Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The 2023 regular season wraps up for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night in a huge prime-time showdown with the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida.
The winner of Sunday night's matchup will end up taking the AFC East crown and securing the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoffs with a chance to host a pair of playoff games.
While the Dolphins have already secured a spot in the postseason, the Bills are not locked in to the playoffs just yet, and still could miss out entire if they fall in Miami this Sunday night. If the Bills lose and also see the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars win their games this weekend, it would be the first season Buffalo will not take part in the playoffs since 2018.
Related
While the other games impacting Buffalo's playoff chances will take place before kickoff in Miami, head coach Sean McDermott stressed the importance of remaining focused on their own game this week and controlling their own destiny. He says regardless of the outcome of the other games, the Bills' game plan will remain the same.
"Our mindset is on that game, and that game only," said McDermott during his weekly appearance on the "Extra Point Show" on Friday. "Whatever happens, happens. We're prepared to focus on the pieces we can control, and getting our level of play and coaching to the highest level we can."
The Bills and Dolphins are no strangers to each other, as they have a deep-seeded rivalry that dates back over 50 years.
Earlier this season, the Bills had the edge with a 48-20 win in Orchard Park, putting up a dominate offensive display. Despite this, McDermott knows the Dolphins will still prove to be a worthy opponent.
"They've got a good coaching staff. Coach [Mike] McDaniel does a phenomenal job, very unique. He's high level, in terms of what he does and how he does it," McDermott said on WGR with Sal Capaccio and Joe DiBiase. "We know them, they probably know us as well, and really the focus for us is getting our level of play where it needs to be."
One thing that has always been a positive factor for the Bills with road games is the ability for "Bills Mafia" to take over opposing stadiums, and make it feel like a home game for Buffalo. Miami is no different, and is usually the place where Bills fans travel to the best.
"We're prepared for that," McDermott admitted. "From the first year we went down there [at the] end of the season [in] 2017 to multiple games on the road. We don't expect this situation to be any different. 'Bills Mafia' always shows up, and [they're a] big time factor in being the 12th man of the game."
Hear more from McDermott's appearance during the "Extra Point Show" available in the player below:
