The Bills are 2-0 and arguably look like the best team in the NFL right now, while the Dolphins have lost both of their games and head coach Mike McDaniel is in the hotseat. Buffalo come into this as 11.5 favourites, but I’m also wary of a double-digit spread in the NFL.

The Bills will win this game but I’m not going to take that spread on. The Bills will rack up points but the Dolphins have the potential to score big, something we’ve seen from them numerous times over the recent seasons. Even last week, they lost to the Patriots despite putting up 27 points. That’s why I’m grabbing the alternate line of Bills -6.5, meaning they’ll still win by a touchdown or more.

There are two things that seem very likely each Sunday in the NFL. That’s the Bills scoring plenty and the Dolphins giving up a ton of points. Now with both teams meeting this Thursday it’s the perfect opportunity to put both together.

The Dolphins’ defense is amongst the worst in the league right now and they’ve given up 33 points in both games so far this season, very worrying when they’ve played the Patriots and Colts, neither of whom are known for their incredible offense.

They now face a Bills team who have scored 71 points so far this season. They’ve scored the second most points of any team in the league, and have the most scrimmage yards of any team in the league, ranking second for rushing yards, while also ranking second for passing yards.

With Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir they have dangerous options in the passing game for Josh Allen to rely on, while the quarterback is a huge threat on the ground, as is James Cook.

One of the defining images of the Dolphins’ season so far was Tyreek Hill’s frustration in the first game of the season. The wide receiver could barely contain his anger at not getting fed the ball, but the message was received loud and clear and he ended up with 40 yards on the day. 

The team weren’t going to let their most talented playmaker continue to sit and pout on the sidelines, and Hill had seven targets in Week Two, turning that into 109 yards and although he didn’t score, it was a far better performance from the wideout.

I like this alternate, lower line, on Hill having 50+ receiving yards on Thursday Night Football. The Dolphins will likely be playing from behind, forcing Tua Tagovailoa to throw the ball, but this lower line also gives us some wriggle room if the Dolphins offense is struggling.

Through two games of the season James Cook is probably the NFL’s most in-form running back. He’s accumulated 176 yards on the ground and added a further 61 through the air, and it’s his dual threat ability that makes him such a good offensive piece for the Bills. 

So far this season he’s scored in each game, with one in the opening week win over the Ravens, followed up by two against the Jets last time out. The Jets have given up three rushing touchdowns through two games and given how electric the former Georgia man has looked so far this season, he’s the must-play pick to score a touchdown here.