By Free Press reporter Christian Romo breaks down the Detroit Lions' Week 9 matchup against the Miami Dolphins and gives his prediction.
Detroit Lions (5-2) vs Miami Dolphins (1-6)
The coaches: Lions − Dan Campbell (58-45-1 overall, 53-38-1 with Lions); Dolphins − Jeff Hafley (1-6 overall, all with Dolphins).
Last game: Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings 19-15; New England Patriots beat the Dolphins 24-19.
Last meeting: Oct. 30, 2022; Dolphins won 31-27.
Key matchups
Dan Campbell vs the record book
Over his seven seasons as an NFL coach, Dan Campbell has beaten every team in the league except three: the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and, somewhat surprisingly, the Miami Dolphins, who are 45-47 overall since Campbell joined the Lions in 2021. That would make a win against Miami especially sweet for Campbell, not only to cross one more team off that list, but also to beat the team that gave him his first coaching opportunity midway through the 2015 season (and then moved on from ahead of the 2016 season).
He didn't seem to have any animosity against his former employer during his Wednesday news conference, however.
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"There's a lot of people that are still there that I got a lot of respect for," he said. "Certainly [Dolphins owner Steven] Ross was pivotal in any of that taking place, gave me my first shot. I got nothing but respect for Steve, so I'll never forget that, either."
In a way, the Lions should be thankful that the Dolphins gave such an unorthodox coaching candidate a shot over a decade ago, and doubly thankful they moved on after Campbell went 5-7 in his short time in Miami. Campbell's task now will be making Dolphins fans consider the "what ifs" of the last decade, especially with the Lions suddenly looking like one of the best teams in the NFC and the Dolphins looking like a serious candidate to land the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.
Campbell's task won't be straightforward, however, especially with the Dolphins playing better the last two weeks and the Lions dealing with the emotional weight of linebacker Jack Campbell's continued recovery. But considering the talent disparity between the two teams and how much the Lions chew up new coaches, Campbell and company should have an edge.
Ollie Gordon vs Lions linebackers
The Dolphins lost Pro Bowl running back De'Von Achane for the season three games in, and at the time it felt like the offense would crater with its best player on the sideline. But second-year backup Ollie Gordon has filled in admirably, averaging 4.5 yards per carry for a Dolphins unit that's 11th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (123.3).
"Gordon is a heavy back, man," Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday. "You give him a lane, he can hit it, hit it with speed, build to speed, and that's where he gets dangerous."
With Miami's big offensive line tasked with handling Detroit's run-stoppers, it may be up to the Lions linebackers to plug the holes Gordon wants to run through. That's a typical assignment for any linebacker corps, but with the Lions missing both Jimmy Rolder and Jack Campbell to injury, they'll have to dip even further into their roster and lean on players like Trevor Nowaske and Malcolm Rodriguez.
The good news for the linebackers is that Dolphins quarterbacks Malik Willis has been statistically a bottom-half quarterback this season, meaning Nowaske and Rodriguez can focus much of their attention on trying to stop Gordon. But if they bite consistently on Miami's play action, which the Dolphins run often, Willis can leverage Gordon's talents for easy completions.
Scouting report
Lions offense vs Dolphins defense
The Lions offense has graduated from the "figuring things out" phase to the "firing on all cylinders" phase, leading the NFL in total yards per game (395.4) and currently No. 3 in scoring (29 points per game). And though the Dolphins come in with a 1-6 record, don't expect the Lions to run up the score with a young defensive unit that is making some noise.
"My first exposure was getting ready for Minnesota last week and watching that crossover tape and watching that [Miami] defense and was like, 'woah, these guys are getting after it,'" Lions coach Dan Campbell said before practice on Wednesday. "They're young, they're hungry, they're active, they run, they hit, they hustle, they finish. Try to play disciplined ball, and they're playing that way."
Campbell calls defensive end Zach Sieler, a Howell native who played at Ferris State, the "anchor" of the team's defense, as the 31-year-old veteran has recorded 27½ sacks over the last four seasons. Surrounding Sieler is a lot of young players who perhaps should be getting more notoriety, like linebackers Chop Robinson and Jacob Rodriguez, the latter a 24-year-old rookie who has played on 99% of the team's snaps this season.
Those players have caught the attention of quarterback Jared Goff.
"I think they're getting better and improving, and they're a young team, but they're hungry, and remind me a lot of us in the past years here when we were that way," he said after practice on Wednesday. "We gotta come ready to go." Advantage: Lions.
Lions defense vs Dolphins offense
Here's where things might get tricky for the Lions – not because the Dolphins present much of a challenge on offense (they're No. 31 in the league scoring 16.7 points per game), but because the Lions have to navigate a slew of injuries on all three levels, especially at linebacker with Jack Campbell and Rolder both out.
That might present an opportunity for Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis, who after a slow start in his first season in Miami, has turned it on over the past couple of weeks, putting up a season-high quarterback rating (130.7) in a Week 7 win over the New York Jets. And with the third-most rushing yards by a quarterback this season (behind Buffalo's Josh Allen and Washington's Jayden Daniels), Willis is another dual-threat quarterback the Lions defense may have to chase – but don't confuse Willis with Allen, or even Carolina's Bryce Young.
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Willis has the third-longest time-to-throw (3.05 seconds) of any quarterback per Next Gen Stats, often because he has to roll out of the pocket to find big opportunities. His focus on the short-to-intermediate completions over the last two games has yielded some positive results, but it feels like a compromise a ferocious Lions defensive line can take advantage of. And though the Dolphins have a few dangerous skill players like running back Ollie Gordon and receiver Malik Washington, they won't be effective escape hatches if the Lions pass rush can knock Willis off his rhythm. Advantage: Lions.
Christian Romo's prediction
The Dolphins may be better than their 1-6 record indicates and may show some pluck against an ailing Lions defense, but Detroit knows how much it needs to stack wins against lesser opponents, especially in a division as tough as the NFC North. They'll be prepared, especially if they answer the call to play on behalf of their injured teammate. The pick: Lions 31, Dolphins 24.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions scouting report vs Miami Dolphins for NFL Week 9 game
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/detroit-lions-scouting-report-vs-100818425.html
