Bills-Dolphins: A different duel

Quarterbacks who have the ability to overcome a dysfunctional environment are few and far between, and sometimes head coaches want to impose their system rather than adapt to their players to maximize their abilities.

And then there are coaching changes, and everyone wants to bring in their own people, but when Mike McDaniel arrived in Miami, at no time did he talk about a succession plan for Tua Tagovailoa.

Quite the opposite, he simply focused on how to restore his confidence and put together a system that fit his style of player.

Tagovailoa has never been the strong-armed quarterback, but rather a rhythm quarterback, whose main attributes are his accuracy, his reads, his mettle in the pocket and his anticipatory power.

As such, it was ideal to surround Tagovailoa with speedy players who can rack up yards after the reception.

That’s why the Miami Dolphins went for a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, and ended up paying Tyreek Hill $30 million per year.

It is undoubtedly expensive, but no one in the league has the speed of Hill, who now along with Jaylen Waddle, make up the most explosive wide receiver duo in the NFL.

In the incredible comeback against the Baltimore Ravens, Hill and Waddle became the first wide receivers on the same team to have at least 10 receptions, at least 150 yards through the air and at least two touchdowns each in a single game.

Tagovailoa has 739 yards through the air in two games, more than any Dolphins player in history, and is coming off the best game of his career against the Ravens.

As if that wasn’t enough, their running backs Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds are also explosive, and tight end Mike Gesicki is a big weapon in the red zone.

I don’t like to draw grandiose conclusions after just two games, but I am in a position to say that a new era is beginning in Miami.

The Dolphins, who under former coach Brian Flores were solid, but also boring. And above all, they were a team that did not fit the new NFL, where scoring fast seems to be a necessary condition.

And now the Dolphins have possibly the top title contender coming up in the Buffalo Bills.

A Buffalo team that has an indecipherable riddle in Josh Allen, who at the same time has an enviable chemistry with Stefon Diggs. And as if that weren’t enough, they have perhaps the best defense in the NFL.

If you need further proof, they beat the defending champions — the Los Angeles Rams — and last year’s top seed in the AFC — the Tennessee Titans — by an average of 27.5 points in their first two games.

Stars you can’t stop, but rather try to limit them.

That’s why if you’re going to beat the Bills, it’s going to have to be by a shootout of points.

In the past, Miami wasn’t equipped to do that. Now, the answer is more hopeful.

The Dolphins have lost their last seven games to the Bills, who remain the heavy favorite.

But whereas Buffalo used to think of Miami as a routine matchup, now at least they can sit down at the table and talk.