Miami Dolphins defense will be tested by Lions and Matt Stafford

The Miami Dolphins will need their defense to step again if they want to have any chance of beating the Detroit Lions this Sunday and stay in control of their playoff hopes.

The Miami Dolphins, now 4-2 after the roller-coaster victory against the Bears, are looking to extend their winning momentum this Sunday against the Detroit Lions. The defense has played well so far, but they need to lights-out to keep the upper hand against Matt Stafford.

There’s some good news coming from Dolphins camp this week. it appears that both Bobby McCain and Cam Wake will be returning to action. This news should speak for itself; Wake is a starter when healthy and still offers a lot of productivity when he plays. McCain is CB2 and has played well this season. We’ve also seen the alternative when he is out with Torry McTyer and Cordrea Tankersley. I’m glad McCain will be back.

It also looks like Charles Harris will be out again for the second week in a row. T.J. McDonald and Reshad Jones were both listed; Jones is playing through his shoulder injury and McDonald is warding off a knee injury. Both safeties were full participants for every practice, so there’s nothing to see here and thankfully so. Jones is a MUST for this team to continue finding success.

Wrapping up the defensive side of the injury report are Andre Branch, who returned to the field last week, and Jonathan Woodard, who flashed some playmaking ability against the Bear after being promoted off the practice squad a few weeks ago. Branch should be back again as he plays through his knee injury and Woodard will not play after suffering a concussion.

The Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions have not met since the 2014 season. The Lions won the last meet up, but the Dolphins have the historical advantage with a 7-4 record. The Lions currently have a 2-3 record and are looking to keep their season alive.

The biggest factor for this game is the Lions’ quarterback Matt Stafford. This is open for discussion, but he’s a franchise quarterback easily, and he’ll one day be discussed as a Hall of Famer. When you play against a player that’s even remotely in that discussion, then you have to be wary.

Stafford is prone to many mistakes though. He could throw several interceptions in a game and that’s what I’m banking on. Getting some interceptions will be a huge key if the Dolphins want to grab another win.

The Detroit offensive line is pretty good. They feature recent first-rounders Frank Ragnow at left guard and Taylor Decker at left tackle. They could be a potential problem for Robert Quinn, so it will important for him to use his full repertoire of moves; I have no doubt that he’ll be able to create some pressure though, despite the Decker and Ragnow’s effectiveness.

Ricky Wagner and T.J. Lang are nothing to scoff at either. I’m excited to see how Cam Wake does in this matchup with it being his return to the field. Lang recovered from a concussion this week, but it’s not expected to have a major effect on his play. I’m not sure who will get the best of the matchup; it seems pretty even, but Wake still has the athleticism to make something happen.

Vincent Taylor is a budding star. He continues to make his presence felt on the field and he did so by getting a sack last week. I’m not worried about the Akeem Spence, Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor rotation. If you add Cameron Malveaux into the mix, then you have a secretly good interior d-line.

The Lions have finally found an effective run game for the first time this decade in their rookie Kerryon Johnson. Johnson has been fighting off an ankle injury in recent weeks, but he was full-go this week in their practices, so he’s someone they’ll need to be prepared for.

Now let’s move on to the linebacking corps. This is an up-and-down unit with the sample size we’ve seen so far this season. Raekwon McMillan is still getting his footing. He’ll have some great games, but he’ll also have some plays where he looks like a rookie, which is essentially what he is. Jerome Baker is also a rookie and is having good and bad weeks. He’s playing better than McMillan, but he also has those rookie moments. Patience is key for these two, but they both have a reasonable chance of playing well against the Lions.

I like to write about Kiko Alonso in his own paragraph because he’s, head and shoulders, the best linebacker the Dolphins have playing right now. I mentioned Reshad Jones is a must for this team, well, Alonso isn’t far behind. He’s one of the best Dolphins and his being moved back to the weakside has worked wonders. He has an unnatural penchant for creating and recovering turnovers. Causing and regaining those turnovers will be vital for this team’s postseason potential. It strange to think about it after Alonso was the punching bag last year, but he’s playing at a Pro-Bowl level.

I’m not overly concerned about the Lions’ tight end group. Luke Willson, Levine Toilolo and Michael Roberts don’t really sell tickets and they don’t really scream star power. The Dolphins defense will keep these guys in check.

The Lions’ wide receivers, on the other hand, are a talented group. Marvin Jones, Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay are all really good pass-catchers and any one of them are capable of having a big day. There isn’t a WR1 for Xavien Howard to shadow, so he and Bobby McCain will have to prepare for all three. Normally Theo Riddick would also be a force that the Dolphins would have to account for (he was a huge factor in the last Dolphins-Lions meet up), but he’s out this week.

The safety group has become a pivotal piece of the team and, luckily, Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald will be starting. Minkah Fitzpatrick will also continue his duties in the slot. He’s been extremely effective in his role. Pro Football Focus actually announced on Twitter that Fitzpatrick is third in the NFL for lowest allowed quarterback rating in coverage. This came from Fitzpatrick’s role as the nickel and it’s very encouraging to see him play this well.