Dolphins vs. Broncos: Breaking Down Denver's Game Plan

The Denver Broncos want to get back on the winning track this week. In Week 11, things didn’t go as planned, and they lost 22-7 to the St. Louis Rams. They return home for the first time in three weeks for a game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

The seven points scored last week is the lowest total the Broncos have scored during the Peyton Manning era. Manning shouldered the blame for the lack of offensive output against the Rams.

“I just made a couple of poor decisions and that resulted in some negative plays and put our team in some tough spots. [It] kept us from scoring opportunities, so I just have to be able to be more consistent in the decision-making and then I think as an offense we just have to get back to finishing those drives.”

Manning concluded, “We moved the ball fairly well all season and for whatever reason recently we’ve gotten down to the 30-yard line or not even in the red zone last week and just stalled. We’re certainly starting off the drives well; we just have to finish them well and that’s kind of the offensive goal for me. Just being more consistent, finishing the game with better decisions.”

The Dolphins come into this game with a 6-3 record. They’re second in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots, and the Dolphins are just outside of making the playoffs as a wild-card team. They’re led by third-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and they have better offensive weapons than some fans assume.

Broncos cornerback Chris Harris knows the Dolphins are going to present a challenge.

“This is a huge game right here. Playing the Dolphins, they’ve got a good team, watching them on film. They’ve got a lot of weapons. They do some dangerous stuff on offense, so we’ve got to make sure [we are ready] mentally.” Harris continued, “Communication has to be on point this game. We can’t beat ourselves.”

Let’s take a look at how the Denver Broncos will attack the Miami Dolphins on both sides of the ball.

When the Broncos Run the Ball

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C.J. Anderson started the first game of his two-year pro career last week against the Rams. While he only had nine rushing attempts, Anderson did snare eight passes for 86 yards. Couple that with his 29 yards rushing, and it put Anderson over 100 all-purpose yards for the second week in a row.

The Broncos offensive line has been getting a ton of heat in the media this week. Three-time Super Bowl champion—and former Broncos offensive lineman—Mark Schlereth had some scathing things to say about Denver’s O-Line in a recent interview on ESPN Denver’s The Locker Room.

"I watch every game of every team every week. It's bad technique-wise, athleticism-wise, toughness-wise. If I was grading, giving an F would be kind." Schlereth began during his epic rant about Denver’s problems up front—especially when asked to run block.

That interview prompted questions to head coach John Fox and some of the players out at Dove Valley: 

"

.@OFranklin74 "couldn't care less" what Mark Schlereth thinks of Denver's O-line http://t.co/8XA1B7Zlgb by @TroyRenck pic.twitter.com/daQFeeMkch

— Denver Post Broncos (@PostBroncos) November 19, 2014 "

Anderson has confidence in his offensive line.

“Our O-Line is really good, so when we go out there this weekend and if we decide to run the ball a lot or if we decide to pass block, whatever we do, if it’s protecting [QB] Peyton [Manning] or running the ball, whatever is called, if we execute the right way we know we’ll get the results we want.”

Broncos fans should expect the team to have more emphasis on the ground game this week.

Behind Anderson we’ll see Juwan Thompson as the primary backup. There’s a battle for the third running back spot right now between Kapri Bibbs and Jeremy Stewart.

The Dolphins rush defense is a solid unit. They only allow an average of 94.5 yards rushing per game so far this year. Miami has only allowed four rushing scores so far in 2014, a mark that is tied for the second-fewest rushing touchdowns given up this year.

Over the last two weeks, the Dolphins have allowed only 54 yards rushing to the Buffalo Bills and a mere 63 yards rushing to the Detroit Lions. Needless to say, this is a tough matchup for the Broncos backfield.

When the Broncos Pass the Ball

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Manning passed for nearly 400 yards in Week 11 against the Rams, but the team didn’t take a single snap from within the red zone. For the first time this year, Manning threw more interceptions (2) than he did touchdowns (1). That has to change this week if the Broncos want to get back to their winning ways.

We could see the Broncos passing game without a couple of key weapons on Sunday.

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders had five catches for 102 yards and one touchdown against the Rams, but he was concussed during the game stretching out for a deep pass from Manning. Sanders is currently going through the NFL’s concussion protocol program and not yet practicing this week.

Tight end Julius Thomas exited the game against the Rams as well, but he did so much earlier than Sanders. Thomas suffered an ankle injury in Week 11, and he finished the game with only two catches for three yards.

Over the first two years of his pro career, Thomas missed almost the entirety of both seasons due to an ankle problem that required surgery. While this ankle injury is considered minor, there’s some doubt about his availability for the game on Sunday.

This means we could see an even larger workload for Demaryius Thomas. Even in the loss to the Rams, Thomas still went over 100 yards receiving for the seventh straight week. Expect him to surpass the century mark once again on Sunday (the NFL record for consecutive 100-yard receiving games is eight weeks, set by Calvin Johnson in 2012).

If Julius Thomas can’t play (or is limited), then that could open up a larger opportunity for veteran tight end Jacob Tamme. He was targeted 10 times in the game against the Rams, but Tamme only snagged four catches for 31 yards.

We might see rookie Cody Latimer get a larger role if Sanders is banged up. Latimer has a fine size-speed combination, and he was a star for the team in training camp and the preseason. The rookie has only one catch this year for nine yards, but the upside is there for him to develop into a quality weapon for the offense. Manning believes in the rookie receiver: 

"

When asked if Cody Latimer was ready for a larger role, Peyton Manning said “Yes. I think he certainly has taken advantage of his time."

— Cecil Lammey (@cecillammey) November 20, 2014 "

The Dolphins pass defense is ranked second in the NFL as they only allow an average of 208 yards passing per game. They have intercepted 10 passes so far in 2014, a mark that ranks 10th in the NFL. The Dolphins have also generated 30 sacks this year, and that is good for third-best in the league.

Denver has a tougher match against the Dolphins than they did last week against the Rams.

When the Dolphins Run the Ball

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In the Week 11 game against the Rams, the Broncos defense surrendered their first 100-yard rushing game of the season to rookie back Tre Mason. The Broncos entered the game as the top unit against the run, but the Rams were intent to test them up front—and they won the battle in the trenches.

This week against the Dolphins, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton knows they must do a better job up front.

“It starts in practice. It started Monday when we came in to watch the tape. Went in and got a good look and started preparing for Miami. As far as on the field, it starts with the offensive line and defensive line.” Knighton concluded, “It’s a big game for the team but it’s a big game for the trenches.”

The lead back for the Dolphins is Lamar Miller. When he came out of the University of Miami in 2012, Miller reminded me of former Broncos (and Hurricanes) running back Clinton Portis. Miller has failed to play up to that comparison as a pro. In 39 career games, Miller has about as many rushing yards (1,573) as Portis did in his first season (1,508) as a pro.

Miller has struggled with injuries and inconsistencies as a pro. He’s currently banged up with a minor shoulder problem. This has forced the Dolphins to have Miller split time with the likes of Daniel Thomas and Damien Williams.

So far this season, Denver is ranked second in the NFL, averaging 73.4 rushing yards given up per game with only five rushing scores allowed to date. Miller had a decent day (15 carries, 86 yards) against a tough Buffalo run defense last week, and he’s hoping to carry that momentum over to this week.

When the Dolphins Pass the Ball

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Ryan Tannehill is playing better than ever this year. The third-year quarterback was called out by his head coach Joe Philbin earlier this year, and ever since then he’s done a better job of consistently producing on Sundays.

Chris Harris has experience playing Tannehill, and he respects the skill set that the young quarterback has.

“I played against [Dolphins QB Ryan] Tannehill in college so I have kind of a sense of how he plays. He doesn’t make a lot of dumb decisions. One thing I have noticed is that he’s getting the ball out faster.” Harris highlighted, “His favorite target right now to me is No. 42, [TE Charles] Clay. So we’ve got to make sure we keep our eyes on him, be ready for him. But they spread the ball. He doesn’t just throw it to one guy, but [Clay], he’s the guy to me for them.”

Clay was a multi-talented player when he came out of college. He played seven different positions at Tulsa, and he’s developed well as a pro tight end. The Broncos have historically struggled against tight ends, and Clay might end Sunday as the Dolphins' leading receiver.

Mike Wallace is the team’s top wide receiver, and he’s the highest paid non-quarterback in the league in terms of average annual salary. The Dolphins have worked diligently to move Wallace around the formation to find matchups he can exploit. The speedy receiver should draw the coverage of either Harris or Aqib Talib.

Brian Hartline is more of a possession receiver, and he’s losing out on some targets to rookie Jarvis Landry. The LSU product has earned more playing time as the season has gone on, and his hands and concentration make him a reliable target.

So far in 2014, the Denver pass defense is ranked 18th-best in the NFL, allowing an average of only 243 passing yards per game. They have allowed 19 passing touchdowns so far this year while picking off 10 passes (10th in the NFL) and compiling 27 sacks (tied for eighth-best in the NFL).

If the Broncos build a big lead, then the Dolphins may only be able to move the ball through the air in garbage time when the game is out of hand.

Summary 

Finishing the season as the No. 1 seed in the AFC may be out of the question for the Broncos now after the loss to the Rams. The New England Patriots were able to easily handle the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11, and they seem to be the best team in the conference as the playoff picture is taking shape.

The Broncos are no lock for the No. 2 seed in the conference, and they are getting pushed by the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West title. Currently, the Chiefs and the Broncos own the same 7-3 record, but the Broncos own the tiebreaker because they won their first head-to-head matchup earlier this season.

The Chiefs should be able to stay on the winning track as they play against the hapless Oakland Raiders on Thursday night in Week 12. This means Denver must get a “W” against the Dolphins in order to stay atop of the division.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.