Dolphins Lions Week 8 Preview

if what is up? Dolphans and welcome to the Drivetime podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast Network covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going? Everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield, And on today's show, it is pre you day. We're diving into the week eight matchup. How is it?

Week eight? Already by the way between Miami and Detroit from ford Field will give you an intro into the Lions, go position by position and break down the matchups, tell you what's at stake, and give you three keys to victory. All of that and a heck of a lot more from the Baptist Health studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.

This is the Drive Time Podcast. So perhaps you're a big hard Knocks fan and this is the NFC team that you're most familiar with after a summer in camp with them, And I know you know about Dan Campbell. In fact, on the memory sections of all my social

media apps. This time of year, I get a chance to go back and see all the Dan Campbell memes and posts about those two magical wins in his first two games here as interim head coach, the thrashing of the Texans and that convincing win in Nashville over the Titans. But Coach Campbell has brought that same mentality to the Motor City, Oklahoma drills, biting off, kneecaps, grit, And I know the record hasn't been reflective of this, but they play hard for that head coach. They scrapped the claw

and they tend to stay in games. Even during last year's very challenging three and thirteen in one campaign, they were in a lot of those games. And this year the goal was obviously to pull out some of those tight games, and it just hasn't happened yet. They lost to Baltimore Minnesota, Cleveland, Chicago, and Atlanta last season by a combined thirteen points and tied a game with the

Pittsburgh Steelers. Now at one in five, they've got losses of the Eaguals by three, Seahawks by three, and Vikings

by four. So under Campbell and Brad Holmes, who began this rebuild and the post Matt Stafford era by dealing their long time franchise quarterback for some premium draft capital and loading up on some top end college talent is either developing in the process of it, like Jeff Okuda, or waiting for their opportunity like Jamison Williams who hasn't played yet coming off the cl injury and last year's National Championship game. But that was my wide receiver one

in last year's draft. But in total, it's four eighteen and one for the Campbell and Holmes Lions, and I want to reiterate that I don't think that's reflective of who they are. They're coming off to lopsided losses where the offense came to a screeching halt. Early. They had totals of thirty, thirty six and forty five points, but just six points can bind the last two games. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has earned a lot of pop for the way he schemed up the offense tailored to Jared

goff strengths. It's a really good offensive line that should get their top back back this week in DeAndre Swift to go along with one of the game's best tight ends and t J. Hockenson. On defense, it's been a struggle. They are allowing the second most yards per play in NFL history, but it did look a lot better last week against Dallas, one of the three games I watched in preparation for this show. But real quick before we

really dive into that. The path to this place is really one of the more interesting ones to me because typically you get that hard reset with a new coach, new GM, you ship out the quarterback, you acquire a bunch of draft capital, and traditionally you'll see a new quarterback come along with that. And it's been Jared Goff, but he's not necessarily shiny and new. He's been in

the league for a while. But I really admire what the Lions have done here because the number one way to prolong a rebuild is to saddle up with the wrong quarterback. Don't just take a quarterback because you need one. They come out of that draft class that was supposed to be the next great thing, right, well, so far, one of those quarterbacks isn't trusted to push the ball more than five yards downfield. Another one is out injured

and may be replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo. The next one just had his best career game and what's been a very tough start to his career. And the next guy after that just got benched for Bailey Zappy. And what do they do but wait and land the best tackle in that class and pine check that. And then this year again with a much less heralded quarterback class, they pass on it again. But they kick the can down

the road once again. And I think they're in this position where when they decided to pull the trigger, if they get the right guy, you could have some magic and some spark because they have us roster that's kind of getting there, just not quite there at the quarterback position in terms of the young guy yet. And I do think the mistake was that last Matt Patricia year not going after to a tuggle by Loa or Justin Herbert and instead of going after a cornerback when you

really needed a quarterback that year. So as they've put this thing together, the emphasis on the trenches really shows. You won't see Levi on Wuzariquie on Sunday. He's fantastic and he he and Alee McNeil were hits along that defensive line. They also brought him the very, very productive Michael Brocker's formerly of the Rams. Then outside with Aidan Hutchinson,

Charles Harris, Julian Okwara. They're well built on the defensive line like they are on the offensive line, with arguably the best tackle tandem in football in Pine Sewel and Taylor Decker. Frank rag now one of the best centers in the NFL. Jonah Jackson went to the Pro Bowl last year at guard, so that's where they focused. We mentioned Swift and Akuta as two hits in the draft classes or you know, Akuda is getting better this year. I should say it was a rough couple of first

years for him, but he looks better this year. But there's still plenty of work to be done on that defense. And I think I think I'm not a dred percent sure that they're trending in the right direction. Despite what the record says. Let's go ahead and jump into this Dolphins offense first, Lions defense, quarterback versus safeties, and we can start here with the defensive structure. They're gonna play man coverage. I think they're gonna give Tyreek a lot

of attention. They've really focused this season on erasing the opposition is number one guy. Some weeks it has worked justin Jefferson three four. Others it has not. Dk Metcalf seven for one. This feels like a big Waddle day to me. I think if you're gonna leave him single covered against some of the single high looks you could see, could be a day upwards of one dred and fifty

or more receiving yards for a guy like him. I also think throwing to the backs feels like it could be fruitful here because they're playing off man and the double moves slash outright speed of Waddle and Tyreek. I think you have a chance to really generate some bust and big gains in this like you did against Baltimore.

If we can hit them, we can really take them out of their game and just basically they want to grind it out and run the ball, hit some big plays and then they become one dimension on that place right into your hands. Their defense three four is eleven percent, four three is twelve percent, So those offshoots of base defenses good hybrid mix their percent nice nickel defense and

three percent in the dime. So a good look at a true hybrid hybrid defense here under Aaron Glenn and their ability to do so because of their flexibility upfront. They will also mix that press and off coverage with nearly a fifty split so far this year. And on our side, I thought too, it was fantastic on Sunday getting the ball out of his hands from various platforms

and arm angles. We've been over this, but if the accuracy and timing was just dialed in a fraction or a percentage more, there's some space for even more explosives for an offense that already has one of the most explosive production in the entire league. So they'll play lots of man for twa and that means identifying matchups that he likes and doing his post snap checklist to create the lanes. Slash, hold the defense or move the defense

is a big key for him here. They'll play a lot more single high than most teams do, and the shifting landscape of defensive structure they're in single high or part of that man free defense, you know, single high safety man coverage underneath pent of the time, they're in two high structures two pcent of the time and the rest is zero coverage seven percent. They will do that, and they will gamble on some of those zero blitz looks.

I'm really curious to see if they'll do that here because a lot of speed can be tough to deal with in man coverage. So can we force them out of what they do or is it going to be a matchup where the two teams just want to challenge each other, kind of like when you have a big time slugger and a big time power arm in the middle of the and the batting order in baseball just go after him. We'll see if they want to do that. I'll keep an eye on that all game long. They

are down there. Captain and free safety Tracy Walker uh due to an achilles injury that he suffered back in week three. Their primary safeties are Deshaun Elliott, who is a little bit of a hyperre between off ball and in box safety. Five seven or five completions on seven targets for axt four yards. He doesn't have one pick

when teams have targeted him. He's been a box presence with over two hundred snaps down inside, but he really kind of rushes plays the run or falls back into the deep post, so he's doesn't really match up man coverage a whole lot. The other primary safety is Kirby Joseph. He's been on the field for nineties seven snaps against the run and eighty nine and coverage. He'll start high

and come down. It's a one three to seventy split in terms of free safety and box so both those guys are kind of the hybrid safeties we see more and more across the league right now. But he's had a very hard time this year against the run. The lines have turned a lot of free or runners free, i should say, once they break through that first level, and a lot of that comes from safeties being out of position or over pursuing getting caught in the wash

against the running game. A few final things before we move on here. The lines blitz of their defensive snaps. That's the seventh highest rate in the NFL, and they are not going to go down with the bat on their shoulder. They go down swinging, So Towa needs to be quick and his processing like he was against Pittsburgh all Law. That first pass to Waddle throwing right behind the blitz on the season two is forty three and two yards. That's seven point six yards per pass, a

touchdown and no picks against the blitz. And I feel very confident saying that toa is in that echelon of quarterbacks that you don't want to blitz because he's too good and will make you pay off the lines. Blitz rate, they just don't get home enough, hence the vulnerabilities on the defense. They pressure the quarterback at a twenty two point seven percent clip, so a margin of negative seven point three percent. In terms of blitz rate and pressure

rate seventh highest blitz rate, seventeenth best pressure rate. The average depth of target against the lines is nine point two yards. That's tied for the most in football. That's a big part of that blitz man coverage cover one

stuff we see. We mentioned that in three of their games they've surrendered a lot of points, not as much in the other three, but the common theme there is that teams have gotten vertical on them to score points in those three thirty five plus point games on passes twenty plus seven for eleven are the opponent for two hundred and fifty yards three touchdowns in a pick. It's there's some space down field. Teams have tried it, some

have sex he did, some have not. But it's a little more in fighting than what we're seeing around the league. On balance, and when you have guys like tenants seventeen, go get it. Receivers and tight ends versus corners of course a huge part of this matchup as we reference to the primary man coverage of the defense of the Lions in Tyreek and Jalen trent And said, the tight ends and backs Janu eight separation against the man coverage. I think. So let's first look at their coverage numbers.

Jeff Okuda twenty two receptions on thirty one targets for two seventy one. Some good hated to be made there. Amani arari A twenty two of thirty for two d forty two. Mike Cues has played, but he's been injured. He's eighteen forty six yards and his replacement A. J. Parker seven of seven for one forty three on just fifty coverage snaps. So he's been a guy that teams have gone after in the last two games. And to me, this is simple. Okuda has had his struggles, but nothing

like the other two guys they've played. Parker really really really struggle so far the last two games, and often at offers free access to the slot receiver, which is like, that's tough to play man cover it against free access. That's a problem against speed, particularly like Tyrek and j Limb. And then a warrier is susceptible to double moves and he's fast but not quick, and they've had these plays

where they don't have safety help. He's ten yards off the ball and you run that fake curl and go back to the post of the corner of the deep like he bites on those. So I'm thinking that Ravens game maybe all over again. Hopefully there should be opportunities here throughout. They've really really struggled against tight ends as well. More on that here in just a second. On a fast track on the turf against a primary man team.

You know, coach talked about the burden of Tyrek and Jalen and how they carry the expectations and the burden of the expectations against the defense like this, There's a lot on the receivers across the board in general to win and create separation, especially against a good pass rush like the Lions. And when you're talking about that Okuda O Warrier Parker versus Wattle and Hill like the matchup favors the visiting team. Speaking of that pass rush, offensive

line verus defensive line. That front really drives a defense. Their most productive player has been the second pick in the draft, Aiden Hutchinson. He leads a team with nine team pressures in thirteen run stops both those categories. He's a big presence with the ability to use that power to obtain leverage, hold the point in the running game, but also convert speed to power as a pass rusher. He's been getting home. It's a fun matchup against Toron Armstead.

On the other side, Charles Harris has been banged up, but he's an absolute speed merchant, as you know off the edge. I like the way the Dolphins line has played inside out recently in terms of squeezing and then you trust to Ron and Brandon Shell to get their width and get their depth and find their landmarks. It's a big test for Shell against Harris if he can go to be able to get to those landmarks in time for a speedy pass rusher their stout inside, but

I think you can use their aggressiveness against them. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Connor Williams continue his terror this season. I think this game sets up really well for Big Rob to have some those big blocks in the second level. That's brings some backs, but mostly all the eye candy that we offer I think can cause some over pursuit and big cutback lanes because they have not been gap sound. And if you can want to neutralize Charles Harris, run the ball at him.

I expect some some good runs this week from your Miami Dolphins. They do have some serious athletic ability inside with McNeil, Kaminsky, Brocker's Bugs and Brant. It's a nice mix of veteran and young player and they really want to get up field on you. So Miami's ability to be a soundman, sign a salmon assignment, sound wow, and fire off the football. Those are some keys. I'm looking

at pressure numbers for this Detroit front. Hutchinson nineteen Kaminsky second with ten on just fifty one pass rush reps, so great efficiency and there's a huge drop off in terms of efficiency just nine for Harris, eight from McNeil, and seven for Anzeloni. Run stops, Hutchinson leads away with thirteen, Malcolm Rodriguez has thirteen, Jeff Acuda has thirteen, Alex Anzeloni

has twelve, and safety to Shaun Elliott has eight. So it just there's not been a lot of plays made this year on this line's defense, the running backs and linebackers. I alluded to the man coverage and how they've handled tight ends this year. It's not been good, the same as true running back. There's a reason they're allowing historical

numbers right now. I can't tell you how many times on tape I've seen a stacked off ball linebacker which is behind the defen to tackle five yards off the football, have to go cover a running back on a flare or swing to a side of the field that he's outflanked pre snap by five or six yards already. Then he has to fight through trash of rubs and picks and that type of thing. So with the speed we have it back, I think you could probably steal some

big plays this week on high percentage throws. That's exactly what you want. They also have not been gap sound at all, like I mentioned, so you'll often see two guys in a gap meaning none and another in the running game. And as I mentioned earlier, the safeties tend to play in this limbo of off on at the line in terms of do I go do I come back? And it takes you know, one one run in space or one guy in space to make a move to

get around them and as off to the races. We've seen it this year with the Seahawks a couple of times and some other games as well. So I just think there's opportunities across the board. From Miami, we've seen the Dolphins running game get crank in the last few weeks. The lines run defense has really struggled. They did hold the Commanders to eighty eight yards that was the lowest opponent output. That of course was when they went at

their were at their healthiest. But when they do fit it right, it's often led by the speed and athletic ability of Alex Anzeloni coming downhill with those twelve run stops. Malcolm Rodriguez. You guys remember him from Hard Knocks. He leads the linebackers to thirteen run stops under size, but it doesn't matter because he's fast and instinctive, and that's a big reason why they're trusted. They trust him so much.

With man coverage on backs and tight ends for Angeloni as well, you'll often see them carry routes up the seam and you can throw, you know, against their leverage basically over their heads and over the top of their shoulders, but also spread out to the perimeter on covering swings and screens and flats and things of that nature. Combined, opposing teams have completed seventy eight percent of their passes for three seventy eight on these linebackers. It's nine point

nine yards per pass attempt. And we saw Raheem get it going in the passing game last week. We know what to can do. When he escapes the initial wave, he tends to create space for the backs in the passing game. Perhaps we get more production that way again. After forty yards and a touchdown from the running backs in the passing game last week, I feel like I'm saying this about the entire game, but I think this is a chance for the screen game to get crank

in too. If you want to dial up those blitzes and play man coverage, we'll screen you to death. So lots of opportunities to go ahead and take our break and get to the other side of the football. Here Dolphins, defense, lines, offense. That's next Dragtime podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. It's a Thursday, the return of football into your household after two days off. Do you guys struggle on two days and wednesdays without football in

your house during the fall? I know I do. Let's go ahead and pick it back up with our favorite matchup of the week, the Dolphins, of course, and the Detroit Lines on Sunday one o'clock at Ford Field is still called Ford Field, um. Starting here at the defense or the Miami Dolphins defense versus the line's offense, and the quarterback position versus the safety's they've got just in

general their offense. They have four receivers in the current roster with amand Ross st Brown stads for Sunday unknown. So in that Dallas game, we saw lots of twelve personnel and the result was an eight three percent workload for t J. Hockenson, for brock Right the number two

tight end, and you still had three receivers eclipse. So it's like most offenses and the NFL that it is eleven based eleven personnel sixty eight percent at the time, twelve personnel thirteen percent at the time, but that went up without the receivers they haven't had the last couple of weeks and thirteen personnel's five percent. They have an occasional snap in O one and twenty one personnel both

less than two percent. And that brings us to the quarterback position with Jared Goff, who what I like about golf is he can challenge every inch of the field with a true power arm that he has. He wants to beat you from the pocket, play in rhythm and on time, and work off the play action game. The lines will go to after they established the run that has been such a sturdy element of their team, especially

with DeAndre Swift potentially back in the fold. Now. We saw the Dolphins defense get back to a little more press and reroute last week in terms of getting up in guys faces, and given the Lions receiver position, I

think that could be the play here again. But if you play zero and off, he can take the outs and hitch us to the field, which are hard throws to make, but he has the strong arm to do it and really eat you alive with those, the way Lamar Jackson did when he adjusted this year to our game plan going off of the game in twenty twenty

one where he beat him down pretty soundly. He adjusted with those quick throws, with those answers, I don't think the plan is going to be all that different from how you approach Kenny Pickett, only you don't have to commit a spy the way in Miami adjusted to him after a couple of scrambles. Golf will not do that. If you push him off the spot, you'll beat him. Golf wants to attack from the pocket. He does have seven scrambles this season for a total of twenty seven yards.

He's been sacked fumbled four times. So getting him on the ground you can get turnovers that way, making him uncomfortable, speeding up the process and not letting him hit the back foot, get through progressions and play clean because he will absolutely carve you up if that happens. Although the numbers do not say that against the blitz this year seven point nine yards per attempt, three touchdowns, three picks. When not blitzed seven point three yards per attempts will

dip in those stats. But eight touchdowns and three picks. Now, when he's pressured six point seven yards per attempt three and three touchdowns and picks, and then not pressured sixty percent seven point eight yards per temp eight touchdowns, three picks. So it's a little bit of both. But you guys have seen him play before. You seen him play against the defense before. He's been pressured on thirty two point five percent of his dropbacks, and those dropbacks have been

twelve sacks, and like I mentioned, the four fumbles. So where so many quarterbacks in this daying league can escape that pressure and extend, this is one of the throwback types of quarterbacks that you can hit and actually get sacks against. And we saw in that game against the Rams, and we blitz cut off those backside boots with weak side pressure and force him to reset and make a throw under the rest. It just doesn't go well when that happens, and it led to four picks in that game.

More recently, he played with the against the Patriots. I should say, just two weeks ago in a similar defensive system, they blitz him fifteen times that produced three sacks and golf through for eighty nine yards on seven of twelve passing. And then when not blitz when New England the coverage route, it was just fifty six point one yards per pass and a pick. So I think that this, this system and structure and play calling of this defense is really

tough for Jared Goff. One more stat for you, twenty plus air yard throw this year they are eight for twenty six for just a buck eight nine, three touchdowns and two picks. That's like seven point one yards per pass. On throws there are twenty eight yards down the field. They just haven't had the separation downfield to really afford them the opportunities. And what does that make me think?

Maybe a chance to unlock Javon Holland a little bit more and gamble with it a little more since they struggle to get vertical, not unlike the Ravens game last year, or we essentially said try and get over the topic, but you can't do it. I think that would work here potentially, especially if st Brown is down. We'll see if his availabilities is good to go or not for Sunday on our end, No, Brandon Jones, a man that sucks. What a good player and what a better dude? He

is good. You get well soon in twenty nine. Will miss you out here. Javan's coming off of a huge play in the Pittsburgh game. He's primarily been in the post, with three hundred and fifty four of his five or four fifty four snaps coming in that area. I think that could change this week a little bit. Maybe I'm not sure, but maybe the thing that I'm really curious

to see is how you replace Brandon Jones snaps. We saw him MacKinley get some run last week, we saw Clayton Federalum, we saw a couple of snaps of Elijah Campbell, and of course Eric Rowe and Eric Rowe had great coverage on that fourth down conversion from Friar Meth. But man, he just made a play on him. And Rowe has a great history of coming up and playing the run and covering tight ends. But it's been a rough go lately. Sixteen for seventeen for two and twenty yards on Eric

row and coverage this season. And I'll tell you this. Whoever gets that increased workload, you better be ready to stick your face in the fan and insert yourself into the run game because the lines will come downhill and challenge you to do it. You have to be sharp. I think I'd like to see an increased workload for Elijah Campbell. He was a really good blitzer off the edge the summer and training camp. The Dolphins can obviously go with some of that big nickel to mitigate some

of the losses they might have at corner. We'll see who's available on Sunday, but man, he's a pretty good presence off the edge and that pass brush game, and I think he could factor in that way here as well. Receivers and tight ends versus corners, We'll have to wait and see. On st. Brown, as I mentioned earlier, they had four active receivers on the roster, so if he

can't go, you have to imagine they'll elevate somebody. D J. Chark is on I R as well as Jamison Williams, who had to miss some time coming off the a c L injury. He's not yet back. So this is a team that you could look at a month or so down the line. And say, Wow, they got some really top line receivers, but they're just not available right now. Last Sunday, Calif Raymond, Josh Reynolds, and Tom Kennedy combined for a hundred and thirty snaps. That's you know, it's tough,

So that's that's the trio. It was Maurice Alexander who played a handful of snaps as the fourth receiver, but he was waived on Monday and resigned back to the practice squad. All of this is to say they're really struggling to separate with anybody not named St. Brown. They countered that on Sunday with a double wise look, you know, unbalanced twelve personnel and that gives you the extra gap in the running game. But me thinks this could be a big nickel game slash heavy linebacker game. Maybe we

see some more changing tindall. I don't know, but for the Cowboys, they were in man coverage almost all game and the lines just could not get any separation. As what the matchups might look like here, I don't have any idea, but these here's the separation numbers on these guys. Calif Rayman two point nine and Josh Roynland's two point eight and st. Brown three point oh. So like sticky man coverage works against these guys. St. Brown is uber competitive and make a bunch of yards out of nothing,

particularly after the catch. Reynolds is a technician who wins with nuance, attacking leverage and having super strty hands. And then a Raymond is a straight burner with three four three four speed. But frankly, I think it's a safe bet. Whatever you want to do, it basically comes down to who do they want to have X eliminate because he's been doing that for a couple of weeks now, or with the Lions. Just simply rotate guys and X just locked down one side and sort of how he did

against the Vikings and Steelers. Raymond is blazing fast, but he has a hard time getting off press. I might go that route and just take him out of the game, take the speed out of the game, and allow yourself to play more physical and aggressive that and just let Higbo bethol cater key on whoever it might be, just match up the rest of the way and use the safeties to rob and drop down and buzz and do all that fun stuff. Now, the main option at tight end is t J. Hockenson, and he got twenty of

the target share last week. They operate through that position in a lot of ways in terms of him being able to function in the running game, but also as a pass catcher. Off of that, they do a good job of creating matchups on linebackers and safeties for him, and that with the design, we'll even script in some gimmes with those play action boots and flat routes just to get the ball in his hands and some space

at times. Now, the Patriots plan for Hawkinson was interesting because it completely wiped him out of the game, a lot of attention, a lot of rerouting and attacking him to minimize both his effort in the running game and as a receiver. I could see something similar here where Hawkinson's kind of the the main guy you look to

take away. It's actually a perfect prelude to this next group here because on the offensive line defensive line I mentioned, they'll go unbalanced twelve and they'll run the football and how it helps them get two advantages. One they add a gap in the running game that you have to account for, and two if your backside containing it's not good. It gives Golf that clear throwing lane off play action when he pulls it in bootlegs, don't let him do that.

It's imperative for the backside backers and edge to be able to stay in tight to the line and pursue downhill to give the front side the help they should they need in case they get that knocked back and force the back to bubble and hesitate. You need to be able to get in there and make that tackle like Van Ginkle does so often, but also have good discipline to recognize when Golf does pull the football out

and try to win that edge on his bootleg. If you can beat him to the spot, it's likely going to be a win for you. If you don't, He's one in that area a lot, just not a lot with the Lions, but back with the Rams. Given what I've seen from this bare front, heavy defense with the athletic edges both here and with the Patriots, you know, against the Lions, I think this is one of the

better matchups from Miami this season on defense. As it pertains to the aforementioned comment about the Patriots taking Hawkinson out, I think Miami is well equipped to deploy a similar plan where you just throw off his timing by and then pass him off to the next guy in coverage, kind of like New England did. Because it was a

safety corner linebacker Kyle Dugger, Jonathan Jones, Gilanny Duvai. They just found ways to reroute, disrupt and then pass him off to somebody else before he can get back up to speed again. It was very effective. So that's to say that between Phillips, og Ball, provided he's back, Van Ginkle and Ingram, their eyes and change the direction off that edge have to be really good this week. They also need to be good pass rush plans because this

tackle tenem is very good. Let's go ahead and peep their pressure numbers allowed so far this season, and they have not really had health up front. Sewell and Decker have played the entire year two forty five snaps. Uh Evan Brown has played the most for a guard at one six, Jonah Jackson's played one fifteen, and Frank rag Now, their center, has played two away. So Swool's allowed eleven pressures, Decker twenty. It's a lot for Decker, Jackson and Brown.

The guards five apiece and rag Now four pressures allowed. Logan Stenberg was an opening day starter. He's played eighty nine snaps allowed ten pressures and Dance Skipper a hundred thirty two snaps eleven pressures. As you can see, lots of injury issues up front. Uh, but they're only two guys going wired to wire this season and the two tackles, and of course it's perhaps with two of the most complete resumes. Although rag Now certainly is a stud, but

these numbers are interesting. This is a group that really explodes off the football and can punch you in the mouth. I'd be surprised if they don't come out with Swift likely back in the fold and make a concerted effort to run the ball early on. That's why I think getting some explosive on offense and just kind of uh taking away that run game could be a really really

good route to victory from Miami. In this game, it's actually been a bit of a just asked for this year for I should say the last three weeks for Taylor Decker sacking each of those games four pressures, five pressures and four pressures, and that's against three completely different defenses and play styles. I continue to think this is a Phillips van Ginkle game. Once again, both for those one on ones, but also that backside flow and discipline

point that I made earlier. As for the interior, you know, I love how Christian and Zach and ray Kwon stack up. They have an interesting blend of power and athletic ability on the interior. But I'll tell you this, they simply do not allow penetration. They like to keep that interior as tight as possible for golf to stand in there and have that clean pocket in front of him. Evan Brown's three twenty, Frank ragnow is three on nine, Jonah

Jackson's three eleven. It will be important for our guys to be able to hold the line and maintain their gap control against a team that can run it so effectively and keep the pockets secure inside. For a really polished pocket passer, I look for. Christian Wilkins had a big game here. The Steelers really worked him out of

the game with a lot of double teams. He's still got his but just to have the normal impact that he does, I think he has a chance for some penetrating slash one gapping here where he can get outside the scheme and make a little more big plays. That way, running backs and linebackers. If the old line isn't the line strength, the running back room is DeAndre Swift. He's averaging eight point six yards per carry and four point

five yards after initial contact. What granted, that's just twenty seven attempts, but man, they create some lanes for him. When they don't, he creates his own space more than one third of his runs, six of the seven are for ten plus yards. No, that's not one third. One shoot close enough. He's forced six miss tackles and he has six first down runs. Then Jamal Williams has six

rushing touchdowns. Apparently six is the magic number here, but Williams is a toughest hell runner with two point eight four yards after initial contact of his own, and then Craig Reynolds is at three point seven six yards after contact with a nice package of pass pro clips and receiving clips too. So it's a tall order for the Miami backers this week with this deep, multifaceted group. That's why it's so imperative to control the gaps up front

and create lanes for our backers to flow downhill. Could be a potentially big game for Land and Roberts to do what he does best and go be the B gap to B gap enforcer and of course Jerome Baker doing the main things that he does in this defense, the many things I should say, playing off the edge, running twenty yards downfield and coverage those guys. I discipline being good this week is going to be a big key for your Miami Dolphins. And then just sort of

a propro of nothing. I've been really impressed by Duke Raley's game this season. He made another big play on Sunday night with a tackle for loss, saw him get twenty nine snaps in that game with three run stops, and that's with just eight non pass rush snaps. I think his speeds of valuable commodity hasn't played a lot the last few games before that, he got back to his snaps or so and he was really productive in that role. Let's go ahead and take our last break.

We'll come back and do special teams, What's at stake and the three Keys. That's next Drivetime Podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. Segment number three here on a Thursday preview edition of the Drift Time Podcast, we covered the offense and defense. Let's talk about spec show teams here with Sanders, he's perfect from under fifty and frankly, I could not agree more with Coach Crossman about the stroke and the kicks just being

off a little bit. He said last week the miss against the Vikings was the one true miss hit where he just flat out missed it. The others just barely off, and I think you're seeing him dial in more and more. He's up to ten for thirteen on the season, fifteen of sixteen on a point after tries all three misses from fifty plus. The Lions have used three kickers this year. Currently it's Michael Badgeley, who has been elevated off the

practice squad. Currently do not have a kicker on the roster actually, but he's two for two on the season, including a fifty three yard or Their punter is Jack Fox, who has nineteen punts at a booming average of forty eight point seven. He kicks him high and deep, and of course our guy Thomas moorese diad just been killing the football. It's either good distance in hang time or a pin inside the ten yard line. Not a lot of return yards against us for a consistent forty five

point eight yards per punt on twenty nine kicks. What's at stake for us this week? I don't know. I mean it's too early to start looking at the playoff standings. I mean that's not really until post Thanksgiving. But you're currently in the sixth position in the a f C. So staying in the top sevens at stake. You lose the game profile out of that. Avoiding dropping four out of five is at stake. Stringing together some wins here

ahead of the stretch runs obviously very important. It's a nonconference game against a team that's struggling and the win lost column. But the theme here throughout the preview the lines are close and they're competitive and they're gonna play a tough sixty minutes. So not letting the guard down and getting laxed with the fire points like fundamentals and technique,

that's kind of a key and what's at stake. All good teams take every single game seriously, and that should be the expectation here on the road against a struggling lines team. The three keys in this game maintain your gap control on defense. If you stop the run, it sets up the rest of the defense for a chance to make plays against the lines offense that has been kind of one dimensional times this year. Number two established your running game. They've been giving up over one d

and sixty yards per game. Get yours there and that will create openings for everything else on the offense. I think Miami's ability to hit big explosives in this game is going to exist either way. But if you get the running game going, it will really exist. And the number three just don't beat yourselves, don't get negative in the turn our department. Don't have ten penalties. If you do those things, you can bury bad football teams. And

so far, the lines, that's what they have been. Don't let them hang around because they can make you pay if you do that. So those are your three keys. Let's make the week eight picks. We have been eight and six in back to back weeks. Yuck. You know how they have the stat like replacement level, that's like retirement level production. It's been a weird, weird season, but we have to do better and we will. We are

sixty thirty nine and one on the year. Wolf Give me the Ravens over the Bucks on Thursday Night football Tonight the London game. Give me the Jags over the Broncos. You know, sprints on the plane not gonna work. Snakes on a plane, I don't. I don't think it's gonna work. Cowboys over the Bears. Give me the Eagles over the Steelers in the Battle of Pennsylvania. Give me the Patriots over the Jets. That we need that one. Come on, Mac, play a good game this year. Played over the Jets.

Speak the Jets, Las Vegas over the Saints. Give me the Dolphins of the Lions. Give me the Cardinals over the Vikings. I'll take Atlanta over Carolina, although I think both those teams are gonna start having a rough time this year because Atlantas defense is banged up. Tennessee over Houston, Seattle over the Giants, the upset went at home. Give me Washington over India a tough one too, but Sam Ellinger,

I don't know about that. Buffalo over the Packers, and give me the Browns over the Bengals on Monday Night Football. You all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast. Leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on Twitter at Winfoeld NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the Twitter spaces show last at at eight o'clock, but it posts the record version to my timeline at Winfold NFL. Follow the

Fish Tank podcast and check them out. Every Tuesday they post a new show with Seth and o J. Check out the post game show on five sixt w q A M also our international podcast with Spain and the UK. Also the YouTube media availabilities as well as Dolphins Today, fish Tank and Drivetime comment content up there as well, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time finds up Caroline Daddy. He's coming home. Sk