The stakes couldn't be higher entering Week 18 of the football season as the AFC East title is up for grabs when the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins buckle up the chinstraps for play! Join us for our NFL odds series where our Bills-Dolphins prediction and pick will be unveiled for all to see.

One of the hottest teams in the league at the moment, it is safe to say that the Bills are clicking on all cylinders at the most opportunistic of times. Since losing a back-breaker on Monday Night Football to the Denver Broncos on a last-second kick, it has been Buffalo that has won five of their last six games and are knocking on the door of yet another playoff appearance. In fact, the Bills have won the AFC East three consecutive times and will have a chance for a fourth title in a row with a win in sunny Miami.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins are licking their wounds a bit after being humiliated in blowout fashion by the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens by a score of 56-19. Indeed, the ‘Fins are hoping that it was just a minor chink in the armor as Miami still sits at 11-5 which is the second-best record in the conference. With a chance to be crowned as AFC East champs for the first time since 2008, can the Dolphins put a fitting cap on one of their most successful seasons in recent memory?

Here are the Bills-Dolphins NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NFL Odds: Bills-Dolphins Odds

Buffalo Bills: -3 (-104)

Moneyline: -158

Miami Dolphins: +3 (-118)

Moneyline: +134

Over: 48.5 (-115)

Under: 48.5 (-105)

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Why The Bills Could Cover The Spread

Despite owning one of the league's toughest schedules over the course of the past month, the Bills continue to pass each test with flying colors. Indeed, the defense has improved, the offense is learning to not get in their own way, and even the special teams is making plays from time to time. Simply put, there isn't one team around the National Football League that wants to clash with Buffalo when the playoffs come around.

The biggest reason why the Bills have improved from their mid-season struggles has been due to this offense finding ways to take better care of the football. Remember when the talk of the town involved a ton of worrisome opinions about QB Josh Allen's recklessness under center that led to way too many turnovers? How quickly things can change in only a few weeks. Although Allen has happened to throw 16 interceptions on the year, he hasn't had a multi-INT game since the Denver game and has made it an emphasis on protecting the football.

Under the Sunday Night Football lights, the recipe for success yet again for Buffalo is for Allen to stretch the field with his big arm without trying to fit the football into contested windows that could lead to interceptions. Undoubtedly, the Dolphins are the type of team that loves to capitalize on one's mistakes, and it is crystal clear that Buffalo must avoid playing this dangerous game.

Why The Dolphins Could Cover The Spread

From a distance, it appears that the Miami Dolphins have all of the pieces to beat anybody in the crowded field of the AFC. However, more often than not, Miami cannot seem to put together the proper pieces to defeat some of the conference's best. Will this narrative slightly change with a stellar performance by these Dolphins on Sunday?

The main area of concern for the Dolphins heading into this one is how sluggish and sloppy they played in getting destroyed but the Ravens. Whether it was the defense that surrendered a whopping 491 yards of total offense or there fact that this offense turned the ball over three times, a whole lot did not go in the favor of Miami last weekend.

To make matters worse, the Ravens exploited the ‘Fins on the ground as it was Baltimore that averaged 5.0 yards per carry en route to rushing for 160 total yards. With the loss of outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to a devastating ACL tear, the pressure on the shoulder of this Dolphins defense to make life difficult for this Bills squad will be heavy, to say the least. Alas, stopping the run on early downs and forcing third-and-longs defensively will be more than dire for the Dolphins' chances to stymie Buffalo.

For the most part, Miami is awfully dinged up. Can the left arm alone of Tua Tagovailoa be enough to carry Miami to a gigantic victory? Only time will tell, but another notable performance on both sides of the ball will be needed to cool off a scalding-hot Buffalo team. Ultimately, Miami may need to grab the upper hand in all three aspects of the game to take care of business.

Final Bills-Dolphins Prediction & Pick

With one of the more difficult schedules around the league, there is no question that this Buffalo Bills squad is tested. In their first meeting of the season, it ended up being the Bills that dominated the Dolphins to a 48-20 victory. With Miami continuing to be battered by injuries, the Bills should like their odds of winning heading into Week 18. Side with Buffalo to storm into Miami and win their fourth-consecutive AFC East division title.

Final Bills-Dolphins Prediction & Pick: Bills -3 (-104)