Three storylines shaping Bills-Dolphins showdown - ESPN

Trent Sherfield has seen both sides of the increasingly fierce AFC East rivalry between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.

The Bills wide receiver played with the Dolphins last season — when the teams met three times, including in the postseason, with all three games decided by three points or fewer.

Sherfield's expectation for Sunday when the two teams meet at Highmark Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS)?

«It's going to be a physical matchup, for sure,» he said. «Obviously, when I was over there, it was something that we always knew that the Bills, us, we were gonna be ready to play. And I think that [coach Sean] McDermott has done a great job of just letting us know, 'Hey, let's just lock in on us, no game is too big. Let's not let the outside noise try to hype us up and get us all bent outta shape. It's just another game.'»

The history, however, between the two teams would indicate it will be far more than just another game.

While the Bills, who are a 2.5-point favorite, have beaten the Dolphins in 11 of the 13 total meetings since McDermott became head coach in 2017, the teams each won a regular-season game at their home stadium (with heat impacting several Bills players in Miami and snowballs becoming involved in Orchard Park, N.Y.) last year, while the Bills went on to win a close playoff game that featured Miami backup quarterback Skylar Thompson. With the Jets dealing with the loss of Aaron Rodgers and the Patriots still finding their way in the post-Tom Brady era, the outcome of this Week 4 game will likely play a key role in helping decide the race for the AFC East crown that the Bills have won the last three seasons.

Here's a breakdown of how the two teams stack up by Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg and Dolphins