1. They must constantly put pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick. Cameron Wake has been absent for the last two weeks, and it has exposed some serious holes in this Miami Dolphins defense. It's allowed QB's plenty of time to throw, or run, or basically do whatever they wish. It's showed that, when Wake isn't on his game, nobody can step up and apply any pressure. Jared Odrick hasn't done anything. Olivier Vernon hasn't. Randy Starks hasn't. Paul Soliai hasn't.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is a very good QB when he has time to throw- just look at his game last week- however, he's also shown that, if he feels any heat at all, he'll make bad decision after bad decision. The Dolphins front line, including Cam Wake, must not let Fitzpatrick get comfortable back there, or it will be a huge problem tomorrow.
2. They must tackle better. These last two games have heavily exposed the Fins weakness with two things. Number one, they struggle against mobile QB's. Andrew Luck and Jake Locker both made huge plays with their feet, and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be no different.
Number two, with how good their tackling was early on in the season, it has seriously regressed in recent weeks. This was never more evident than in the first half of last week's "game," when Jake Locker dropped back to pass, fell down for a good three seconds, got up untouched, broke a tackle, and ran twenty yards down the middle of the field. This cannot, CANNOT, happen again tomorrow. C.J. Spiller and Ryan Fitzpatrick must be taken down when given the chance, because, as we've seen before, if the Fins whiff on any tackles, than it's off to the races.
3. They must not turn the ball over. This will absolutely be the difference in this ballgame, I can personally guarantee that. In the five games the Fins have lost, Ryan Tannehill has turned the ball over in four of them. The rookie will have all eyes on him tomorrow night, especially after his performance on Sunday, and he must rebound with the poise and good decision making he displayed in all of October.
The turnovers don't stop with Tannehill though. Reggie Bush has been the hot topic in Miami this week after his benching following Sunday's first quarter fumble. While I don't completely agree with Philbin's decision, I do see where he's coming from. He doesn't like sloppy football! He doesn't like fumbles! He's made this abundantly clear from the get-go, and he made an example out of it with Reggie Bush. Offensively, Miami must learn from this tomorrow, because any turnovers in this game would be a disaster.
4. They must create turnovers on defense. During their three game winning streak, the defense was a turnover machine. They intercepted and recovered a fumble in Cincinnati. They recovered a fumble against the Rams. They created turnovers in New York in every which way possible. But the last two weeks? Nothing. As I said earlier, Ryan Fitzpatrick is turnover prone, and if the Fins are to get back to .500, they must expose that early and often. Turnover will be huge in this game for Miami, especially on the road, in the cold, when momentum will be hard to come by. The defense must step up in this department.
5. The offensive game plan must improve. What I saw last week was just not the team I was used to seeing all year long. They didn't run the ball, or even try for that matter. They didn't roll Tannehill out of the pocket, which is his clear strength as a QB. Everything that they did so well offensively during that three game winning streak was absent for all four quarters against the Titans. OC Mike Sherman must focus a bulk of the game plan around Reggie Bush, not only because he's a game changer, but because he's your best offensive weapon. I expect Bush to see anywhere from 15-25 carries tomorrow, especially against the a Bills defense that ranks 31st against the run, giving up nearly 164 yards per game.
6. They must convert short yardage third downs (and third downs period). Joe Philbin is clearly not happy about the Fins performance in this category over the last couple weeks, nor is Mike Sherman, and I don't blame them. Third and one in the NFL must be converted nearly every single time if you want to win, and the Fins just haven't been getting it done lately. The offensive line has been getting beat, receivers have been dropping passes, running backs have been getting stuffed, and Ryan Tannehill has been getting sacked. Third down is the most important down in football, and when you don't convert, especially when you only need one or two yards, it is a huge momentum boost for the other team, and a huge demoralizer for yours.
7. The defense must get off the field on third downs. It's simple, when you let teams convert 50% or higher of their third downs, you're not going to win. During their winning streak, teams were converting less than 35% of third downs against the Dolphins. The last two weeks? Over or near 50%. Enough said.
Thats all for now. Remember to check in tomorrow for the pre-game coverage, my pick, and any last minute news from Buffalo. And, as always, follow the live blog during the game, you know the drill.
Adios.
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