ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The playoffs have been virtually out of reach for the Buffalo Bills since their 15-point collapse Dec. 4 to the Oakland Raiders, but mathematically, the Bills have continued to dodge elimination.
A win by the Denver Broncos over the New England Patriots last Sunday would have knocked the Bills out of playoff contention, but with the Broncos' loss, the Bills remain alive in the race into Week 16. According to FiveThirtyEight.com, the Bills have a 1 percent chance of cracking the postseason field, and nine games must fall in Buffalo's favor over the final two weeks in order for them to make the playoffs.
One of those games is Saturday's meeting at New Era Field between the Bills (7-7) and Miami Dolphins (9-5). Here are players to watch in the game, courtesy of ESPN Dolphins reporter James Walker:
OFFENSE
RB Jay Ajayi: This is an interesting matchup for Ajayi, who eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career last week. On one hand, Ajayi's numbers have decreased since his back-to-back 200-yard games in October. On the other hand, one of those 200-yard games was against Buffalo's defense. Opponents have increasingly stacked the box against Ajayi, and it will be up to the Bills to also make adjustments.
QB Matt Moore: The Bills will face a new quarterback in their second meeting of the season with Miami. Moore replaced injured starter Ryan Tannehill (knee) and won his first start in nearly five years by beating the Jets. Moore threw for a career-high four touchdowns and was able to quickly shake the rust. Ironically, the Dolphins haven't beaten the Bills in Buffalo since 2011, and Moore was the starting quarterback then for Miami.
C Kraig Urbik: The Bills will see a familiar face in the trenches. Urbik started 57 games for Buffalo over six seasons. He signed with Miami as a free agent this offseason and finally cracked the starting lineup last week at center. Urbik is Miami's third starting center this season, joining the injured Mike Pouncey and Anthony Steen.
DEFENSE
LB Kiko Alonso: The former Buffalo second-round pick will play against his former team for a second time in two months. But this is the first time Alonso will return to Buffalo, where he was a stud linebacker during his rookie year in 2013. Alonso is having a bounce-back season with Miami. He leads the Dolphins with 103 tackles and also has two interceptions. Alonso also is playing with a hand and hamstring injuries.
CB Xavien Howard: The rookie second-round pick missed the first meeting against the Bills due to knee surgery. Howard returned last week for the first time since Week 4 and had to play more snaps than expected due to Byron Maxwell's ankle injury. He recorded three tackles and three pass defenses against the Jets and could start this weekend in arguably Miami’s biggest game of the year. It may be wise for Buffalo to test the rookie if Howard plays extended snaps.
CB Tony Lippett: Miami’s other corner has been one of the Dolphins' pleasant surprises. He’s coming off his second multi-interception game of the season and leads the Dolphins with four on the season. Lippett is a converted college wide receiver who took two years to make the transition. His hands and ball skills, as expected, are very good for the position.
