Miami Dolphins vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Complete Week 8 Preview for Miami
It would be difficult to find better weeks for the Miami Dolphins than this last one.
Fresh off defeating the Chicago Bears 27-14, Miami got back defensive end Dion Jordan from suspension and is the heavy favorite going into its Week 8 tilt with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
What's impressive isn't just the victory itself over Chicago, but how the Dolphins did it. They dominated every minute of the game thanks to a crisp passing game augmented by a running game that kept the defense honest.
On the defensive side, Miami's defenders forced turnovers and frustrated quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who just couldn't seem to get anything going.
The Dolphins now have more victories at Soldier Field in 2014 than the Bears, and they next face the Jaguars, who could very well be the worst team in the NFL.
The Jaguars are simply playing to develop their young players—like quarterback Blake Bortles and running back Denard Robinson, among others—and while they have weapons and can be a feisty matchup, they also shouldn't pose a threat.
Unfortunately, the Dolphins have played games like this in the past, and it doesn't go very well. Last season, they had a similar situation against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs, who at the time were the only winless team remaining in the NFL, defeated the Dolphins 22-19.
Can the Jaguars pull off the same type of upset? You'll have my prediction at the end, but before we get there, let's preview Sunday's Sunshine State showdown.
Miami Dolphins Week 7 Recap
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Facing a must-win game against a tough opponent, the Dolphins delivered in Chicago.
There was a lot to like about that game. On defense, they shut down Chicago's top two receivers while doing a good job of containing Matt Forte, frustrating Jay Cutler in the process.
On offense, you saw Ryan Tannehill use his arm and legs effectively, running for 48 yards on six attempts while completing 25 of 32 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns for a passer rating of 123.6.
What I didn't like? The second half, which saw the Dolphins score 10 points. However, they left at least 14 on the board due to a few poor decisions made by the players and coaching staff.
You can't dislike a Dolphins victory, though, nor could you dislike Bill Lazor's play-calling (superb game plan) and the play on the field on both sides of the ball.
News and Notes
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Jimmy Wilson Returns to Practice
Dolphins nickelback Jimmy Wilson missed last week's game against the Chicago Bears due to a hamstring strain suffered in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers.
From the looks of it, he'll be available this week against Jacksonville, as Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel reported that Wilson returned to full-contact practice on Wednesday.
There's no guarantee that Wilson will play on Sunday—if he doesn't play, he will be replaced by Michael Thomas and Jamar Taylor—but if he is good to go, Miami gets back a player who has been decent this season since moving back from safety to nickelback.
It would help the Dolphins if Wilson can play on Sunday. It would be better to ease him in against the Jaguars than throw him to the fire in Week 9 against a more powerful San Diego Chargers offense.
Dion Jordan Expected to Play on Sunday
It's not easy being the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line.
It has allowed 29 sacks so far this season, putting it on pace for 66 sacks, which would make last year's Dolphins offensive line look like the Richmond Webb/Keith Sims-led Dolphins offensive lines.
To make matters worse, Jacksonville gets Miami's defensive line coming to town on Sunday, a line that might just be the best collective unit in the NFL.
Now imagine that unit getting back Dion Jordan.
That's exactly what will happen, according to Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post. Jordan, who's returning from suspension, will be making his season debut.
While he won't be on the field full time, the Dolphins should cook up plenty of packages to exploit Jordan alongside the linemen and linebackers already on the field.
I'm not immune to this, as I've suggested in the past that the Dolphins should trade their top wide receiver midseason.
Only that was during a lost season, one where Miami's starting quarterback had gone down for the season (and turned out to be a major bust) and where the Dolphins had lost their first seven games.
With that being said, Grantland's Bill Barnwell's idea to trade Mike Wallace makes absolutely no sense in the context of this season.
Here's the reasons and rationale behind Barnwell's suggestion:
"Wallace hasn’t been the same guy in Miami that he once looked like in Pittsburgh. While he did catch a key touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill in Sunday’s victory over the Bears, he has struggled to get on the same page with the former Texas A&M star during his time in Florida. Wallace’s line in Miami, prorated to a 16-game season, has him catching 75 passes for 937 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s functional, but hardly worth the highest positional cap hit in football.
The Dolphins will have to consider getting out of Wallace’s contract as early as 2015, a move that would be made easier if Jarvis Landry continues to show flashes of being a viable future weapon in the Miami offense. Just $3 million of Wallace’s base salary is guaranteed after this season, and if the Dolphins traded Wallace before the trade deadline or during the 2015 offseason, they would save $3.3 million on their 2015 cap and be free of the contract afterward.
"
I learned two things while reading that, and I will break those two things down one by one.
First, Barnwell must not have seen a single Dolphins game this season. Here are Wallace's statistics: 30 receptions for 359 yards and five touchdowns.
Reading from that, it doesn't look very impressive, but then there's the game itself, which shows Wallace drawing double-teams and opening up the middle of the field.
He mentioned how such a move would be made easier if Jarvis Landry continues his good play, but look at the game film itself: Why do you think Landry has been so productive? Might it have to do with the fact that Wallace is drawing double-teams, thus leaving a rookie wide receiver open?
Did Barnwell consider that at any point in his analysis?
Barnwell also notes how Wallace and Tannehill have had issues developing chemistry. Based off of what I've seen this season, those issues seem to have been left back in 2013 with Jonathan Martin, Richie Incognito and "Blurred Lines."
In 2014, the chemistry is there between the two players, and while they haven't connected deep yet, they have developed a strong rapport.
There is a reason why Wallace is Miami's leading receiver after all.
Then there's the second thing I learned: Barnwell might not know how to do ratios.
Seeing Wallace's stat line that I wrote above, how could you expect him to only catch seven touchdowns?
I did the math myself, and while he came out close on the number of receptions and yards, I find it hard to believe that Wallace will only score two more touchdowns in the final 10 games of the season.
Here is the math, which you learn in sixth grade and includes me showing the work:
"Doing simple 6th grade math here's what @Wallace17_daKid is projected to finish with (and yes, I showed my work) pic.twitter.com/4mbGWGkVbe
— Thomas Galicia (@thomasgalicia) October 24, 2014"
That actually seems much more realistic than Barnwell's projections considering how big a part of the offense Wallace has been in 2014.
Thus far, Wallace is Miami's 2014 offensive MVP, and the Dolphins are a fringe playoff team—and could drop the "fringe" part with victories in two of their next three games. Why would they trade him now?
Why would they trade (or release) Wallace in the 2015 offseason, either? The smarter move would be to release Brian Hartline (replaced as the No. 2 receiver by Landry) and then draft a big receiver in the draft.
But we'll have that discussion in the spring. For now, I can tell you that Barnwell's idea of trading Wallace to get out of his contract is not a sound one, and his facts are lacking.
Now tomorrow, I'll have to call every math teacher I told that I'll never use algebra as a sports writer after they chastised me for not doing well on the test.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury | Injury Status |
| Brandon Gibson | Wide Receiver | Knee | Probable |
| Dion Sims | Tight End | Neck | Probable |
| Charles Clay | Tight End | Knee | Probable |
| Philip Wheeler | Linebacker | Shoulder | Probable |
| Branden Albert | Left Tackle | Elbow | Probable |
| Reshad Jones | Safety | Tooth | Probable |
| Jared Odrick | Defensive Tackle | Neck | Probable |
| John Denney | Long Snapper | Knee | Probable |
| Samson Satele | Center | Hamstring | Probable |
| Cortland Finnegan | Cornerback | Neck | Probable |
| Koa Misi | Linebacker | Ankle | Questionable |
| Jimmy Wilson | Cornerback | Hamstring | Doubtful |
| Brent Grimes | Cornerback | Groin | Probable |
Injury list courtesy of MiamiDolphins.com as of 10/24/2014 and will be updated as statuses change.
Three glaring injuries give pause, and they include those to cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Cortland Finnegan, and linebacker Koa Misi.
Miami's linebackers have improved since Misi returned to the lineup in Week 6, and without him, they could struggle against Denard Robinson.
As for Grimes and Finnegan, both had some participation in practice and will likely play, but it's scary to imagine the secondary without either player.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Miami's Defensive Line vs. Jacksonville's Offensive Line
Blake Bortles has been sacked 13 times in the four-and-a-half games he has played in.
That's only one less than Ryan Tannehill, who has played the entirety of six games this season.
The Jaguars O-line is pretty putrid this season despite the high draft picks spent on Luke Joeckel and Brandon Linder, as well as the money spent on Zane Beadles.
This challenge should be easily accepted by Miami's defensive line, which we mentioned earlier is getting back Dion Jordan.
Brent Grimes vs. Cecil Shorts III
This matchup will be a lot more fun to watch than you may think.
Shorts has struggled as of late but is effective when on his game, like he was against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 when he brought down 10 catches for 103 yards.
That was his best game of the season, and the Jaguars will likely look to Shorts to go deep and use Bortles' explosively big arm.
Grimes (assuming he's healthy) will be there, and what will ensue is a game-long fight between two talented players.
Branden Albert vs. Chris Clemons
The Seattle Seahawks have to miss having Clemons at defensive end.
One reason the defending champions are struggling in 2013 is they only have seven sacks on the season. Clemons has four on his own, on a bad team no less.
Albert will have to contend with Clemons, who can get to the quarterback with ease.
Jacksonville doesn't do a lot well, but it can get sacks, and Clemons is the best on the team at doing just that.
X-factor: Charles Clay
The Jaguars boast a soft zone-coverage scheme and will be without middle linebacker Paul Posluszny for the rest of the season.
This means a soft middle, which means it's time to use your tight end well.
Clay should be a huge factor in the game. There's no reason why he shouldn't be open and shouldn't lead the Dolphins in targets on Sunday.
We haven't had our Charles Clay game this season, but this game against Jacksonville is most likely the game to see one.
Prediction
5 of 5This video should make any Dolphins fan angry—your blood should be boiling while watching this.
It still hurts to see that this is how Dan Marino ended his career, and since this game, the Jaguars have been one of my most hated teams.
The good news is the Dolphins have a team that can do this to a wretched and awful Jaguars team. There is not one matchup the Dolphins can't win on Sunday, and there's no excuse for them to not win this game, and win it handily.
Of course, these are the Dolphins, a team coached by Joe Philbin, a charitable chap who likes giving wins away.
On top of that, you never know which Ryan Tannehill is going to show up.
With that being said, the Dolphins won't "Dolphin" this game. They simply can't afford to, and even if they tried, I don't think the Jaguars are good enough to capitalize.
I expect a big game from Tannehill, along with a big Charles Clay game. Wallace will be great, too, and Landry will continue to grow.
The defense will feast on the Jaguars' backfield all-you-can-eat sack special, while the secondary should do a good job of containing the Jacksonville wide receivers.
I don't even think Jacksonville's pass rush (its best asset) will be too strong.
The Dolphins won't let this be a repeat of Tampa Bay last season, and they'll instead shock us by doing what they're supposed to do.
Prediction: Dolphins 31, Jaguars 3
Statistics provided by NFL.com.
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