The Miami Dolphins were hammered by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon, losing 56-19. The loss now sets up a winner-take-all scenario for the AFC East division title when the Dolphins battle the Buffalo Bills in Week 18.

The Bills defeated the Dolphins in Buffalo earlier in the season, and now, Miami will get a chance for some revenge in South Beach.

But are the Dolphins equipped to win this game?

Here are three burning questions for Miami going into its pivotal matchup against the Bills.

Can They Get To Josh Allen?

The Dolphins have a terrific pass rush, having logged 53 sacks through the first 16 games of the season. However, Miami’s defensive front was dealt a massive blow against the Ravens, as star edge rusher Bradley Chubb went down with a torn ACL.

That marked the second key pass rusher that the Dolphins have lost this season. Remember: Jaelan Phillips suffered a torn Achilles in November.

With Chubb and Phillips both sidelined, will Miami be able to put enough pressure on Josh Allen to muddy the Bills’ offense?

While Allen has had his fair share of struggles this season, we know how dangerous he can be. Plus, he has only been sacked 21 times this year, so Buffalo’s offensive line has done an incredible job protecting him. That job just got a lot easier for the Bills now with Chubb also gone.

If the Dolphins can’t get to Allen early and often, it could end up being a long day for a Miami defense that labored in the early stages of 2023.

How Is Jaylen Waddle’s Health?

Jaylen Waddle missed the Ravens game with a high-ankle sprain, and his absence was clearly felt as the Dolphins’ offense was grounded.

Now, to be fair, Baltimore has one of the league’s best defenses, but you are going to have a hard time convincing me that Miami wouldn’t have looked at least a little better with Waddle on the field.

Waddle is expected back for Week 18, but how effective will he be? If he is compromised in any way, the Bills can shift all of their attention to Tyreek Hill and force Tua Tagovailoa to throw the ball to Waddle.

Typically, the Dolphins would be totally fine with that, as Waddle is an elite weapon in his own right. But if he is not 100 percent, that could quickly become an issue for Miami’s aerial attack.

We’ll see how much Waddle takes part in practice this week.

How Is The Dolphins’ Mental State?

Let’s face it: the Dolphins were outright railroaded by the Ravens on Sunday, and with that loss, Miami is now 1-4 against teams with winning records this season.

The Dolphins’ lone win in that category came against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, when Miami was able to beat the Cowboys on a field goal in the final seconds.

You have to wonder about the Dolphins’ confidence level right now after getting smashed by the Ravens, which marked yet another loss against a contending club.

Head coach Mike McDaniel did not want to hear about that narrative a couple of weeks ago, but we cannot deny that it is absolutely a thing.

Also, the Bills have had the Dolphins’ number of late, winning the last three meetings (including playoffs). The last time Buffalo and Miami met, the Bills annihilated the Dolphins by a score of 48-20 back in Week 4. Yes, it was a while ago, but it’s obvious that Miami has had its issues with Buffalo.

We’ll probably get a good read on where the Dolphins are mentally in the early going on Sunday.