PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : TODAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES : Bills Want to Make Marino Throw

When the Miami Dolphins talk about the Buffalo Bills, they talk about the run. When the Bills talk about the Dolphins, they talk about the run.

Today, they run into each other in the first round of the playoffs. The game at Buffalo kicks off the wild-card round of playoffs for the AFC, with Detroit at Philadelphia following in the NFC game.

The last time the Bills and Dolphins met, two weeks ago, Thurman Thomas rushed for 148 yards and Buffalo won, 23-20, clinching its sixth AFC East title in eight years.

“If we’re going to have a shot at winning, we’ve got to stop Thurman Thomas,” Miami safety Louis Oliver said. “They want to say, ‘We’re going to run it until you stop us.’ I’m pretty sure they’re going to line up and try to blow us off the football.”

At the same time, the Bills are convinced that if they can stop the Miami rushing game and force Dan Marino to throw, they can be successful.

In 17 games against Buffalo, Marino has thrown for more than 300 yards four times--all losses. In four Dolphins victories over the same period, Marino has passed for only four touchdowns and averaged seven fewer attempts.

“We want to stop their running game and force Dan to throw the football,” Buffalo linebacker Cornelius Bennett said. “That’s always been the key to beating Dan Marino, letting him throw 45 times a game.”

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For the Eagles (9-7), the challenge is clear. Veteran Detroit tackle Lomas Brown made sure of that.

“There is no question in my mind that we’re going to win this game,” Brown said. “It’s just a matter of how much are we going to win it by and how long is it going to take.”

Brown says he’s serious about the prediction, and the Lions (10-6) do take a seven-game winning streak into Philadelphia.

Eagle Coach Ray Rhodes thinks Brown made a mistake popping off. “I’m going to make sure that the whole lineup” gets a copy of Brown’s remarks, he said.

In reality, however, Detroit’s top-ranked offense is the biggest concern to the Eagles. Scott Mitchell is playing well, receivers Herman Moore and Brett Perriman combined for a league-record 231 receptions, and Barry Sanders is doing what Barry Sanders does.

Oh, and don’t look for any snowball fights this weekend. There has been no recent snowfall in Green Bay, stadium workers in Buffalo are expert at removal, and officials in Philadelphia will remove a thick sheet of ice covering seats in Veterans Stadium.