The Bills are gearing up for their first Thursday Night Matchup of the season. Buffalo has one day of prep left before they kick things off with the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium under the lights.

Before Tuesday's practice, head coach Sean McDermott gave an injury update on a few players.

McDermott said defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) and linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) would miss practice for a second day in a row, while linebacker Shaq Thopmson (hamstring/hand), cornerback Taron Johnson (quad) and defensive back Cam Lewis (shoulder) were limited for a second day.

As it relates to Milano's injury, McDermott didn't have any new information.

"Don't have don't much," McDermott shared. "We'll see. Hopefully we can get him back. We will see what it looks like as we head into tomorrow here."

A short week in Orchard Park

Thursday Night Football means the Bills have just a few days of prep compared to a full week for a Sunday game. Good thing for Buffalo, their quarterback Josh Allen doesn't need much time to prepare. Allen is 7-0 on Thursday night in his career.

The QB averages 2.7 touchdowns per game and a 107.4 passer rating in the Thursday night window. Allen said what helps him prepare for a short week is trusting his base rules.

"It goes back to the base rules type of thing and throughout training camp we practice so much on our base rules," Allen said. "And really not chasing ghosts when it comes to a game, it's going out there and being a reactionary football player. And that's where I feel like I play my best stuff is when I see things and I can react, instead of trying to predict something that happens and it doesn't happen."

Defensive end Joey Bosa believes a Thursday game earlier in the season is way better than one at the end.

"It's kind of nice right now, feeling fresh just after two weeks," Bosa said. "Usually, they come a little later in the season, and they knock you out pretty hard. Thursday comes quick. That's kind of the day where you're just starting to get your body back and your feet, your legs under you."

Bosa's been a big factor for Buffalo to start the season. The DE forced a fumble that Buffalo recovered early against the Jets. It was a tone-setter for the game. Bosa later picked up a sack and is looking to continue the production on Thursday.

Preparing for Miami's speedy offense

As the Bills get ready to take on an AFC East foe in the Dolphins, they know their 0-2 record isn't a reflection of the talent on their roster.

"They've got a lot of speed on their team overall, in particular on their offense and their returners as well," McDermott said. "They do a lot of different things. I think coach (Mike) McDaniel is one of the better coaches in the league offensively in how he schemes things up. Hard to defend, explosive. So, it makes for a big challenge and especially on a short week."

Defensively, Buffalo will have to scheme for talented and quick Dolphins like running back De'Von Achane and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, who has been limited in practice to start the week, knows just how tough it is to prepare for Miami's speedy offense.

"I'll say for the safeties, keeping everything in front of us," Johnson said of what they must do. "That's a big one. If they're catching the ball in space, we just got to make sure we're swarming to the ball. And obviously getting turnovers."

Through two games, Achane leads the NFL with 128 yards after catch. So, swarming the ball will be vital on Thursday.

Buffalo has been successful at generating takeaways so far this season. The Bills have had takeaways in both of their games to start the season.

One player who could be on the field against Miami if Milano can't go is third-year linebacker Dorian Williams. Williams started in 11 games last season, including both regular season games against Miami. He had 22 tackles between those two games.

"I think it kind of helps playing an in-conference team like Miami," Williams said. "We've played them before, so kind of knowing what they want to do and knowing all the stuff ahead of time."

Johnson has seen a lot of growth in Williams since 2024 and thinks if he gets the start, he'll be mentally ready.

"The main progress I've seen is his mental," Johnson said of his teammate. "He always had the ability, always showed his strength and power out there. But his mental, how he has a good feel for the game is way better than it was last year."

Josh Allen's new visor

Quarterback Josh Allen did something new during Tuesday's practice. The QB wore a visor. This comes after Allen was knocked in the nose during Sunday's game, which caused him to leave the game for two plays while athletic trainers tended to his bloody nose.

"It's all right," Allen said of his nose. "I'm a little bruised up, but we're all good."

Allen said the visor might make an appearance in the game on Thursday.

"We'll see," Allen said. "We'll probably wear it in the game, just trying to get used to it."

The QB explained he wore a visor throughout college but has yet to sport one in an NFL game.

"It doesn't really impact much," Allen said of getting used to it. "It's weird to say, it's a little warmer in there. Your voice kind of echoes off it too. So just, just a little bit weirder."

Getting used to the visor isn't Allen's biggest task for Thursday. He's got to prepare for a tough Dolphins defensive line that features players like defensive end Chop Robinson (limited in Monday's practice), defensive tackle Zach Sieler and defensive end Bradley Chubb.

"Their front over there is filled with a lot of guys that can get after the quarterback," Allen said. "So, we got to be on our P's and Q's and understand what they're going to try to do to us. They're pretty unpredictable in terms of when and where they're blitzing. So, making sure that I'm seeing as much as I can, watching as much film as I can to try to pick up on cues and things."

Miami's defense has had a tough start through two games as they've allowed an average of 33 points (31^st) and 375.5 total yards per game (26^th).