(Sports Network) - The Buffalo Bills might be headed north of the border for Sunday afternoon's clash with the Miami Dolphins, but their record is certainly heading south.

Buffalo, which will host the Dolphins in the first NFL regular season game to be played in Canada, comes into Sunday's contest having gone 1-5 in its past six games, including a particularly hard-to-swallow 10-3 home loss to the struggling San Francisco 49ers last week.

The recent stretch has wiped away nearly all the positive feeling gleaned during a 5-1 start that had Dick Jauron's squad at the top of the AFC East and talking playoffs.

Six weeks later, the Bills are alone in last place in the division, sit two games back of the final Wild Card spot in the AFC, and are in grave danger of becoming the first team since the Mike Tice-coached Vikings of 2003 to miss the playoffs after starting a season 4-0.

To add insult to injury (or perhaps the other way around), Buffalo could be without starting quarterback Trent Edwards on Sunday due to a groin injury.

The second-year-pro completed just 10-of-21 passes for 112 yards before exiting against San Francisco, and backup J.P. Losman (11-of-17, 93 yards) wasn't much better in his absence.

Edwards is considered questionable for Sunday, and if he can't go, Losman would make his first start since presiding over a 36-14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last Nov. 25.

Losman is 10-21 as a starter in parts of five NFL seasons.

Things are much more positive around the visiting Dolphins, who will travel to Canada as a team with an eye on their first postseason berth since 2001.

Miami, which went 1-15 a year ago, moved to 7-5 with last week's less-than- beautiful but still-functional 16-12 win at the St. Louis Rams. The win pulled Tony Sparano's squad into a tie with New England for second place in the AFC East, and the Fins enter Week 14 just a game back of both the final conference Wild Card spot and the first-place Jets in the division.

With a win on Sunday, Miami would be 8-5 heading into a final three-game stretch including games against the 49ers (4-8), Chiefs (2-10), and what could be a monumental season finale against the Jets (8-4) at the Meadowlands.

SERIES HISTORY

Miami leads the all-time regular season series with Buffalo, 50-34-1, including a 25-16 come-from-behind victory when the clubs met in South Florida in Week 8. Prior to that game, the Bills had won seven of the last eight in the series, including four straight. Buffalo swept last year's home-and-home, including a 38-17 home decision when the clubs squared off in Week 14. Miami is 0-4 in series road games since winning at Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2003.

Though the Dolphins lead the regular season series, the Bills hold a 3-1 edge in postseason games. Buffalo defeated Miami in a 1990 AFC Divisional Playoff, the 1992 AFC Championship, and a 1995 AFC First-Round Playoff, while the Dolphins were winners in a 1998 AFC First-Round Playoff.

Jauron is 4-2 in his head coaching career against the Dolphins, including a 27-9 loss for his Bears in Miami during the 2002 season. The Dolphins' Tony Sparano is 1-0 against both Jauron and the Bills as a head coach.



WHEN THE DOLPHINS HAVE THE BALL

After a generally prolific first half of the 2008 season, Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington (2881 passing yards, 11 TD, 6 INT) and the team's offense has fallen off the pace a bit of late. Pennington, who threw for 220+ yards in five straight weeks from the end of September to the beginning of November, has now posted fewer than 220 yards in three of his past four games. Pennington's 166-yard day against the Rams, which came on 13-of-23 passing without a touchdown or interception, ranked as his worst in terms of passing yardage since Week 2. It is unclear what long-range impact a recent season- ending knee injury to top wideout Greg Camarillo will have on the aerial attack, though Devone Bess (30 receptions, 1 TD) had a nice game in Camarillo's place last week. Bess caught six balls for 84 yards, while running mate Ted Ginn, Jr. (47 receptions, 1 TD) hauled in four passes for 55 yards. Ginn had his best game of the year against the Bills back in Week 8, catching seven passes for a season-best 175 yards and a touchdown in that win. Both running backs Ronnie Brown (690 rushing yards, 10 TD, 21 receptions) and Ricky Williams (512 rushing yards, 19 receptions, 4 TD) should see some backfield touches on Sunday, one week after combining for 102 yards and a touchdown (by Brown) on 27 carries against the Rams. Williams is a former member of the CFL Toronto Argonauts, and will be appearing at his former home stadium.

The Bills are currently middle-of-the-pack in most NFL defensive categories, ranking 14th against the pass (205 yards per game), 17th against the run (109.8 yards per game), and 12th overall (314.8 yards per game) as Week 14 commences. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the unit's play has been in the playmaking department, with the Bills' seven interceptions on the year and 21 sacks both ranking near the bottom of the league. Buffalo could get some help on that front this week, however, as cornerback Jabari Greer (37 tackles, 2 INT), safety Donte Whitner (40 tackles, 1 sack), and end Aaron Schobel (19 tackles, 1 sack) could be in the lineup together for the first time in months. Whitner (shoulder) and Schobel (foot) appear more likely to go this week than Greer (knee), who is considered questionable. The Bills' run- stopping group comes off a solid week in which it held the 49ers' Frank Gore to just 66 yards on 24 carries including a lost fumble. Tackle Marcus Stroud (36 tackles, 2.5 sacks) has done a good job for Buffalo at the point of attack this year, and Paul Posluszny (80 tackles) and Kawika Mitchell (62 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT) have been the club's most active tacklers among the linebackers.



WHEN THE BILLS HAVE THE BALL

No matter who plays quarterback for Buffalo on Sunday, the Bills' offensive approach will likely be establishing the ground game with running back Marshawn Lynch (844 rushing yards, 43 receptions, 8 TD). Lynch had his best rushing day of the 2008 season last week, rushing for 134 yards on just 16 carries, including a 50-yard run, but also coughing up a key fumble and failing to find the end zone on a day in which the team was held to three points. Lynch had 13 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown against Miami in Week 8. When the Bills throw it, the objective will be to get the ball to dangerous wideout Lee Evans (49 receptions, 3 TD). Evans, who is just 110 yards shy of his second career 1,000-yard season, had seven catches last week and went for a season-best 116 yards when Buffalo traveled to Miami in late October. Josh Reed (36 receptions, 1 TD), who had five receptions for 58 yards last Sunday, will likely work opposite Evans. The Buffalo o-line has been hot- and-cold in its protection of the team's quarterbacks, surrendering 28 sacks on the year, including three of Losman in the second half of the San Francisco game.

The Dolphins have not been a big playmaking defense this year, but come off a week in which they intercepted St. Louis' Marc Bulger three times after posting a total of eight picks through their first 11 games. Cornerback Andre' Goodman (29 tackles, 2 INT) and safety Renaldo Hill (55 tackles, 2 INT) had two of the INTs, also limiting Bulger to a 16-of-35 passing day in the contest. But whoever plays QB for the Bills will probably be less concerned with the team's secondary and more wary of outside linebacker Joey Porter (40 tackles, 14.5 sacks), who enters Week 14 just a half-sack behind the Cowboys' DeMarcus Ware for the league lead in that category. Porter and the Miami pass rush did not manage a sack of Bulger last Sunday, but the ex-Steeler was credited with two sacks and two forced fumbles against Edwards when the clubs squared off in Week 8. The Fins are a solid 11th in the NFL against the run (97 yards per game) as they head to Canada, but did not meet that average in allowed 129 ground yards in St. Louis last Sunday. Seeking a slight rebound will be a run-stopping group featuring nose tackle Jason Ferguson (14 tackles) and inside linebackers Akin Ayodele (53 tackles) and Channing Crowder (89 tackles) working up the middle. Ayodele posted his second interception of the year last week, and also had five tackles.



FANTASY FOCUS

For the first half of the season, Dolphins such as Pennington, Brown, and Camarillo had developed into bona fide fantasy starters. In the past few weeks, however, the team's offensive numbers have declined basically across the board, and Camarillo is out for the year with a knee injury. The top Miami fantasy starter at this point might just be Ginn, who had his breakout game against the Bills last month. Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter has not been a huge point-producer this year, but if Losman starts, Porter and the Miami defense might be a solid fantasy play.

On the Bills side, Lynch remains somewhat risky, but has gone over 100 yards in two of his past three games and looks to be hot. Evans is a risk-reward proposition, especially given Buffalo's current quarterback situation, but is always capable of a huge game. Keep the Bills defense on the bench, and tread lightly with struggling kicker Rian Lindell as well.



OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Dolphins are hot and the Bills are not, but these two teams remain very close in terms of talent level as they make their way to Canada. Miami has won ugly in recent close ones against the hapless Seahawks, Raiders, and Rams, perhaps suggesting that they're not ready to earn the higher-quality wins they'll need to realize their playoff quest. But the point is that the Fins have learned how to win and have done what they needed to do against most of their equal or inferior opponents. Buffalo, meanwhile, looks like a team that has lost all confidence. The Bills figure to be right in the thick of Sunday's game against a longtime division rival, but won't have the moxie needed to make the big plays with the game on the line.



Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Dolphins 20, Bills 19







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