The Dolphins are 1-0 for the first time in five years. That's all well and good, but it doesn't matter anymore. Unless you just won the Super Bowl, you have to move on in a hurry in this league. It doesn't matter if your fresh off a big win, or trying to recover from a disappointing loss, you better turn your attention to your next opponent almost immediately, or your going to find yourself in a world of hurt the next week.

The Dolphins are set to kick off the toughest eight game stretch of the season in the next nine weeks (including the bye), all against playoff, and in some cases Super Bowl, caliber teams. Heading up to Minnestota, to play against a, I won't go as far as to say desperate, but very focused Vikings team after dropping their opener to Saints, is about as difficult as it gets.

No, this game isn't quite as important to the Dolphins as the prime-time games against the Jets and Patriots in Weeks 3 and 4, but it's still a great opportunity to make a statement and pick up a game most projected to be a loss when the schedules were first released.

It's only fitting that we begin previewing the running game. The Vikings and Dolphins boast two of the top rushing attacks in the league, and the Vikings have owned one of best run defenses in recent memory with Kevin and Pat Williams providing a stone wall up the middle.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, were impressive to say the least against the Bills' trio of backs on Sunday, but I think we can all agree that Adrian Peterson is a different breed.

Vikings rushing attack vs. Dolphins run defense
Make no mistake, the Dolphins aren't going to completely stuff Adrian Peterson. They can only hope to contain the beast, and limit big plays. I actually think they will be more successful if they can get to Favre early to disrupt the passing game, and force the Vikings to become one dimensional. Because if Minnesota can keep the Dolphins off balance with a nice combination of the run and pass, Peterson is bound to break off some chunks of yardage.

When the Vikings do pound the rock, though, the Dolphins need to fly to the football and gang tackle. You simply can't rely on one man to bring AP down. We've seen the highlights on ESPN, but this will be the first time the Dolphins have played against AP, as their last match-up with the Vikings was way back in 2006. Based on what we saw from Brett Farve against the Saints, if Mike Nolan can somehow dial up an approach that contains Minnesota's running game, Miami will have that offense right where it wants them.
Edge: Vikings

Dolphins rushing attack vs. Vikings run defense
We saw Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combine for a productive 127 yards on the ground against the Bills. About what we expected, but surely nothing to be proud of considering it came against a front seven with countless question marks as it transitions to the 3-4 defense. Similar production against the Vikings, though, would be something to get ecstatic about. If there is a model of how to run the 4-3 in this league, it's without a doubt the Minnesota Vikings. Consistently one of the better run defenses in the league, Kevin and Pat Williams make running the ball up the middle no easy task. With two 230 pounders, that's where the Dolphins make a living.

Will they stick to gameplan, or attempt to attack the edges more? Because it will likely be a tall oder to just line up and run it down their throats, I expect to see maybe a little more of the wildcat this week. A little misderection with the threat of Ricky Williams on the perimeter, could open up some lanes for Brown up the middle. Still though, attacking the secondary is where offenses typically have success against the Vikings. More on that when we preview the passing game.
Edge: Vikings

I can't stress enough how huge yesterday's win was for the Dolphins. Taking into account how badly they got out of the gates in the first two years under Sparano, and how daunting the schedule is about to become in the next 8 games, I was on record saying Sunday was a must win.

Sure, it wasn't the blow out some fans were looking for, but at the end of the day, it counts as a win just the same. Honestly speaking, I would have been more surprised if the Dolphins took it to the Bills by two or three touchdowns, than if they were upset. It's just a tough place to go in and get a W, and it's been that way for years for Miami, regardless if they are the better team, or not.

But really, and I'm not saying this to insult the Bills, the Dolphins were a play or two away from running away with that game. They didn't cease those opportunities obviously, but at least they squeaked out a win in a game that they were clearly the superior team, and didn't win a game in which they were outplayed.

Anyway, more on that in a second, let's get to the positives and negatives from Sunday's win. I'm the type of guy who likes to get the negatives out of the way first, but if your the opposite, you can always skip ahead to the positives and come back to the negatives, or completely bypass the negatives if you don't want them to spoil the victory.

Negatives

Offense was too conservative: Whether it was Dan Henning's play-calling or Chad Henne's decision making, it was pretty evident that the offense was extremely conservative. I mean, a three yard completion on third and five, numerous check downs, and really only one deep ball, kind of prevented the Dolphins from pulling away, and gave the Bills a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. That could have been the plan, though, with the Dolphins possessing an early lead, and with the defense playing so well. Henning may have decided he's just going to let the defense hang on to the win, and not risk a turnover that would have compromised that. Make no mistake, though, he's going to have to take the leash off Chad Henne, and let the offense come out of it's shell as the Dolphins begin their most important stretch of the season.

Six mistakes nearly cost Dolphins: There were six mistakes that allowed the Bills to hang in there until the end, and kept the outcome in doubt until the final whistle. Without them, the Dolphins probably win that game convincingly. Of course, I'm sure Bills fans could point to plays where they made mistakes that cost them too. But when evaluating the Dolphins' performance, Carpenter's kickoff out of bounds and his missed field goal, Brandon Marshall's dropped/Chad Henne's under-thrown 40+ yard bomb, Tyrone Culver's blown coverage on 4th and 11, and the two dropped interceptions by Jason Allen and Benny Sapp that would have undoubtedly been returned for touchdowns, left some points on the field and surrendered 10 more to the Bills.

Poor clock management: Is anyone else a little puzzled by the Dolphins' clock management towards the end of that game? What was the purpose of snapping the ball with over 10 seconds on the play clock in a one score game with under three minutes left? If they would have waited until at least five seconds or less, they wouldn't of had to run that 2nd and 5 play before the two-minute warning. Speaking of that play, what in the world was Henne thinking? The running game was pounding the rock right down the Bills' throats. There was no need to audible to a pass there. Simply run the ball, get to the two-minute warning, and if you want to take a chance at sealing the deal with a first down, do it on third down.

Positives

How about that run defense?: Some may point to C.J. Spiller's preseason performance as fool's gold. Not me. I believe Spiller, Jackson, and Lynch provide the Bills one of the most dangerous trios in all of football. That also means I'm completely sold on the Dolphins' run defense. They contained the edge, made sure tackles, refused to concede holes up the middle, and overall, only allowed 50 yards on the ground and 2.9 yards per carry. It may be early, but it could already be safe to say Randy Starks is a true nose tackle, and the Dolphins now have all the pieces to the puzzle in their front seven.

How about that pass rush?: Karlos Dansby set the tone early, sacking Trent Edwards from the blind side on the game's first series. The Dolphins only sacked Edwards twice more, but it was clear the pass rush was forcing him into some hurried decisions and he never really looked comfortable out there after that first hit. Word is, the Dolphins only gave us a glimpse at their new defensive playbook because they were winning their individual battles, and didn't need to unload all of Nolan's exotic looks. That should scare opposing offenses out there, but it won't just yet. If they can play this well defensively against some of the top tier teams on the slate in the coming weeks, though, this defense won't be flying under the radar for much longer.

Running game began to get going: Ronnie and Ricky didn't exactly have their way on the ground, but combining for over 120 yards is about where we expect them to be week in and week out. I still didn't see many holes out there, as Ronnie and Ricky were often times breaking tackles and making plays out of nothing, but the offensive line is only going to get better once they begin to establish some continuity.

Small Talk

-Numerous reports said Jared Odrick suffered a bone bruise yesterday and was limping badly after the game. Today, though, Armando Salguero reported Odrick went in for an MRI on his foot. Hopefully this is purely precautionary and nothing serious, because Odrick played a fine game yesterday and looked the role of long term answer opposite Langford.

Mike Nolan's defensive scheme was everything Dolphins fans dreamed it would be. Outside of a complete blown coverage by Tyrone Culver and a couple dropped pix sixes, the defense was nothing short of dominate for most of the game.

The pass rush was swarming, any deficiencies in the secondary were masked, and the run defense held Buffalo's trio to a mere 50 yards on the ground. No, the Bills didn't play a great game offensively, and they made a few mistakes that killed brief spurts of momentum, but that defense looked like the real deal to me.

Individually, Dansby suited the role of monumental upgrade at linebacker, Chris Clemons was flying all over the field making sure tackles, and Cameron Wake got in on his first of hopefully many sacks this season, and looked virtually unblockable on numerous other plays.

All in all, a poor mistake made by Dan Carpenter when he kicked the ball out of bounds in the second quarter, and, once again, that miserably blown coverage by Culver on fourth down, arguably prevented the Dolphins from shutting the Bills out. But, hey, holding them to only 166 yards of total offense in a season opening win will surely suffice.  

Offensively, it got a little ugly in that second-half. Conservative play calling and decision making by Henne, Marshall's dropped bomb, and lack of execution on first and second down, kept Miami's offense in check against a projected mediocre defense.

On a positve note, they didn't make any costly mistakes by turning the ball over, and the running game finally got going a little bit late in the game. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for 127 yards, with Ronnie throwing in the Dolphins' one and only touchdown.

Is 13 points going to cut it against playoff caliber teams? Probably not, but a win is a win, and the Dolphins are 1-0 for the first time since 2005, 1-0 for the first time under Sparano, and most importantly, 1-0 in the AFC East.

More evaluation to come tonight and tomorrow. The full box score can be found here.

Game Ball: Karlos Dansby, ILB- 8 tackles, 1 sack

When: Today 1:00 p.m. EST
Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium- Orchard Park, New York
TV: CBS, DirecTV channel 705
Radio: SIRIUS: 91 Dolphins, 130 Bills. XM: 108 Bills
Commentators: Gus Johnson, Steve Tasker
Game Line: Miami: -3
Weather: Cloudy, Mid-60's

It's back ladies and gentleman. The magical feeling of opening day is in the air. It's Christmas morning for every die-hard NFL fan. Of course, the optimism won't last long for 16 teams out there. Half of us are going to go home losers after all. But half us are going to start the new year off on the right foot, and get off to a 1-0 start the Dolphins haven't experienced since 2005.

We have already previewed just about every aspect of this game. We know the Dolphins are almost unanimously the favorite, but the Bills are never a team you can take lightly. I wouldn't be surprised the least bit if the Dolphins go up to Orchard Park and lay and egg. If they can just get their running game going like they are capable of against a sub-par front seven, limit big plays on defense, and first and foremost protect the football, they should win this game though.

Feel free to post your predictions for this game in the comments.

For the pregame speech, welcome in the one and only Al Pacino. If this doesn't get you ready for some football, there's really nothing that will.

If your pulse isn't pounding with excitement as we now stand less than 48 hours away from the first game of the season, either (a) you have no pulse or (b) you are merely a casual fan. We welcome all sorts here at Phins Phocus, but chances are if your reading this post, you bleed aqua and orange.

As the anticpation mounts, it's a good as time as any to outline the keys to a Dolphins' vicory, with most football fans busy watching the exciting slate of college action tomorrow. If you've been around much this week, you would know by now that I consider Buffalo very capable of winning this football game.

After all, the Dolphins haven't won a game in Ralph Wilson Stadium since 2003. And I know the 2000's were one of this franchise's worst decades, but the Bills haven't had a playoff team since 1999.

At least September is ideally when the Dolphins would want to make this trip, with December typically being the month the scheduling committee likes to slot this game. Considering all the negativity that has been flying around the web in the last few weeks, and the schedule the awaits the Dolphins starting in Week 2, ending this five year losing streak (Dolphins beat Bills in Toronto in 2008) is more crucial than you may think.

1. Run Ronnie and Ricky, run
Getting the running game going will probably be a key to victory every week considering that's this offense's identity. But against the Bills, it's magnified even more so because their pass defense is solid but their run defense projects to be one of the league's worst.

We've heard they still don't have the personnel to effectively run the 3-4, which should bode well for the Dolphins' running game. If we don't see Ronnie and Ricky combine for at least 120 yards, it may be a long day for this offense if they have to put the ball in Chad Henne's hands more than they want to in difficult situations against statistically one of the better secondaries in football.

2. Get after Edwards
We were hoping the secondary would be ready to make huge strides this season. Based on what we've seen so far, and the fact that Jason Allen is starting, improvement may have to wait. That means Mike Nolan's blitz happy scheme needs to compensate.

No, Edwards hasn't proven to be a quality starting quarterback in the regular season yet, but this defense isn't good enough to allow any quarterback all day to throw. Cleo Lemon or John Beck could probably dissect this secondary given adequate time in the pocket.

Cameron Wake needs to provide pressure all day long from the weakside, Koa Misi needs to begin to flash some pass rushing ability, Karlos Dansby and Tim Dobbins need to collapse the pocket when Nolan calls their number, and the safeties and corners better get there quick considering the secondary will be covering with one less man.

3. Contain the edge
Based on his eye popping preseason, and the health of his counterparts, C.J. Spiller should get at least a good 10-15 carries. When defending speed and quickness of Spiller's caliber, one mistake is all it takes to give up a touchdown and possibly lose a game.

The Dolphins can't get caught over-pursuing their angles because Spiller has the lateral quickness to cut on a dime, and the accelaration to get to full speed in a blink of an eye. And even more importantly, the outside linebackers need to do a great job of containing the edge.

Cameron Wake has obviously been improving against the run, but he needs to diagnose the play almost immediately, and begin to set the perimeter before Spiller gets into the secondary.

On the other side, I expect Ikaika Alama-Francis to get the bulk of the action on running situations. He definitely has the strength to shed blocks, but he needs to flash the quickness to beat Spiller to the edge.

If Misi is in the game, he has the athleticism to get over there, but he better not get pushed around and concede too much ground, or it's going to be yards in chunks for the Bills and their running game.