MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Robert Hunt is set to return for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and good luck to any medical professional who tries to keep him out yet another week.
Hunt has missed all but two of the Dolphins’ last eight games with a hamstring injury, but in the locker room Thursday, the standout right guard had the disposition of a guy who’s good to go.
“Of course I wanna play Sunday, but we’re taking it one day at a time,” Hunt told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “We’ll see how it goes, but I feel good, you know. So at this point, at this moment, you know, it is what it is. Whatever is needed of me, I’m here to do.”
Rob Hunt sure sounds like he’s playing Sunday pic.twitter.com/PD9k6KzhN9
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) January 4, 2024
The Dolphins seemed to play it right with Hunt after he aggravated an existing soft tissue injury on Dec. 3. His rehab tracked nicely with the Dolphins’ schedule, and he’ll be a huge lift to the Dolphins’ offense in the team’s most important game.
Miami Dolphins Look To Snap Three-Game Skid vs. Bills
The Dolphins have lost three straight to the Bills — with all three games held in Western New York.
It was a scheduling quirk that included a playoff game last January. The Dolphins haven’t hosted the Bills since Sept. 25, 2022 — which is basically as long as division rivals can go without playing at one team’s place.
“It feels like a lifetime ago that we played here at home against them,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday.
“I guess, in a sense, it’s just odd to play three road games against one team in a year, so that’s kind of unique. But they just want to play and beat an opponent after not being able to sleep or harboring all the things that come with a collective experience like that.
“We’re eager to press forward and do something that we feel very fortunate to do, which is compete for a division and something that has been on our mind since we started this in April.”
Probably before.
The Bills ended the Dolphins’ season in 2022, and they’ve basically wrecked their season every year since 2017.
Joe Philbin, Adam Gase, and, to a lesser degree, Brian Flores, all got fired because they couldn’t beat the Bills.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
McDaniel, who is 1-3 against Buffalo in his two years as Dolphins coach, doesn’t want to suffer the same fate.
Sunday presents a dream scenario: Win the division for the first time since 2008 by beating the team that has owned you the last decade — on national television, no less.
“That’s a big deal, man,” Hunt said. “We all know it’s a big deal. That definitely fires me up, gets me excited, you know, to play this game, and, you know, the idea is try to run around and hit people.”
Hunt agreed that the Bills are the roadblock that the Dolphins need to clear to achieve their goals.
“Times change, and hopefully, that is what it is this weekend,” Hunt said. “We’ll see. We gotta play the game, man.”
When asked if clinching the division title by beating the Bills would make it extra special, Hunt replied:
“It definitely would. I’m just speaking for me now: I’ve been here four years, and I only beat them once. So to beat these guys, you know, it’ll be a good day. I’ll have a great night if we win.”
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