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There couldn’t be more at stake for the Buffalo Bills (10-6) heading into Week 18. The Bills can clinch the AFC East for the fourth straight year and punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Miami Dolphins (11-5).
Miami is fighting to hold their top spot in the division and Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio knows it will be a battle. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, January 4, Fangio explained why it’s so difficult to stop an elite quarterback like Josh Allen.
Fangio effusively praised Allen, comparing him to the legendary John Elway. But with Allen being 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, he said the comparison doesn’t do the Bills star justice.
“Allen’s just a beast of a guy. A physical specimen like Elway was in the mid-80s to mid-90s. This guy is the new John Elway on steroids,” Fangio said, before realizing there might be repercussions for that statement.
Raising his arms up, “I don’t mean he’s taking steroids,” Fangio immediately noted. “He’s just bigger. Faster. Cannon for an arm. Tough. He’s a dude.”
Fans strongly reacted to Fangio’s comment on X, formerly known as Twitter. While Bills Mafia loved the praise, they also wouldn’t be shocked if the NFL tagged Allen with a drug test after the game. SI’s Alain Pouport simply posted an “😬” emoji.
Dolphins fans, of course, weren’t too thrilled to hear Fangio gush over Allen. One person looking to stir the pot reposted a video of the presser and wrote, “Sounds like Vic might know something… 👀👀👀.”
Josh Allen & the Bills Could Miss the Playoffs Entirely With a Loss to the Dolphins
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GettyBills quarterback Josh Allen (L) and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (R).
With a victory over the Dolphins, the Bills can nab the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If the Bills lose, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens, and the Jaguars beat the Titans, Buffalo misses the playoffs entirely.
With Bills-Dolphins in the Sunday Night Football slot, Allen and Co. will know what they must do to stay alive before kickoff. If both the Jaguars and Steelers lose, Buffalo can clinch the No. 6 seed even if they lose to Miami. If just one of those teams loses, the Bills can earn the No. 7 seed with a loss to the Dolphins.
“We’ll know that before,” Allen told reporters of learning if the team can afford to lose to Miami. “But again, it doesn’t change our mindset. Every time we step on the field, we’re trying to win a football game.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott shared a similar sentiment. “We are solely focused on our level of play and the Miami Dolphins,” he told reporters. And that should be the mindset. Sure, Buffalo can still limp into the postseason with a loss to a division rival. However, beating Miami gives the Bills the highly-advantageous position of hosting the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Josh Allen Sent a Strong Message to Bills Mafia Ahead of the ‘Hostile’ Showdown in Miami
The Bills crushed the Dolphins 48-20 in Week 4. Allen is 10-2 against Miami in his career (including the playoffs). The Wyoming alum has thrown 34 touchdowns against the Dolphins, a record for any quarterback against an opponent, Bills reporter Maddy Glab reported.
Allen “also has multiple passing touchdowns in 12 consecutive games against the Dolphins which is the longest streak by a quarterback against one opponent in NFL history,” Glab noted.
But the 27-year-old quarterback knows none of these stats matter. The only thing that matters is how he performs on Sunday, January 7. With the Dolphins fresh off an embarrassing 56-19 loss to the Ravens, Allen expects Miami to have an extra chip on their shoulder.
“They just played a game where they didn’t play too well against a really good team so they’re hungry, there’s no doubt about that,” Allen said. “Big game at home for them, their crowd’s gonna be rocking. So, we’re stepping into a very hostile and dangerous situation with that in terms of the AFC East on the line, so we gotta give everything that we got.”
Allen has discussed the importance of the fans’ energy to the team’s success, and he’s hoping there’s a large portion of blue and red at the Hard Rock Stadium. “I hope we can make it a big Bills Mafia group down there,” Allen said. “I know we travel well and we’ve done that the last few times we’ve played in Miami. It’s no different this time.”
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