MIAMI GARDENS — Maybe it’s in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins. It’s not just the idea of playing two games in five days to open the season, but the second game being one of the biggest and most important hurdles of the year: against the four-time defending AFC East-champion Buffalo Bills.

Oh, and coming on the heels of one of the most tumultuous several days in team history.

Tyreek Hill gave teammates a lesson in how to block out everything by making plays Sunday when he went from being handcuffed during a traffic stop just outside Hard Rock Stadium to scoring an 80-yard touchdown inside it to help beat Jacksonville. Not only that but defensive tackle Calais Campbell, who also was briefly handcuffed after trying to intervene as peacemaker, made the first two tackles against Jacksonville for 14 yards in losses.

"This kind of brought us a little bit closer together," receiver Braxton Berrios said. "And the focus is on the Bills. This is something that we will figure out and move forward with."

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Not just forward but upward, if defensive tackle Zach Sieler has his say.

"It’s time to take the East," Sieler said. "Let’s go for it."

The Dolphins haven’t won the AFC East title since 2008 when Chad Pennington was the quarterback. Not only have the Bills owned the division of late but quarterback Josh Allen has owned the Dolphins. He’s 10-2 in the regular season against the Dolphins, including 4-2 at Hard Rock Stadium. Not even Hall of Famer Jim Kelly dominated Miami to this degree; Kelly was only 12-8 against the Dolphins in his career.

While seeing the Bills on the opposite sideline will always get the Dolphins’ attention, safety Jevon Holland doesn’t think the No. 1 nemesis is necessary for the team to block out the national debate over whether police stepped over the line in their treatment of Hill.

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"I don’t necessarily think Buffalo themselves," Holland said. "I think it’s really just being a professional. It has nothing to do with who we’re playing next or what players are on the next team. I think it’s specifically just the fact that we’re professionals and we have to handle our job. … Crazy situations happen and then you keep on moving with life."

Left tackle Terron Armstead, a team captain, added: "Nobody will be tired. We won’t be talking about the last game or anything. We will be ready for the Bills. …. I think that’s the beauty of the sport. You get a chance to escape real-world issues for that time slot. I think there’s no better place in the world that Tyreek could’ve been following that but a locker room and a football game."

The game will kick off roughly 72 hours after Metro-Dade Police released bodycam video that went viral. The Dolphins quickly responded with a sharply worded statement calling the officers’ actions “despicable.” Coach Mike McDaniel emotionally reflected on the incident Monday afternoon, before the video was released, and by Wednesday morning said he was "emotioned out" over the affair. McDaniel had gathered the team Tuesday to discuss the matter as a group.

Now he must lead the team past both the incident and its biggest rival.

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"If you want to do anything in this league, generally you can’t skip over the much-mandated step of winning your division," McDaniel said. "And there’s one team that’s won the division consecutive years that you could say that they, by de facto, own the division until somebody takes it from them."

One player involved in this game who knows it from all angles is safety Jordan Poyer, a member of the Bills for seven years but now in his first season in Miami.

"I’m very familiar with a lot of guys they have over there," Poyer said, despite many changes made by coach Sean McDermott entering this season. "I still have a lot of good relationships over there. I’m thankful for all of my years out there in Buffalo, but I’m excited to play, for sure."

Shortly after signing in free agency, Poyer admitted that the Bills looked down on the Dolphins as a team likely to "fold" when things boiled over. Now, Poyer doesn’t see himself as a hired gun signed by the Dolphins specifically to target the Bills.

"I don’t think that was one of the only reasons why I came here," he said. "One of the reasons I came here was because I’ve seen this team over the last seven years grow and become who they are. I wanted to be a help in becoming a part of that stepping stone of winning the AFC East and going on a run in the playoffs. This is just part of it. This is just another game for us to win, go 1-0 this week. What a cool opportunity for Thursday night."

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal.

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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins say they're ready to topple Buffalo Bills in AFC East