5 Bold Predictions for the Miami Dolphins' Week 9 Matchup
The Miami Dolphins' Week 9 matchup with the San Diego Chargers represents the midway point of their 2014 season.
It also may very well be one of the biggest games the team plays all year.
Sitting at 4-3 after a 27-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, a win over the 5-3 Chargers would do wonders for the team's playoff hopes.
While the Dolphins will be looking to extend their winning streak to three games, the Chargers are hoping to put an end to their recent two-game slide.
So which team will come out on top?
Let's answer that question along with a few more by looking at five bold predictions for the Dolphins' Week 9 matchup.
Dion Jordan Gets First Sack of Season
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Dion Jordan returned to the field last week against the Jaguars after his six-game suspension in a limited fashion.
He played just 28 defensive snaps and came away with two tackles and one quarterback hurry, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Dolphins were likely just trying to ease Jordan back in last week, and the second-year player should get much more work against the Chargers.
The team's depth chart already shows this, as Jordan has jumped ahead of rookie Terrence Fede, according to Greg Likens of the Finsiders.
"#Dolphins have released their updated depth chart. Only change: Dion Jordan is now listed as the 2nd-string DE behind Vernon & ahead of Fede
— Greg Likens (@GregLikens) October 28, 2014"
With Jordan's increase in workload, you can also expect an increase in production.
Not only do I expect Jordan to do some work in coverage, matching up with Antonio Gates, but also look for him to get after the quarterback and bring down Philip Rivers at least one time in the game.
Jordan is one of the most talented players on the Dolphins defense, and the time has come for him to begin living up to that status of being a No. 3 overall pick.
Mike Wallace Breaks 100 Yards Receiving
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Week 8 was a good news-bad news type of game from Mike Wallace.
The good news is that he finally connected on a deep pass with Ryan Tannehill, hauling in a 50-yard catch in the third quarter to set up an eventual Dolphins touchdown.
The bad news is that it was just one of two catches for Wallace in the game, who finished with just 59 yards and didn't catch a touchdown for the first time in four weeks.
Wallace hasn't racked up the yards much this season, with his season high coming in Week 1 against the New England Patriots when he recorded 81 yards.
However, with the Chargers' top two cornerbacks a question mark for this week—Jason Verrett re-injured his shoulder last week against the Broncos, while Brandon Flowers missed his last game with a concussion—Wallace could be in for a huge day.
With Flowers and Verrett missing some time last week, the Chargers were ripped apart by the Broncos, and while Tannehill is clearly no Peyton Manning, he should still be able to exploit the favorable matchup with Wallace.
Look for Wallace to put together his best game of the season, topping the 100-yard mark for the first time since Week 14 of last year.
Chargers Rush for Less Than 60 Total Yards
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Last week, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson had a big day on the ground against the Dolphins, rushing for 108 yards on 18 carries to become the first running back to top the 100-yard mark against Miami in four weeks.
However, it wasn't all bad for the Dolphins run defense, which allowed Robinson to break a 41-yard run on his second carry of the game but held him to just 67 yards on his other 17 rushes (3.9 yards per carry).
This week, they face a Chargers team that ranks eighth in the league in rushing attempts (221) but is tied for last in the league in yards per carry (3.1).
Put simply, the Chargers are a team that loves to run the ball, despite the fact that they are extremely bad at doing it.
It is still unknown whether running back Ryan Mathews will make his return this week, but regardless, the Dolphins should have little trouble shutting down an ineffective San Diego rushing attack.
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Ryan Tannehill Outplays Philip Rivers
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Admittedly, this is about as bold as it gets.
As good as Philip Rivers was last season, he has taken his game to an even higher level this year, as he has been one of the top MVP candidates thus far.
Rivers has completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 2,213 yards while throwing for 20 touchdowns and five interceptions for a 109.9 quarterback rating.
On the flip side, Ryan Tannehill has had a QB rating of over 100 just two times all season while throwing for 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.
So where is this prediction coming from?
Well for starters, Rivers struggled in his trip to Miami last year, throwing for 298 yards, one touchdown and one interception while getting sacked three times and also failing to finish off a game-winning drive in the final seconds.
Meanwhile, Tannehill has been extremely effective over the past month—although he did seem to take a step back against the Jaguars last week—and nonetheless should be able to exploit a depleted Chargers secondary that has allowed eight touchdowns and 789 yards their past three games.
In the end, look for Tannehill to get the best of Rivers in a similar fashion to last season's matchup.
Dolphins Win the Game
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If you read the rest of my predictions, this one can't come as much of a surprise.
The Dolphins simply match up extremely well against the Chargers, who struggle to run the ball and will be forced to play one-dimensional football against a Dolphins defense that is holding quarterbacks to just 212 yards per game (third best in NFL) and an 82.7 QB rating (seventh best).
There is also the issue of the Chargers flying across the country to play a 1 p.m. game in the Miami heat, a place where they have struggled to play over their history.
The Chargers have lost their last seven games in Miami and haven't won there since before Dan Marino ever put on a Dolphins uniform.
Expect that trend to continue, with Tannehill putting together one of his best performances of the season and the Dolphins defense getting after Rivers to slow down an explosive San Diego offense.
Final score: Dolphins 31, Chargers 21
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