100-Degree Difference Between Both Bills-Dolphins Games This Year
It feels like September was forever ago now; that's what a historic lake effect snowstorm and a cold trend will do.
The Buffalo Bills will face the Miami Dolphins for a second time this season on Saturday night. The Bills host the Dolphins for an NFL Network night game in front of a national audience at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills currently have a two-game lead over the Dolphins in the AFC East and a Buffalo win would not mathematically clinch the division, but essentially end it (three-game lead with three games remaining for each team).
The Bills are looking for payback. They lost a tough game in south Florida, when the team had to deal with a heat index over 100 degrees and were on the unshaded sideline at Hard Rock Stadium. That was back in week 3.
Miami was on the shaded sideline and no cooling fans were used. Quite a few Bills players dealt with cramping and even heat exhaustion in that game.
Saturday night's game will be a much different story.
Lake effect snow, potentially heavy, will be a story at game time. The temperatures will be in the 20's with 20-30 mph wind gusts. That means the wind chill will be in the single digits.
There's a possibility of a 100-degree difference between the two games; factoring in the heat index for that game in Miami and Saturday night's wind chill in Orchard Park.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has never really played in a true snow game. Players for both teams have not played in a snow game like what's expected on Saturday; but Miami would be less equipped to handle that cold and those elements.
Josh Allen has played in snow before; a few games in Buffalo and back in Wyoming for college football.
If you remember the 2017 snow bowl against the Indianapolis Colts, there is no preparation for that kind of weather. Passing is nearly impossible, aside from a play here or there. Footing is extremely difficult. Visibility is a huge problem for players, coaches and officials.
Tre'Davious White, Dion Dawkins, Jordan Poyer and Matt Milano are the only players who played in that game, who are still on the Bills; along with head coach Sean McDermott.