Here’s what you missed in Episode 8 of ‘Hard Knocks’ with the Dolphins

The eighth episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins” premiered on Tuesday night, with a focus on the team’s preparation for a winner-take-all matchup with the Buffalo Bills for the AFC East title.

Here are the highlights from the episode.

▪ Despite the team’s precarious injury situation, inside linebacker Jerome Baker is set to return from a sprained MCL that forced him to miss a month. One of the early scenes highlights the extensive rehabilitation Baker has done to get back into the lineup for the regular-season finale.

One of the longest-tenured players on the team, Baker addresses the team after one of the final practices before the prime-time game and he notes that he’s only beat the Bills twice in his career.

During Sunday night’s game, the moments in which Baker injured his wrist are captured. After one tackle, he grabs his wrist and tells Duke Riley, “This [expletive] cracking. He later winces in pain and grabs at his wrist after trying to tackle quarterback Josh Allen on a scramble.

After the game, a 21-14 Miami loss, Baker’s mother waits outside the stadium as Baker gets an X-ray. Baker’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, emerges to tell her that Baker dislocated a bone in his wrist and is out for the playoffs.

▪ Coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier gather five of the team’s Pro Bowlers — quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left tackle Terron Armstead, running back Raheem Mostert and fullback Alec Ingold — to inform them that they’ve been voted to the NFL’s all-star event

▪ More of McDaniel’s journey is spotlighted, from being a walk-on at Yale to his various stops before arriving in Miami. McDaniel also speaks about his battle with alcoholism, which threatened his coaching career after he was fired from his job with Houston in 2008. A camera focuses in on an index card in McDaniel’s offense with the number “865” written on it, which marks the number of days he was out of the NFL.

After the team’s practice on Jan. 4, McDaniel addresses the team on what is the eighth anniversary of the last time he had a drink.

▪ The tense situation regarding wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s house catching fire last week is relieved. As Hill tends to the situation, players at the facility discuss the situation and wonder how Hill is doing.

“The house done,” Hill tells his fellow wide receivers in their meeting room upon returning, explaining that there is significant smoke damage.

▪ Drew Brooks, the team’s head of security, is spotlighted, including his game-day role as McDaniel’s “get back” coach. Brooks explains how he tore his triceps during the team’s Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs when quarterback Patrick Mahomes ran into him on the sideline. Brooks also tells the heartfelt story of his son who died from brain cancer in 2012.