When the NFL schedule came out earlier this year, the Miami Dolphins visiting the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 was slated to be a primetime affair. Both clubs were in the playoffs in 2023, although each suffered humbling first-round exits.
Due to the fact that the Dolphins have been a disappointment, and the Browns have been even worse, the game was flexed out of Sunday night and relegated to a 4:05 p.m. ET start. Now, consider that the Dolphins could be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs before they even took the field on Sunday. Of course, that's not the case after Saturday's results.
While the Chargers clinched a playoff berth by routing the Patriots at Foxborough, the Broncos fell at Cincinnati, 30-24 in overtime, leaving the door open for Mike McDaniel's club and others. Yes, Sunday is a must-win for the 'Fins.
All-Time Series Record
This marks the teams' second meeting in three years. Both of these clubs have taken their turn owning the other since these teams first met in 1970. Including a pair of playoff meetings, both won by the Dolphins, Miami owns a three-game lead (12-9) in the overall standings. The clubs last met in 2022 at South Florida, with Miami rolling to a 39-17 victory. As for the 'Fins' last appearance in Cleveland, that resulted in a 41-24 setback in 2019.
Quarterbacks: Tale of the Tape
As of late Saturday night, Tua Tagovailoa was listed as doubtful in terms of his availability for this clash with the Browns. He's dealing with a hip injury, and Tyler Huntley figures to get the start on Sunday. It would be his fourth appearance this season. He has connected on 59.1 percent of his throws for 377 yards, one touchdown, and one pick while losing one fumble. Huntley has run for 67 yards and one TD.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is expected to start for Kevin Stefanski's club for the second straight week. He has a rough day in the club's 24-6 loss to the Bengals. He hit on 20-of-34 throws for only 157 yards, was sacked five times, and was intercepted twice. In five games, he has zero TD passes and has been picked off five times.
Defensive Analysis
Miami's defensive unit has been a bit erratic in recent weeks. The overall rankings for this unit are strong in terms of fewest yards allowed (8th), and only five teams in the league have given up fewer yards per game on the ground. There have been only 13 takeaways in 15 contests, but the pass rush has come on. After totaling just 10 sacks in their first eight contests, there have been 21 QB traps the last seven weeks.
This Browns' defense is a far cry from the unit that led the league in fewest total yards and fewest passing yards allowed per game a season ago. NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett keyed a strong pass rush, and the team came up with 28 takeaways while allowing 38 offensive TDs. In 15 outings in 2024, Cleveland has forced only a dozen turnovers, and the defensive has allowed 42 offensive touchdowns.
Keys to the Game
Dolphins: A balanced attack was the key to Miami's 29-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday in South Florida. The club ran 64 offensive plays, 30 rushing and 34 through the air (Tagovailoa was not sacked). Even with Garrett (12.0 sacks) having another big year, the Browns have been very vulnerable to the run. Jim Schwartz's unit is a somewhat-surprising 19th in the league in rushing defense this season.
Browns: When you go through as many starting quarterbacks as Kevin Stefanski's club has these last two seasons, you can throw continuity out the window. There were five different starters in 2023, and three in '24. If you are the Browns, you are hoping that Thompson-Robinson can take care of the ball. All told, Stefanski's squad has played 32 regular-season games since '23 and committed a combined 67 turnovers.
Dolphins Player to Watch
It's been an extremely disappointing year for eight-time All-Pro and five-time All-Pro Tyreek Hill. He's totaled his share of touchdown grabs the last few weeks (5 TDs in the last 7 games), but his overall numbers are down severely this season. In his first two seasons with the Dolphins, he caught 119 balls each year, for 1,710 and 1,799 yards, respectively. There were seven scoring grabs in 2022, and 13 TD receptions a season ago. In 15 outings in '24, he's snared 70 passes for 834 yards and six touchdowns.
This season, a Browns defensive unit that allowed the fewest total yards and passing yards in the league is ranked 19th and 11th, respectively, in those categories this year. The Cleveland secondary has given up its share of chunk plays, and Hill could certainly exploit a defense that has allowed 23 scores through the air.