The Dolphins have played two straight December games in California. Next up, a December game in a place where December means December.
On Saturday night, the Dolphins face the Bills in Buffalo. At least one forecast calls for 4-7 inches of snow that day. Patrick Hammer of WGRZ-TV tweeted earlier this morning that “ingredients are coming together for lake effect snows” in the coming weekend. “Orchard Park and the Southtowns could be the target zone.”
The Bills’ stadium is in Orchard Park.
That’s bad news for the Dolphins, who had to fly from L.A. to Miami overnight, and who’ll head to Buffalo on Friday. The Bills, meanwhile, were at home for Sunday’s win over the Jets.
While not every scheduling advantage or disadvantage can be eradicated given the many moving parts of setting 272 regular-season games, it seems unfair to have Miami play consecutive games in California before making a short-week (by one day) trip to Buffalo, with the Bills not having to travel at all between Week 14 and Week 15.
Regardless, the schedule is the schedule. And the weather is the weather. And the Dolphins suddenly aren’t the Dolphins they’ve been.
At 8-5, the Dolphins need to get back to being what they were. After the trip to play the Bills, Miami has a Christmas Day game against the Packers, a New Year’s Day visit to the Patriots, and a season-ending visit from the Jets.
Nine days ago, the Dolphins seemed like a sure thing to make it to the playoffs. Suddenly, it’s feeling more than a little tenuous.