The Buffalo Bills own the AFC East.

This isn’t necessarily a controversial statement, as there is no current evidence to the contrary. Buffalo has won its division each of the last four seasons, with the race being particularly close in only one of those seasons. Even Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel agrees with this sentiment, telling reporters during his media availability on Wednesday that the Bills “own the division until someone takes it away from them.”

The Dolphins nearly took the AFC East from Buffalo last season, with both teams finishing the season with 11-6 records. However, the Bills won both of their regular season games against Miami, allowing Buffalo to claim the tiebreaker. The Dolphins have lost to the Bills frequently in recent history, as Buffalo is 11-2 overall against Miami since Josh Allen’s rookie season in 2018.

Related: NFL Week 2 Preview: Bills vs. Dolphins: An Early, Decisive Clash

What makes things a little worse for the Dolphins is Allen’s dominance against “the Fish,” as the otherworldly signal-caller has totaled 4,001 yards and 38 touchdowns against the divisional opponent over the course of his professional career. Despite the quarterback and general team’s recent success against Miami, some experts feel that a changing of the guard is due; in a recent appearance on Good morning, footballCo-host (and former NFL linebacker) Manti Te’o discussed Buffalo’s upcoming Week 2 clash with the Dolphins, suggesting that history doesn’t matter when it comes to this week’s matchup and that Miami is close to clearing the proverbial hurdle.

“We talked about weather changes, we talked about playing in Buffalo in November, it’s a different scene, different weather, all that stuff,” Te’o said. “History may say the Buffalo Bills are superior to the Miami Dolphins, but that’s not the story. It’s 2024. This is the Miami Dolphins. The Buffalo Bills are not the same team they were in the past, starting with the secondary. You think of Tre’Davious White, you think of Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer. Guess where Jordan is, guys? He’s in Miami. We talk about the dominance the defense has had over Tua and Tyreek Hill and Co. over the years, and that had a lot to do with those two safeties they had back there, those two All-Pro safeties that kept that speed under control.

“Then you think about Josh Allen, and he’s dealing with new talent around him. I think last week he threw to seven different targets. He doesn’t have the Stefon Diggs, he doesn’t have the Gabe Davis. Stefon Diggs, you have to give credit to him for giving the Bills the ability to extend their drives and keeping Tua and Tyreek off the field. With those two components alone, I think the Miami Dolphins will have a different future come 2024.”

Te’o’s comments give a lot to say, but we’ll start with his concerns about Buffalo’s secondary. He notes that the team parted ways with White, Hyde and Poyer in the offseason, which is true, but leaves out a key point: All three of those players have struggled with various injuries over the past few seasons. White played in just 21 regular-season games in his final three seasons with the Bills and only appeared against the Dolphins four times (he tore his Achilles tendon in Buffalo’s Week 4 clash with Miami last year). Although Hyde played in each of the team’s games against the Dolphins in 2023, he missed both divisional games in 2022. Poyer missed games against Miami in both 2022 and 2023.

That’s not to say the Bills won’t miss the departed defenders (especially Hyde and Poyer, as the two actually provided a “roof” over the defense), but the team has a proven track record of being without those defensive backs in previous meetings with Miami; they still found ways to win.

Moving on to the offensive side of the ball, Te’o mentions Allen targeting multiple different players, as if that’s a problem (the former linebacker notes that he targeted seven players in Week 1 but actually hit 10 and nine), but it’s more of a credit to the offense. A major problem Buffalo’s offense has struggled with in years past has been an over-reliance on Diggs and a lack of strong backup. In the Pro Bowler’s absence, the team built a deep, versatile receiver group that Allen can distribute the ball to evenly. The fact that the quarterback hit nine players in Week 1 isn’t a major problem, but more of an indication of the viability of the offensive philosophy.

Regardless, Te’o is right when he assumes that previous encounters have no direct impact on Thursday night’s clash, despite the Bills’ recent dominance in the series. Miami will look to defeat its divisional opponent, while Buffalo will look to continue its strength when the two teams face off on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m.

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