MIAMI GARDENS — Kendall Lamm knew nothing about a Miami-Buffalo rivalry before he signed with the Dolphins last season.
Lamm, the Dolphins left tackle who is now in his ninth season, knows about it now.
“I’m not born and raised in Florida,” Lamm said. “I never knew much about the Dolphins, so I didn’t really understand the rivalry and all that until I got here.
“Buffalo has always just been another team to me so that’s how I approach it. But I’m sure from the two fan bases’ perspective, and everybody outside the building, they’ll make it a big thing.”
He’s right.
Forget the New York Jets.
The Buffalo Bills, the New York team that’s been to four Super Bowls and is the three-time defending AFC East champions, that’s the Dolphins’ biggest rival nowadays.
The Dolphins and Bills don’t like each other.
It’s been that way since the Joe Philbin/Ryan Tannehill days, the days when Buffalo, whether they were led by quarterback Thad Lewis, Ryan Fitzpatrick, E.J. Manuel or Tyrod Taylor (they’ve all beaten the Dolphins in Buffalo since 2012), would out-physical Miami, flat-out manhandle them.
The Bills have recently dominated the Dolphins at Highmark Stadium, site of Sunday’s game.
They’ve won seven consecutive games against the Dolphins there and 11 of the last 12, including last year’s 34-31 wildcard playoff win.
The Dolphins have better success at New England, the former home of one of the NFL’s best duos ever, Brady and Belichick. The Dolphins have won twice in New England since 2019.
This is the Dolphins’ No. 1 rival in the AFC East, not the somewhat sympathetic New York Jets, whose quarterback Zach Wilson, the man who is doing the best he can, is being unfairly and relentlessly pummeled by national media, its fan base and its most popular alum, Joe Namath.
The Bills are the team the Dolphins are aiming for, and with good reason.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said revenge has no place in Sunday’s game.
So did offensive coordinator Frank Smith.
“Revenge is a fleeting motivation that disappears early into the game,” he said.
That’s fine. But the Dolphins owe the Bills, especially for their numerous recent losses in Buffalo.
— Start with the 19-0 loss in December 2013 at Highmark Stadium.
All the Dolphins had to do that year was beat Buffalo or the Jets in the final two games. They lost to both teams, and to two local quarterbacks – Lewis (Hialeah Miami Lakes) on the road, and Geno Smith (Miramar) at home – and missed the playoffs, finishing 8-8.
— In the Dolphins’ 33-17 road loss in 2015, Buffalo had a 100-yard rusher (LeSean McCoy had 16 carries for 112 yards) and a 100-yard receiver (Sammy Watkins had eight receptions for 168 yards).
— In 2016, the Dolphins had a magical 34-31 win in Buffalo in overtime, the clincher coming on a 55-yard field goal by Andrew Franks to secure their first playoff berth since 2008.
Running back Jay Ajayi rushed for 206 yards, including a 57-yarder in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal with 47 seconds left.
— In 2017, the Dolphins were 6-7 and needed to win their final three games to have a shot at the playoffs. They lost the first game of that stretch in Buffalo, 24-16, when rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White intercepted a Cutler pass with 28 seconds left, and unfortunately that came minutes after kicker Matt Haack recovered an onside kick at the Dolphins’ 37-yard line.
As an added kick in the teeth, two weeks later the Bills defeated the Dolphins 22-16 at Hard Rock Stadium. That victory, coupled with a Cincinnati loss to Baltimore, allowed the Bills to secure their first playoff berth since 1999, ending the longest playoff drought in North American sports.
— In 2018, the Bills beat the Dolphins 42-17 in Buffalo, as Allen, the rookie quarterback, threw three touchdown passes and had two rushing touchdowns, and rookie linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had a one-handed interception and a sack.
— In 2019, the Bills, 17-point favorites, won 31-21 in Buffalo by scoring 22 fourth-quarter points against the winless Dolphins (0-6).
— In 2020, the Bills defeated the Dolphins 56-26 in the regular-season finale at Highmark Stadium, ending the Dolphins’ season at 10-6 and denying them a playoff berth.
— In 2021, the Bills defeated the Dolphins at Highmark Stadium 26-11, giving Buffalo a seven-game win streak over Miami, the longest by the Bills in the all-time series. It was the Dolphins’ seventh consecutive loss (1-7) before they finished winning eight of their last nine to finish 9-8.
— In 2022, the Bills defeated the Dolphins twice at Highmark Stadium. You know the rest of that story, and it takes us to Sunday.
It’s a new year, and a new storyline against the Dolphins’ biggest rival.
And, no, revenge for last season’s two losses at Highmark Stadium won’t be a motivating factor for the Dolphins.
“They sent us home in the playoffs,” right guard Robert Hunt said. “It is what it is. They got us. But we ain’t backing down to nobody and we all saw that last year. We’re here and I think we’re better.
“A lot of people in here think we’re better. This is Year Two in the system, we’re working, and hopefully this year it’ll go in a different direction.”
