Here is a breakdown of today's matchup.

Run, Ricky, run

RB Ricky Williams has put together back-to-back 100-yard games, which is why the Dolphins

haven't felt the effects of Ronnie Brown's season-ending foot injury. It's been several years

since Williams had to shoulder a full-time role. But after two straight games of 20 or more

carries the 32-year-old has not shown any signs of wearing down yet. The Bills showed marked

improvement against the run last week. They no doubt remember the 250 rushing yards the

Dolphins rolled up in the last meeting. FB Lousaka Polite was a force in that game, blowing up

Bills defenders with powerful lead blocks. There should be some violent collisions between

Polite and Bills MLB Paul Posluszny, who needs to duplicate his tremendous effort from a week

ago.

Feeling the heat

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and WR Terrell Owens are coming off season-best performances, and they

could have another big day against a young Dolphins secondary. But the Bills' offensive line

is so beat up, one has to wonder if Fitzpatrick will have time to throw against a Dolphins

pass rush that sacked Trent Edwards six times and pressured him on several other occasions in

the previous meeting. The Dolphins did that without top pass-rushing OLB Joey Porter, who was

out with an injured hamstring but will play today. With Porter joining LBs Jason Taylor,

Cameron Wake and Charlie Anderson, the Dolphins have a strong pass-rushing rotation to throw

at the Bills. Fitzpatrick has good mobility and he'll need it to buy enough time to find Owens

and Lee Evans downfield.

Back in the running

RBs Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson have not gotten many touches in recent weeks. Today might

be a good chance for the Bills' nonexistent run game to reappear. NT Jason Ferguson, the

anchor of the Dolphins' defense, is done for the year with a quadriceps injury. If backup Paul

Soliai misses a third game with an injured ankle, the Dolphins will have to use Randy Starks

and Tony McDaniel, two guys who are better suited to end in the 3-4. They'll have to keep

blockers off ILB Channing Crowder so he can track down Lynch or Jackson.

Chad ain't bad

Although second-year QB Chad Henne hasn't put up big numbers, he is 5-2 as a starter. He has

been efficient at limiting his mistakes. It helps that he is backed by a good running game,

but the Dolphins are gaining trust in his ability to make throws in clutch situations. The

Bills would rather take their chances with Henne having to win the game with his arm, so look

for them to show a lot of eight-, even nine-man fronts to take Williams away and make Henne

beat them.

Intangibles

By winning three of their last four, the Dolphins have momentum and plenty of incentive to

play well today. This is not a super-talented team, but they are well-coached and take pride

in being more physical than their opponents, especially at the line of scrimmage. ... The

Bills' 3-7 record could have been reversed if they were able to finish games. They have gone

into the fourth quarter tied or with the lead eight times and lost five of them. They have

been outscored, 109-40, in the fourth quarter, and they were shut out in the final stanza six

times. The Dolphins have given up the most fourth-quarter points in the NFL (110), but they

are 4-2 when leading or tied after three quarters.

Prediction

Banged-up Bills keep it close, but fall short again. Dolphins, 20-17.

The News' football writers preview today's game