Miami Gardens, Fla. (WBEN/AP) - The only thing that stands in the way of a fourth straight AFC East title for the Buffalo Bills is a Miami Dolphins team they've beaten nine times in their past 10 meetings.
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't do the Bills any favors Saturday and defeated the Baltimore Ravens. A Steelers loss would have given the Bills an entry into the NFL postseason.
Thousands of Bills fans have taken over the Miami area in a 'Bills Mafia Takeover' in advance of the game where more than 50% of the fans in attendance are expect to be rooting for the Bills.
What will happen when the Bills and Dolphins take the field for the final regular season of the entire NFL season?
"It's going to take a lot to put the Dolphins away," Buffalo Bills play-by-play announcer Chris Brown told WBEN. "There's incentive for them to win this game as well."
Brown says the rivalry runs deep and the Dolphins have a bad taste in their mouth. "This is a Miami team that is tired of losing to Buffalo, and the thought of losing to them again and handing them their 4th straight division title, I think is going to stick in their craw a little bit."
It won't be easy for the Dolphins as they're plagued with injuries deep across the roster. The Dolphins Saturday activated starting linebacker Jerome Baker from injured reserve on Saturday and placed edge rusher Bradley Chubb on season-ending IR with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Also Saturday, Miami elevated cornerback Ethan Bonner and linebacker Melvin Ingram to the active roster for Sunday's game.
Veteran cornerback Xavien Howard has already been ruled out.
Former Dolphins linebacker and now WQAM radio host Channing Crowder says the injuries will be a serious issue for the Dolphins and make it an uphill battle for Miami. "The Dolphins are just so beat up," Crowder told us. "It's going to be a tough road for the Dolphins to beat the Bills on Sunday."
It will be a long Sunday for BillsMafia in Western New York and in Florida as they wait for the late Sunday kickoff.
"This time f year it's dark at 4 o'clock, the game's not until 8:20, it feels like it's 2 in the morning by the time they kick the thing off," Brown said.
"It is what it's supposed to be at the end of the season," Crowder said on WBEN. "This is what it's supposed to be about."
