Jackson – Fred Jackson's overtime tackle-busting run won the opening game for the Bills and helped him to a 91.4 Elusive Rating and 4.57 yards after contact per attempt.
Sammy Watkins – Despite being on the field for all bar three of the Bills' offensive snaps, Watkins was only targeted four times, however two of those were on passes of 20 yards or more (he caught the only catchable one).
Colton Schmidt – One key component of the Bills' Week 1 victory was the field position battle, as punter Schmidt recorded a +2.7 grade and landed four of his five punts inside the Bears' 20-yard line.
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