Bills QB Allen to get last chance to showcase his skills in rematch with Dolphins

Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback Josh Allen has one of the strongest arms in the league. He is also second in the league in rushing yards among quarterbacks. On Sunday, with temperatures expected in the lows 30s, the seventh pick in the 2018 NFL Draft will get one last chance to improve -- and showcase his skills -- as the Buffalo Bills (5-10) host the Miami Dolphins (7-8) in a game involving two teams eliminated from playoff contention. Allen has completed just 51.7 per cent of his passes this season, and he has been intercepted 11 times while throwing only seven touchdown passes. But where Allen has truly impressed has been as a scrambler with 536 yards and six touchdowns on only 80 carries. That has helped him post a decent-for-a-rookie 4-6 record as a starter.

"There's a time clock that goes off in every quarterback's mind," said Allen, who is surprisingly mobile for someone so big at 6 feet, 5 inches and 240 pounds. "It's usually on that second or third hitch and after you've gone through your first and second reads. "Sometimes, you see an opening out of the corner of your eyes, and you decide to take off. It's an ability that is learned over time." Dolphins linebackers Kiko Alonso and Jerome Baker will certainly be looking to keep Allen from making those long-yardage escapes. Sunday could also mark the final game in a Bills uniform for LeSean McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowl running back who has suffered through the worst season of his career. After rushing for more than 1,100 yards in each of the past two seasons, McCoy, 30, enters Sunday with just 488 yards, two touchdowns and a 3.2 yards-per-carry average.

When the Dolphins have the ball, quarterback Ryan Tannehill will get his final start of the season and perhaps in his Miami career. His salary-cap hit for next season is extremely high at $26.6-million. Tannehill missed all of 2017 due to an injury and is just 5-5 as a starter this season, missing five games due to a sore throwing shoulder. Tannehill will be without several of his top weapons due to injuries, including running back Frank Gore (foot) and wide receivers Albert Wilson (hip) and Jakeem Grant (foot). But it wasn't just the skill-position guys who got hurt for Miami this season. In all, 13 Dolphins landed on the injured reserve, helping to crush Miami after a 3-0 start.

"I wish everybody hadn't gotten hurt," Dolphins coach Adam Gase told the media when asked about his regrets for the season."That would've been nice. "There's a reason why we started 3-0 when all of our guys were there. Then we started losing guys ..." With a win, the Dolphins would at least avoid a second straight losing season. "Like (Gase) said, '8-8 sounds better than 7-9,'" Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard added. "We just want to finish strong." Howard, a Pro Bowl selection this season, is tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions. But he has missed Miami's past three games due to a knee injury and is questionable for Sunday. He has been limited this week in practice. In terms of the series, this will be the 106th all-time meeting between the teams, and the Dolphins lead, 60-44-1.

The Dolphins won the most recent game, 21-17 on Dec. 2 in Miami. Buffalo had a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown with 65 seconds left, but Allen's pass to an open Charles Clay in the end zone was a bit short and fell out of the tight end's hands, incomplete. Allen will get another shot at Miami on Sunday, and it will be no different, in terms of opportunity, for every other player who gets on the field. "Every week, you are playing for your job," Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake said. "It's an audition. It's a league with a short memory -- what have you done for me lately?"