Miami Dolphins vs. Detroit Lions: Complete Week 10 Preview for Detroit

The Detroit Lions are looking over their collective shoulder at the Green Bay Packers, but their focus needs to be on the Miami Dolphins, who invade Ford Field at 1 p.m. ET this Sunday.

Both teams sport matching three-game winning streaks. The Dolphins capped theirs with a 37-point blanking of the San Diego Chargers, while the Lions were resting after a pair of one-point wins.

The playoff ramifications of this game will reverberate through both conferences. The Dolphins are squarely in line for a wild-card spot. Detroit is leading the NFC North by one game and is a single win removed from the top seed in the NFC.

Detroit kicks off a tough three-game schedule that will define whether this team is a legitimate contender or the beneficiary of an easy early schedule. Click through to find out how the Lions match up against the Dolphins.

Lions' Week 8 Game Recap

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Hopefully, your heartbeat has calmed down during the bye week, as Detroit pulled out a second consecutive one-point win at the buzzer in Week 8.

The optimistic fan will focus on a second half that saw a defense without Nick Fairley limit the Atlanta Falcons to just 80 yards and zero points. 

That same fan will point out the Lions scored 22 points in the second half and that Matthew Stafford can get it done when it counts; that's all that matters.

While it's true the team came together after some halftime adjustments by both coordinators, Detroit should have never been in a 21-point hole.

The Falcons are 2-6. Yet, Matt Ryan was able to pick apart the Lions secondary (14-of-17 for 160 yards and two touchdowns) in the first half behind a Frankenstein offensive line that included an undrafted free agent at center.

Penalties were another problem. The Lions were flagged eight times, and many of those were drive-killers.

Speaking (writing?) of a lack of drive, the running game continued its atrocious streak with a 2.6-yard average.

A win is a win, and nobody is moving Detroit down in the standings because of style points. But a healthy injection of offense is needed for Detroit to get over the hump.

News and Notes

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Kyle Van Now

The underwhelming 2014 rookie class gets a shot in the arm with the return of linebacker Kyle Van Noy. 

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has done a great job putting players in the proper places to make plays. As far as Van Noy's immediate impact, head coach Jim Caldwell tried to manage expectations when he spoke to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

"

We'll see how it works in terms of the rotation, but certainly, any guy that can run, tackle, who's smart and has toughness and great leadership is certainly going to be able to play some role for us," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "We'll see how significant that is as time goes on.

"

Everything is a guessing game with Caldwell and his coaching staff's intentions. Van Noy could immediately start over Ashlee Palmer or be limited to passing downs to exploit the best aspects of each player.

It's impossible to tell. For more on how Van Noy fits with Detroit's defense, check out this piece by Bleacher Report's Jeff Risdon. 

C.J. Mosley's Suspension Up in Smoke

The Lions faced a problem at defensive tackle with Nick Fairley out at least a few weeks and C.J. Mosley on suspension. There's no word one way or the other on the reason, but Caldwell has decided to end Mosley's two-week suspension five days early.

Perhaps it had something to do with Mosley's contriteness. Per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com:

"

The defensive tackle apologized to teammates during a meeting Monday, when the Lions reconvened for a short practice after the bye week, and did so again while briefly addressing the media in the locker room. 

'I just want to apologize to the organization, my teammates and to my fam(ily) and the fans about what happened,' he said. 'I just look forward to getting back onto the field, back to the grind and back to work.'

"

According to ESPN, the ban was the result of Mosley's getting caught with marijuana in his London hotel room. He was sent home prior to the Atlanta game, and it was unknown whether the suspension was for two weeks or two games.

The NFL has a dedicated policy to players caught with illegal substances. Mosley has filed a grievance through the NFLPA, and this story might not have reached its full conclusion yet.

Regardless, Mosley will be on the field this Sunday, and that's all fans are concerned with.

The Return of the MAC...Player

This summer didn't see a changing of the guard. Both Rob Sims and Larry Warford returned, but safety Louis Delmas did not.

The Lions decided to part ways and ended up retaining James Ihedigbo. The move appears to be working well for both parties.

Here's what Delmas had to say to Birkett:

"

I know I had been there for five years, but my times in Detroit are done," Delmas said, according to transcripts provided by the Dolphins. "My time with Detroit has been done since I signed with Miami. It's a job, it's a battle that we've got to go take care of, and that's the only way I think about it.

"

There isn't any reason to doubt Delmas' veracity, except that his play and attitude while a Lion doesn't mesh with this statement. He was an emotional buzzsaw. His introductions at Ford Field were bursting with energy.

In short, Delmas was an extremely emotional man.

Maybe a trip to where he spent the last nine years of his life will be strictly business. If it isn't and Delmas reverts to old Detroit habits like overpursuing and tackling with his head down, Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford will have a prime target for a double move.

Injury Report

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Player	Position	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Status*
Eric Ebron	TE	Hamstring	NP	LP	LP	Doubtful
Nick Fairley	DT	Knee	NP	LP	NP	Out
Brandon Pettigrew	TE	Foot	NP	LP	LP	Questionable
Joseph Fauria	TE	Ankle	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Reggie Bush	RB	Ankle	FP	FP	FP	Probable
Calvin Johnson	WR	Ankle	FP	FP	FP	Probable
LaAdrian Waddle	OT	Concussion	FP	FP	FP	Probable
Ziggy Ansah	DE	Toe	Not Listed	LP	LP	Probable
George Johnson	DE	Hamstring	Not Listed	Not Listed	NP	Probable

*All injury reports are courtesy of DetroitLions.com. The statuses are the author's projections until the team releases the official version.

The Lions have learned that they can win without Calvin Johnson. Thankfully, they can put that lesson in their back pocket since the game's best receiver "said he will play Sunday," per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Matthew Stafford might also get the benefit of a starting tight end or two. All three who were on the opening-day roster have practiced this week. 

This all means that Detroit could play the Dolphins down only one guy—Nick Fairley. As we covered earlier, C.J. Mosley will see most of his snaps, with Caraun Reid and the recently signed Andre Fluellen filling the gap.

The late addition of Ansah feels cautionary. If he hurt his toe significantly Wednesday, one would assume that the trainers would rest him Thursday as opposed to going at all.

X-Factors and Matchups to Watch

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

OT LaAdrian Waddle vs. DE Cameron Wake

Waddle doesn't get to ease back into his duty. Wake is an attacking defensive end with a propensity to blow up plays with a devastating combination of power and speed.

Wake leads the Dolphins with 6.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hurries, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi would be wise to give Waddle help from the fullback and tight ends, but the main responsibility will fall on the second-year undrafted free agent.

WRs Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate vs. Miami's Secondary

The Lions' last two opponents have had the luxury of focusing on Tate, and he still went off for over 300 yards and two scores. Now, Miami's second-ranked passing defense (201.1 yards allowed) is tasked with stopping him and Calvin Johnson.

Miami has half of a very good secondary in cornerback Brent Grimes and safety Reshad Jones. However, former Lion Louis Delmas' aggressive style can lead to big-play opportunities, and Cortland Finnegan is struggling to cover anybody this year (102 allowed passer rating).

DEs Ziggy Ansah and Jason Jones vs. OTs Branden Albert and Ja'Wuan James

Miami's interior offensive line will have its hands full with Ndamukong Suh and C.J. Mosley, but the determinative battle will take place on the outside.

Ryan Tannehill has showed he can pick apart secondaries as well as pick up yards on his own on the read-option. It'll be up to Ansah and Jones to create pressure while hemming Tannehill in, leaving him no comfort zone to step into when he throws.

The task won't be easy, as Albert ranks as the third-best tackle, per PFF.

Lions' X-Factor of the Week: the Running Backs

Theo Riddick would have been a popular selection after an 74-yard performance against the Falcons. However, the carries and catches will be distributed among the trio of Riddick, Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. But there will be a few more for Riddick than games past.

This isn't a hopeful guess that the running game gets going. Instead, these three will need to make the Dolphins pay for their aggressive style by exploiting the open space left by blitzers. With Miami's love of sending linebackers and the secondary's preoccupation with Megatron and Golden Tate, there will be room to roam.

And if Riddick, Bell or Bush can get a step and a well-delivered ball from Stafford, the running back corps may outpace the wide receivers.

Prediction

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

If you're a gambling man (or woman), this is a stay-away game. There's no clear-cut favorite here, although the folks at Odds Shark give the Dolphins a slight edge with Detroit only giving 2.5 points (home teams automatically give three, and then the number goes from there).

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill comes in smoking hot off a three-touchdown performance against the Chargers. Unfortunately for him, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has surely seen the tape of his performances against the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, two teams that get after the quarterback.

The Lions won't have Nick Fairley, but they add another pass-rushing piece in Kyle Van Noy. Tannehill will see the same type of pressure he did against Kansas City and Buffalo, when his quarterback rating was reflective of the heat provided (70.4 and 73.6 respectively).

And in this knife fight of a defensive struggle, the Lions are the only ones bringing a gun. A healthy and "motivated" Calvin Johnson is the determining factor.

Score: Detroit 20, Miami 17

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu. 

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus and require a subscription.