Bills would be wise to rest starters against Dolphins
The Buffalo Bills are locked into a top-three seed and are almost guaranteed of the No. 2 slot. It’s time to rest the stars and think about the playoffs.
Forget about winning in Week 17. Forget about whether the Miami Dolphins make the playoffs, or if you get to play the role of cruel spoiler.
With the Pittburgh Steelers essentially resting all their key players before their game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, the Buffalo Bills already know their fate. Â Barring an absolutely absurd collapse by Cleveland, the Bills are going to be the No. 2 seed with Pittsburgh almost certain to lose.
At 12-4 and coming off a week of rest, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott would have to feel great about his team’s chances of advancing a few rounds through home games, and then heading to Kansas City — in all likelihood — for a date with the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
For Buffalo, the only games that truly matter are ones which begin next weekend. The Bills are assured of hosting at least one postseason tilt for the first time since 1996, and with a win, would break a 25-year drought between playoff victories.
With the Bills already dealing with Cole Beasley’s week-to-week knee injury, Buffalo shouldn’t take any unnecessary chances. Buffalo can’t afford to see a key offensive lineman get hurt, let alone risk injury to star quarterback Josh Allen or future All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs. The Bills haven’t enjoyed a week off since their bye in Week 11, which while later than many, was still a month and a half ago.
Looking forward, Buffalo is going to be playing one of the following teams in the Wild Card round at Bills Stadium: the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans or Dolphins. As things stand, the Bills and Browns would lock up in a Lake Erie battle, but that’s only if we see chalk across the AFC playoff picture this weekend.
Ultimately, expect Buffalo to rest its starters for most if not all of Sunday. Yes, it gives Miami a great chance to get in, but that’s of little concern to the franchise even if fans would love to knock the Dolphins out.
The most important thing is maximizing Buffalo’s chance to go to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season, and there’s little argument a week of rest would be anything but the best choice.
