It's not the ideal time to break in a new starting quarterback, but the Miami Dolphins will try and make the most of it as they take on the Buffalo Bills at home Sunday. Kickoff is at 4:05 p.m.
At 0-3, it's panic time for Miami, which suffered a huge blow in losing starter Chad Pennington for the season last week.
That means Chad Henne, who has thrown all of 31 professional passes in his NFL career, is now the starter.
Henne struggled last week off the bench against San Diego, completing 10-of-19 passes for 92 yards. But Eric Weddle intercepted Henne, and returned the ball 31 yards to clinch Miami's third straight loss of the season.
Now, Henne will be called upon to revitalize an offense that ranks 26th in points scored (14.3), 19th in total offense (317 yards per game) and 30th in passing (155.7 ypg).
Henne will certainly have some opportunities, as Buffalo will be missing 3/4 of its secondary: Cornerback Leodis McKelvin is out for the season with a fractured fibula, safety Bryan Scott will not play due to an ankle injury, and fellow safety Dontae Whitner is out with a thumb injury.
Former San Diego starter Drayton Florence will replace McKelvin, while former starter George Wilson will team with rookie Jairus Byrd at safety.
Add to it the season-ending injury to starting linebacker Paul Posluszny, and the Dolphins would seem to have the advantage on offense.
Not coincidentally, the Bills have struggled on defense this season, ranking in the bottom half of the league in every important statistic.
The most important matchup will be the Dolphins running game, which ranks third, against the Buffalo rush defense, which ranks 18th.
The Dolphins have rushed for 410 yards in the last two games, and the Wildcat has been as effective as it was last season.
It stands to reason that for a team that can make few mistakes, the ground game will be the bedrock of Miami's success Sunday, particularly with a young quarterback under center.
Defensively, the Dolphins have stuffed the run, ranking third in the NFL in that category with an average of just 66 yards gained against them so far.
Buffalo has not one, but two threats at the position to challenge the Dolphins' run defense.
Starter Marshawn Lynch returns from a three-game suspension, and the 1,000-yard back will test Miami with his physical running style.
The Bills have another good option in Fred Jackson, who excelled while Lynch was out, rushing for 291 yards in Buffalo's first three games.
Those will have to be the key weapons, because Buffalo's passing attack has sputtered so far this season.
Despite having Lee Evans and Terrell Owens as his starting receivers, quarterback Trent Edwards has only thrown four TD passes, and the Bills rank only 24th in the league in passing.
In fact, Owens was shut out last week against the New Orleans Saints, snapping a streak of 185 straight games with at least one catch.
There have been hints of Buffalo splitting Jackson out wide as a receiver to take advantage of his variety of skills, and with him and Lynch in the game at the same time, the Bills have a number of ways to attack Miami.
If there has been a weakness in the Dolphins' defense this season, it has been against the pass, where Miami ranks just 26th.
Tight ends in particular have been a problem, but the Bills' top target there, Derek Fine, has just two catches this season.
The Dolphins' pass rush has not helped much, with just five sacks through the first three games.
Linebacker Joey Porter, the team's sack leader with two, vows to play Sunday with a shoulder injury that has him listed as questionable.
The Bills are banged up, and the Dolphins have good matchups position-by-position.
Henne will do just enough, but it is the running game -- and the Bills' lack of a passing attack -- that will produce Miami's first win of 2009. Dolphins 17, Bills 13.
(Photo: Yahoo Images)
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