Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins: Complete Week 6 Preview for Miami
The Miami Dolphins are 2-2, well-rested and hopefully focused after two weeks that included a trip to London to destroy the Oakland Raiders and a bye week as they get ready to face the Green Bay Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
Miami will also be awaiting the return of some key players to the lineup, such as run-stuffing defensive tackle Randy Starks, bruising running back Knowshon Moreno, All-Pro center (and potential guard) Mike Pouncey, much-needed safety Reshad Jones and competent linebacker Koa Misi, just to name a few.
Their matchup this week is one with weaknesses that the Dolphins should be able to exploit. The Packers are coming off of a mini-bye of sorts, as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 42-10 in Week 5 on Thursday Night Football.
The Packers' main weakness on defense plays into Miami's strength, and that is their inability to stop the run. Miami is ranked third in the NFL in yards per carry with 5.0 and fifth in yards per game with an average of 142.2. On the flip side, Green Bay is allowing an average of 4.6 yards per carry (24th in the NFL) and is ranked dead last in yards allowed per game, allowing an average of 163.
These stats include Green Bay's performance over the Vikings, when it allowed 111 yards on the ground, its lowest of the season.
This is the first game in a tough stretch lasting until December 1 that will include the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills (with a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the middle that could be tougher than the Jaguars' record indicates). Getting off on the right foot with a win over a true NFC contender will be a good way to springboard the Dolphins toward further success.
Miami Dolphins Week 4 Recap
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The Dolphins had Week 5 off, and other than an unfortunate story about Derrick Shelby getting arrested, per Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post, the bye was a quiet one.
Week 4 was anything but quiet. Despite going into the game with a cloud of controversy caused by the head coach's mishandling of the starting quarterback, the Dolphins did something we have failed to see them do in the last three years.
They flat-out dominated a game for the full 60 minutes, defeating the Oakland Raiders 38-14.
Ryan Tannehill played one of his best games as a Dolphin, going 23-of-31 for 278 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, which was the result of a pass that was dropped by his receiver. He finished the day with a quarterback rating of 109.3, by far his best of the season. He also went through the entire game without getting sacked.
Miami's run game was dominant too, as the offense ran for 157 yards on 4.5 yards per carry.
On the defensive end, the Dolphins forced four turnovers and held the Raiders to 317 total yards, with a majority of those yards coming when the game was well in hand.
When you have a performance like that, you don't want a bye week—you're ready to play the next game as soon as the previous game comes to a close. We likely won't see a performance like that from the Dolphins on Sunday, but if they can come close, victory could very well be attainable.
News and Notes
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Reshad Jones Practicing With First Team
After a suspension forced Reshad Jones to miss Miami's first four games of the season, the safety is back and will likely be in a familiar spot come Sunday.
That spot, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald is reporting, is in the starting lineup at safety alongside Louis Delmas.
Salguero reports that Jones is already practicing with the first team, even though earlier in the week, he was practicing with the reserves.
The move isn't just an attempt to get him up to speed but due to an injury to Cortland Finnegan.
Finnegan's injury moved Jimmy Wilson (who has struggled at safety) back to the nickelback spot that he's played the last two seasons, opening up the safety spot for Jones.
The Finnegan injury also moves either Will Davis or Jamar Taylor to full-time duty at corner alongside Brent Grimes.
Jones is an improvement in the secondary on his own and would lessen the impact of losing Finnegan if he's unable to play.
If Finnegan can go, however, the Dolphins would greatly strengthen a spot where the results have so far been so-so this season.
Mike Pouncey Could Play Guard Upon Return
One of the best news items of the week is that Mike Pouncey is returning to the lineup, but you might not see him in his usual spot at center.
Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel reports that Pouncey might play guard when he comes back, and the Pro Bowl center wouldn't just accept it—he seems to prefer the position.
Per Perkins, Pouncey told the media that guard was his preference: "Guard is my position, I was kind of forced to play center when I got drafted here. Other than that, guard has been my position I played my whole life."
It should be noted that Pouncey didn't play center until his senior season at Florida. Before then, both in college and in high school, he mainly played guard alongside his brother Markice, who is currently the center for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pouncey then added: "I have no limitations. I'm practicing full with the team." This indicates that he will be ready to go on Sunday.
Miami's current center, Samson Satele, is the best possibility the team has had at center since drafting Pouncey. While Satele isn't a Pouncey-quality player, he has been more than competent at the position all season, showing improvement from last season when he was with the Colts.
With Pouncey playing guard alongside him (most likely at right guard), Satele, and the Dolphins' offensive line as a whole, can only improve.
While Pouncey is an upgrade over most interior offensive linemen in the NFL, he'd be a bigger upgrade over Dallas Thomas and Shelley Smith than he would be over Satele.
In fact, placing Pouncey at right guard would benefit the Dolphins due to him playing alongside Ja'Wuan James. While the rookie has played well all season, having a great player in Pouncey would take a lot of pressure off him.
I've long been an advocate for playing Pouncey at guard; when he was drafted, I saw him fitting in with the team more as a left guard than a center. Playing him at a position that he views as more of a fit will not only benefit the Dolphins now but in the future.
Rick Ross Interested in Dolphins Ownership Stake
When Stephen Ross purchased the Miami Dolphins in 2009, he introduced the celebrity co-owners as part of his Orange Carpet repertoire to get fans more excited about the team.
This led to luminaries such as Latin music superstar Marc Anthony, pop star Fergie, tennis megastars Venus and Serena Williams and mogul Emilio Estefan and his wife Gloria all owning a piece of the team.
Rapper and former correctional officer Rick Ross (real name William Leonard Roberts III, and no relation to his namesake, notorious drug kingpin "Freeway" Rick Ross) is now interested in joining that exclusive club of Dolphins' celebrity co-owners.
Per Adam Fleischer of MTV, Ross claimed that he spoke to the Dolphins about a partnership in an interview with DJ/rapper Angie Martinez of WWPR-FM Power 105.1 in New York. In the interview, Ross shared how the meeting went: “I went and sat down with the Miami Dolphins, we discussed a few things. You know, I’ve been interested in trying to buy a small percentage of the Dolphins for some time. They finally invited me into the office. I sat with some people. It was a real positive conversation."
That such a conversation occurred isn't surprising. Ross grew up a fan of the Dolphins in Miami, so it would only be natural for him to have an interest in owning a piece of the team. Ross even played football in high school and college, attending Albany State University on a scholarship.
However, I doubt the conversation went past it being a meet-and-greet the Dolphins decided to have with one of their more famous fans. While Ross has branched out into other businesses since hitting it big in music, he's not a mogul on the same level of a Jay Z (who the Dolphins would likely welcome with open arms if he was interested in buying into the team) or even a celebrity with the status of a Kanye West or a Drake.
Ross also has controversies behind him that the NFL likely wouldn't want to be associated with. He was dropped from an endorsement deal with Reebok in 2013 due to a controversial lyric in his song "U.O.E.N.O."
This isn't likely to happen, but it was an interesting bit of Dolphins news to come out in the last week.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury | Injury Status |
| Charles Clay | Tight End | Knee | Probable |
| Branden Albert | Left Tackle | Shoulder | Probable |
| Cortland Finnegan | Cornerback | Neck | Questionable |
| Randy Starks | Defensive Tackle | Back | Probable |
| Mike Wallace | Wide Receiver | Foot | Probable |
| Lamar Miller | Running Back | Foot | Probable |
| Dallas Thomas | Guard | Shoulder | Probable |
| Jelani Jenkins | Linebacker | Abdomen | Probable |
| Philip Wheeler | Linebacker | Shoulder | Probable |
| Knowshon Moreno | Running Back | Elbow | Probable |
| Brandon Gibson | Wide Receiver | Hamstring | Doubtful |
| Koa Misi | Linebacker | Ankle | Probable |
| Shelley Smith | Guard | Knee | Questionable |
| Samson Satele | Center | Fibula | Probable |
Injury report courtesy of MiamiDolphins.com as of 10/11/2014; it will be updated as more information comes out.
This injury report is more known for who's not on it than who is on it.
Seeing Knowshon Moreno listed at probable is a big boost to Miami's offense. How well he'll play while wearing an elbow brace is a question, but his presence helps out in ways you might not see on the field.
Of course, the player not on the list is Mike Pouncey, but the question is, will he be a guard or a center?
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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On Wednesday we dissected some of the crucial matchups between the two teams; here are a couple of other big matchups to watch.
Eddie Lacy vs. Dolphins Linebackers
The Packers will count on second-year pro Eddie Lacy to anchor their run game, and while the Dolphins defensive line can take care of him, once the linebackers are involved, it becomes a different story.
Miami's linebackers have had their issues the last two years whenever a running back gets into the second level, which is something that Lacy doesn't have issues with. Can Miami's linebacker unit contain Lacy and prevent him from a potential game-changing big run?
The Dolphins could have Koa Misi back on Sunday, and he should help on that front, while Jelani Jenkins has been outstanding all season. The biggest question mark is that of Philip Wheeler, who has improved this season but still struggles to make key tackles.
Packers Wide Receivers vs. Dolphins Secondary
In the piece mentioned earlier about the matchups, I focused on Brent Grimes and Randall Cobb. However, the Packers don't keep their receivers on one end of the field throughout the game, opting to spread them around.
This makes every man in Miami's defensive backfield accountable. You'll see Grimes against Cobb, as well as a few plays where he's forced to cover Jordy Nelson.
Green Bay likes to use three receivers at all times, thus making Jimmy Wilson's role at nickelback an important one.
Packers Run Defense vs. Dolphins Run Game
There is no excuse for the Dolphins to lose this matchup—not when they're averaging five yards per carry, and not when the Packers have a bottom-tier run defense.
The Dolphins should be able to use their run game to control the clock, which will not only tire out the Packers defense in the wilting South Florida heat but, most importantly, keep Aaron Rodgers off the field.
The Packers focused specifically on Minnesota's run game and yet still allowed the Vikings to run for 111 yards. If Miami can run for at least 125 yards, the game should be in its favor.
X-Factor: Ryan Tannehill
You don't want the Dolphins to fall into the same trap the Vikings did last Thursday night. Minnesota's run defense was keyed on all game long due to the Packers not taking the passing attack seriously.
It's hard to take an aerial attack seriously with Christian Ponder at the helm, while with Ryan Tannehill you're not very sure sometimes. Sunday, Tannehill has to make a few plays to win the game in order to keep the Packers defense honest.
Green Bay will attempt to stuff eight or nine men in the box, and the Packers love to blitz, which should favor Tannehill as he tends to do well against the blitz and will see plenty of open receivers in said situation.
The question is, can he deliver? Tannehill is coming off of his best game in Week 4, but his first three games have not exactly been career highlights for the third-year QB.
Prediction
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This matchup plays favorably to Miami's strengths, and from what we've seen of the Dolphins this season, if they can win in the trenches, they can win the game.
There's no reason for them not to dominate the trenches on Sunday, as Green Bay's offensive line has struggled this season, while the defensive line is still a bit soft. Usually, this is the recipe for a Dolphins victory, as we saw in Week 1 against New England, a team with similar problems to the Packers.
At the same time, that Patriots team had Tom Brady at quarterback, and save for last week against Cincinnati, Brady has struggled throughout the season. Aaron Rodgers is under center for Green Bay, and despite any struggles the Packers have seen, he has performed well, heating up in the last two weeks.
Rodgers is ultimately going to be the difference-maker in this game. Miami will be aggressive on defense, but he can slither out of a bad situation before you even realize how bad it could be for him. He can score quickly and likely will.
Miami will attempt to control the clock throughout the game, but Rodgers can, and will, do enough to overcome that strategy.
Prediction: Packers 31, Dolphins 21.
Statistics courtesy of NFL.com.
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