I've looked at the Lions up and down, back and forth, in and out, all week long, and I've got to say, these two teams are EXTREMELY similar.
They both rely on a fierce, overwhelming pass rush. They both have explosive playmakers on offense. And they both are led by sometimes great, sometimes head-scratching quarterbacks.
Defensively, these two are damn near clones:
Miami ranks 3rd in total defense- 12th against the rush, and 2nd against the pass.
Detroit ranks 1st in total defense- 2nd against the rush and 5th against the pass.
The Dolphins are tied for 4th in total sacks with 25. The Lions have recorded 23 sacks, tied for 6th in the league.
The Miami secondary has recorded 9 interceptions. The Detroit secondary has also recorded 9 interceptions.
As you can see, these two defenses may very well cancel each other out on Sunday. So what happens then? Well, then you have to look at who has the better offense.
That's where the Miami Dolphins can win this football game.
The Dolphins offense ranks 11th in the league- 4th in rushing, and 19th in passing.
The Lions rank 20th in total offense- 30th in rushing, and 9th in passing.
I believe this game is going to go on the shoulders of Ryan Tannehill, and with the way the third year QB has played over the past five weeks, that shouldn't worry Dolphin fans. That should excite them.
Here are Tannehill's passer ratings since his near benching following week three:
4 Raiders 109.3 W, 38-14
6 Packers 83.3 L, 24-27
7 Bears 123.6 W, 27-14
8 Jaguars 73.3 W, 27-13
9 Chargers 125.6 W, 37-0
Over that time he's thrown 10 TD's to only 4 INT's, completed well over 60% of his passes, and had runs of over 40 yards each week.
Whether you choose to believe it or not, Ryan Tannehill is the better QB in this game. He's got the hot hand, folks. In fact, it's on fire- he's been the second best passer over the past month in the entire league, only behind Ben Roethlisberger.
Look, I realize the Lions own the 5th best pass defense in the league. But when you break it down, given the way Tannehill's been playing, I'd take my chances against that over their 2nd rated run defense, especially with a banged up Lamar Miller.
One more stat for you before I move on..
The Miami offensive line has given up 17 sacks this season, good for 12th in the league. The Detroit line has given up 24 sacks, which ranks them 27th.
The formula for the Dolphins in this one should be clear: Get after Matthew Stafford, and the statistics say you should, and ride Ryan Tannehill's hot right arm as much as you can. I understand the Dolphins like to run the football, and they're really, really good at it. But chances are it won't be there this week.
These two teams mirror each other in nearly every facet of the game.
If there is a loophole to be found, I believe it's in the passing game.
Time to see if the kid can stay hot.
OTHER NOTES
- The big piece of news out of Miami today had to do with 2015, as it was announced that not only will the Dolphins return to London next season, but it'll be against the New York Jets and will be considered a home game for the Dolphins.
I'm not happy about it, the Dolphins, I'm certain, are not happy about it, but I don't really care right now. It's 2014, and there's a HUGE game coming up. Who cares right now? That's something for another time, and another day.
- The second to final injury report came out today:
Dion Sims is the only player who did not participate in practice. He's still dealing with a toe injury and his status remains up in the air for Sunday's game.
Among the notables on the limited side were G Daryn Colledge and RB Lamar Miller. Colledge was listed as full participation yesterday and it seemed like he was ready to return this week after missing last week with back injury. However, it appears that he regressed today, as he was limited. If he can't go expect Dallas Thomas to once again fill in.
Miller is the more serious issue here. He is dealing with a shoulder sprain, and while he has said he'll play, one has to wonder how healthy he'll actually be. This is something to monitor closely. If Miller doesn't go, or, as I suspect, he goes but plays on a limited basis, look for Daniel Thomas and Damien Williams to split the snaps.
Three days.
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