Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Miami Dolphins Week 6 Contest with Green Bay

The Miami Dolphins (2-2) are coming off of their bye week and heading into a matchup with head coach Joe Philbin's former team, the Green Bay Packers (3-2). 

This game will be decided by a few critical matchups between players on both sides of the ball, matchups that we will highlight here. 

DE Cameron Wake vs. RT Bryan Bulaga

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

The key to beating the Packers is simple: get to Aaron Rodgers. 

This is much easier said than done, as Rodgers is elusive in the pocket and contains a quick release. However, when he does get bothered, the Packers become beatable, as evidenced by his Week 1 performance against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Rodgers was sacked three times against Seattle and was constantly under pressure from the Seahawks defense. Miami's defense isn't as elite as what the defending champions possess, but the Dolphins do have a true superstar pass-rusher in Cameron Wake. 

Wake will match up with right tackle Bryan Bulaga on Sunday, which should be a favorable matchup for him. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Bulaga allowed two hurries against Seattle; however, he has improved in each game since. He is credited with only allowing two of Rodgers' 12 sacks this season, although one came in Week 2 against the New York Jets, a game that saw Rodgers get sacked four times. 

Since then, Green Bay's pass protection has improved, but they have not faced a team with a strong defensive front since their Week 3 matchup against the Lions (when they allowed two sacks). 

Wake is arguably the best individual pass-rusher they've seen all season, and he should give Bulaga plenty of issues on Sunday. 

LT Branden Albert vs. ROLB Julius Peppers

For the Dolphins, protecting their quarterback will be a top priority as well, and the matchup we're going to single out here is one between two veteran players. 

Acquiring outside linebacker Julius Peppers from the rival Chicago Bears was the biggest offseason move for the Packers in 2014, in the same way that acquiring Branden Albert was Miami's biggest offseason move. Both players provide plenty of experience to parts of the game where both teams had major issues in 2013, and so far, both teams have seen improvement in those aspects. 

Peppers may be an outside linebacker, but he is essentially a pass-rusher under Dom Capers' defense. Part of playing in a Capers defense includes the blitz—or at least a blitz fake—meaning from play to play, you won't know what Peppers is going to do. 

Because of that, it's good to know the Dolphins have Albert at left tackle, as the first line of defense against Peppers. Albert has had a good season so far, as he's only allowed one sack all season long. His Pro Football Focus grade as a pass-blocker is 5.1 this season (subscription required), and he's ranked fourth in pass-blocking efficiency on the website. 

This won't be the only lineman vs. pass-rusher battle on this list. 

RT Ja'Wuan James vs. DE Datone Jones

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

On one side, you have veteran vs. veteran. On this side, you have a battle of two first-round picks, one from 2013, the other from 2014. 

Datone Jones had a disappointing rookie year but is off to a good start in his sophomore campaign with one sack and 12 tackles.

He missed half of Green Bay's Week 5 contest against the Minnesota Vikings with an ankle injury but should be back against the Dolphins this week, as he told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com: "Obviously you can see I'm not hurt, so it was just one of those scary situations. I don't really know what happened, but I'm OK." 

If he does play, he draws rookie Ja'Wuan James, who so far has looked good this season, despite a couple of games where he struggled to protect the passer. 

James has only allowed one sack all season, but Pro Football Focus credits him for seven quarterback hurries in his first four games. 

His run-blocking has been very good this season, as he grades out at 2.1 for the season, with only his game against the Raiders showing a negative game. 

Blocking for the run is key against a Packers team that ranks last in the NFL in defending the run. Dominating there is the start to a win, for both James and Albert as well as the entire Dolphins' offensive line. 

CB Brent Grimes vs. WR Randall Cobb

This is going to be a fun matchup to watch. 

Randall Cobb is the type of receiver you want Brent Grimes covering. He's both fast and quick, and size-wise he matches up well with Grimes. Grimes better be ready to do a lot of running on Sunday to keep up with Cobb, who currently leads the Packers in receiving touchdowns and is second in receptions. 

Cobb also provides the Packers with their best chance at a big play, which Grimes has prided himself on not allowing. His containment of Cobb could make it a long day for Rodgers. 

It's worth mentioning that Grimes likely won't mainly cover Cobb, as he will be matched up with Jordy Nelson at times during the game. In that case, it's likely you'll see a Cortland Finnegan-Cobb matchup, which is just as intriguing, but more tilted in favor of Cobb. 

Joe Philbin vs. Mike McCarthy

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Here's the biggest matchup of the game, the battle between coaches. 

Philbin coached under McCarthy for six years before becoming the head coach of the Dolphins, and one wonders what Philbin took from McCarthy and if he has an insider's edge into the Packers offense. 

If he does, he should use this against the Packers, giving tips to defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle. However, it should be noted that while Philbin was in Green Bay, McCarthy handled most of the play-calling, not Philbin. A lot could have changed in the three seasons since Joe went south. 

Statistics courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted. Some statistics and rankings come from Pro Football Focus, which requires a subscription. 

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