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Bills warn against complacency with 4-win lead over AFC East and 2-5 Dolphins in Buffalo

Bills warn against complacency with 4-win lead over AFC East and 2-5 Dolphins in Buffalo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — As the Bills enjoy the rare atmosphere of having a four-win lead atop the AFC East, edge rusher Greg Rousseau expects Buffalo to face two opponents entering Week 9 will be.

There’s the division rival Miami Dolphins (2-5), who came to town on Sunday. And then you have to be careful to ward off any feeling of overconfidence.

“It’s cool to be safe,” Rousseau said upon learning that the Bills (6-2) became the league’s eighth team since realignment in 2002 to hold a title a lead of four or more wins over their division for eight weeks. “But I would say the biggest thing that a four-win lead brings is being able to fight against complacency. You never know. We haven’t achieved anything.”

And forget asking Rasul Douglas, because the Bills cornerback said he doesn’t pay attention to the rankings, instead asking, “We have a four-win lead against who?”

The entire department.

“My goodness,” Douglas said. “I guess at this point you just want to keep your distance.”

The dolphins, however I certainly know the score. After blowing a 10-point lead in each of their last two games, they are running out of room for error to consider climbing back into contention.

As important as it is to stay positive, even ever-optimistic quarterback Tua Tagovailoa acknowledged that urgency has to play a role.

“What can be very disheartening is that the message sounds redundant,” Tagovailoa said, citing the numerous discussions the Dolphins have had about fixing the various issues.

“What are we going to do about it as a locker room, as a group of guys, and how are we going to change what that looks like this Sunday?” he said.

Injuries have been a problem, and Tagovailoa returned last week after missing four games with a concussion suffered in a 31-10 loss to Buffalo in Week 2. The turnover is a problem as Miami didn’t manage enough to finish 26th in the NFL in five takeaways. And then there’s a once-dynamic offense that ranks last in the league, averaging fewer than 14 points per game.

To make matters worse, Miami has struggled against Buffalo of late. The Dolphins have lost 13 of 14 meetings, including a playoff loss, and eight straight losses at Buffalo.

“The biggest opponent we have to beat is ourselves,” said coach Mike McDaniel.

“I believe we have the right people to put this right and that’s why we will move on without a second thought, but that means being proud of the game we showed and understanding what it is “needs for this team to win against any opponent,” he added. “Long season. It’s full of results that no one accepts, and we have a lot of people trying to be the reasons for the solution rather than the reasons for the problem.”

The four-time defending AFC East champion Bills have won three straight after losing two games and are performing well Signs of establishing an attacking identity on both sides of the ball.

Over the last two games, the Bills have used a balanced attack to outscore their opponents 65-20 overall, with four touchdown passing and four rushing schemes, and have gained 834 yards. Their defense has allowed just 522 yards in the last two games and has forced a takeaway in eight straight games.

“Don’t get complacent and don’t just say things are taken care of because they’re not,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “Anything can happen and we have to go full throttle.”

Problems with the receiver

The Dolphins are still struggling to find a No. 3 receiver to complement Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Free agent signing Odell Beckham Jr. was expected to fill that spot, but he hasn’t had a catch in three games since coming off the physically unable to perform list. River Cracraft, who has a shoulder injury, could make his season debut on Sunday.

“Now the band is kind of coming back together and connecting and being able to throw more routes and more timing throws,” Tagovailoa said. “Hopefully this Sunday we can use the weapons we acquired this offseason.”

Miller time

The Bills welcome Von Miller backwho returns after serving a four-game suspension imposed by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Miller had three sacks before his suspension, bringing his NFL career total to 126 1/2 – tied with Derrick Thomas at 17th overall.

“I’m happy. I’m in a great place. “I’m healthy,” said the 35-year-old. “We all have our hopes and aspirations in front of us, be it at a team level or an individual level.”

I have to run

The Dolphins moved to ninth in the NFL for the first time since 2009 after three straight games with at least 150 rushing yards. Sophomore running back De’Von Achane leads the team with 81 carries and 357 yards. Veteran Raheem Mostert has a team-high two rushing touchdowns. Rookie Jaylen Wright has the highest per-carry average among the three at 5.3 yards per touch.

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AP Sports Writer Alanis Thames contributed to this report.

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