Miami Dolphins defensive preview vs. Rams
By Tyler Olson
It’s Wednesday night and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is already locked in on how to stop the Los Angeles Rams’ offense.
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You can believe that.
The news broke earlier this week that the long awaited debut of 1st overall pick Jared Goff would take place this Sunday against Miami. That’s the moment Joseph got to work game planning what to do on defense.
Unfortunately he has no NFL tape on Goff aside from what happened in the preseason. A time in which Goff struggled mightily completing only 44.9% of his passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also fumbled the ball three times.
Don’t assume he’s in for a bad day against the Dolphins defense, however. That was a time in which Goff was fighting for the starting job while still trying to get a grasp of an NFL offense. Now he’s had 11 weeks to prepare for this moment without the pressure of winning right away on his shoulders.
With that being said, Goff isn’t Josephs’ main target this week.
Todd Gurley has had a very disappointing season after bursting onto the scene as a rookie last year. Averaging only 3.1 yards a carry on 167 carries, Gurley has been horrible thus far. His longest run on the season is 18 yards.
18.
Teams have forced Case Keenum to beat them through the air this year, stacking the box on the former University of Georgia standout, and it’s worked for the most part.
After this past Sunday the Dolphins defense ranks 2nd in the NFL in 3rd down efficiency. Expect to see a loaded box on early downs, forcing Goff into 3rd and long situations to take advantage. Once 3rd down comes Miami has a good enough front four to rush Goff and force him into making mistakes.
Expect big days from guys like Cameron Wake, Andre Branch and Ndamukong Suh.