How the Detroit Lions Defense Completely Shut Down the Miami Dolphins

Lost in the hubbub of Detroit's heart-racing comeback win over the Miami Dolphins is how fantastic the Lions defense handled what had been a potent Miami offense.

Miami entered the game with a great offensive flow over the last few weeks. 

Opponent	Points	Yards Per Play	Run Yards	Pass Yards	3rd Down
Oakland	38	6.6	157	278	5-11
Green Bay	24	6.3	112	237	4-10
Chicago	27	5.7	137	256	4-11
Jacksonville	27	5.8	148	178	5-12
San Diego	37	6.0	132	309	8-14

The Dolphins entered the game ranked sixth in rushing yards per game, and their 5.94 yards per play over the prior four games ranks in the top 10 when extrapolated over the full season. 

Detroit's defense would have none of that.

Points	Yards Per Play	Run Yards	Pass Yards	Third Down
16	3.8	50	178	5-14

It started on the first two plays from scrimmage. From the play-by-play recap:

• Lamar Miller runs right end for a two-yard loss (Suh)
• Ryan Tannehill sacked for a loss of 10 yards (Suh)

On the next drive, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin fired a warning shot across the bow of every opposing offense still on Detroit's schedule. Judging by Tannehill's reaction, Miami's quarterback knew he was in for a long day.

On this fateful play, Suh and Ezekiel Ansah line up bunched together directly over rookie right tackle Ja'Wuan James. Ansah, normally the end, is instead the inside player here. 

NFL Game Rewind

Both defenders tack hard inside off the snap, with Suh surging a step in front of Ansah. Because they both appear blocked, the running back flares out instead of sticking around to help protect Tannehill.

NFL Game Rewind

Also, notice the quarterback is staring to his left as he drops back. DeAndre Levy (No. 54) is all over Charles Clay, who appears to be Tannehill's primary target on this 3rd-and-long. This is smart anticipation by Detroit's defense, knowing Miami's offensive tendency here.

NFL Game Rewind

The stunt works perfectly. "Ziggy" slingshots around the edge and gets a clean run at the quarterback. Tannehill weighs his options and turtles for the easy sack, forcing a punt. 

Ansah was fantastic all afternoon. Miami simply could not handle his blend of length, speed and power. As Pro Football Focus noted in its game refocus:

"

Breakdown: Continuing on his sophomore surge, Ansah showed that he doesn’t need Matt Kalil across from him to have a good day. Two sacks and three hurries are a fine return, but he really made waves in run defense, nearly always in control of his block and quickly shedding, earning four stops on the day.

Signature Play: 14:20, Q3. Fighting against a thoroughly overmatched Ja’Wuan James, Ansah worked his way inside to strip the ball from Daniel Thomas while simultaneously drawing a holding penalty.

"

The Dolphins got desperate early, trying a little gimmickry to get any sort of success. Detroit would have none of that, either. 

NFL Game Rewind

This is a reverse, something the Lions picked up on handily. As soon as Jarvis Landry breaks toward the backfield out of the slot, Detroit's defense gets into position to destroy the play. Look at how far back Suh has rocked his man from the 20-yard line, destroying any potential for Landry to cut it inside. The backside safety is flying up to cut off the wider angle, too.

NFL Game Rewind

Both C.J. Mosley (No. 99) and Ansah quickly sniffed out the deception. They're waiting for Landry to get to them. Levy is unencumbered in the middle and quickly crashes up the seam. He and Ansah wind up bowling over Landry after he spins out of Mosley's grasp. 

The Dolphins finished the first quarter with negative yardage thanks to defensive plays like this.

Of course Miami did wind up with three field goals and a touchdown. It didn't achieve those impressive earlier results for nothing, after all.

The touchdown came on a one-play drive after a blocked field goal was returned to the Detroit 3. It was a brilliant play concept, running Landry behind the line and launching him out to the flat before the linebacker had any chance to get out and cover him.

Miami had two long drives on the day, leading to the first and third field goals. Both those were impressive drives, largely featuring quick, one-read passes not traveling more than five yards down the field. 

Here are some of the plays from the 14-play, 75-yard drive Miami executed at the end of the first half to get three points on the scoreboard just before halftime:

• Pass short left for nine yards
• Pass short left for five yards
• Pass short right for 14 yards (missed initial tackle)
• Pass short middle for six yards

It's a lot of dinking and dunking, a drive extended by a facemask penalty on Suh that was a legitimate infraction but not malicious. The other long drive, a 13-play, 70-yard effort that gave the Dolphins the lead with under five minutes to go, looked much the same, with a quick out here, a slant there, a Lions penalty for good measure. 

Miami could not attack Detroit down the field. They barely tried; per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Tannehill only attempted two passes of 20 yards or longer. The 20-yard completion to Mike Wallace came on Miami's first play of a death-gasp drive with the Lions playing four defensive backs more than 10 yards off the line at the snap. 

It was Miami's biggest gain on the day. Between the strong pass rush and excellent back-end discipline from safeties Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo (primarily Quin), the Lions have done a fantastic job of preventing the big play. 

"

The #Lions have only allowed ONE TD pass outside of the red zone, to Kenny Stills week 7. All others 14 yards or less.

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) November 11, 2014"

This plays into the suffocating run defense's hands. The Lions remain tied for the league lead in opposing yards per rushing attempt at a paltry 3.2. Their 71.3 rushing yards per game allowed ranks second to Denver, one of the teams tied in the former category and a team that faces more than one fewer run per game. 

With no ability to run the ball and no real effort to try and stretch the field vertically, the Dolphins fed on small crumbs. With Detroit's own offense struggling against Miami's strong defense, even one big play from Tannehill and his unit would have proven disastrous. The Lions defended the den with determination, and it facilitated the comeback victory. 

Miami learned the hard way that Detroit's vaunted defense is no passing fancy. Solid play at all three levels, fronted by a deep and outstanding front line, and aggressive schematics from the coaching staff conspired to smother the Dolphins. 

All statistics are from NFL.com unless otherwise specified. All rankings are courtesy Team Rankings. You can follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffRisdon.