Carolina Panthers vs. Miami Dolphins, Week 6: Everything You Need to Know
Location, Time, Date, and How to Watch
When: Sunday, Oct. 15, 1:00 PM EST
Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
Channel: CBS
Game Overview
Running Back Troubles?
The biggest story coming into this game is the fact that De'Von Achane will not be playing. The star rookie running back suffered a knee injury against the Giants last Sunday.
The injury is not season-ending, but he has been placed on IR since and will miss a couple of games.
One now wonders now which running backs will have to step up with Achane out of the picture for now.
The way I see it, Raheem Mostert will have to take over as the #1 running back until Achane is cleared to return.
Wondering who will be joining him is a different story. We know it won't be Jeff Wilson, Jr., who remains in IR for injuries to his finger and ribs.
The next logical substitution would then be Salvon Ahmed. However, he hasn't been building up as much.
Ahmed has only played the first two games of the season. He's recorded only six carries for 24 yards so far.
The other two options are Chris Brooks, who hasn't played yet this season, or Jake Funk, who was recently signed to the Dolphins' practice squad.
So, when you look at it, Ahmed seems to be the only best choice to join Mostert against Carolina.
Meanwhile, Achane's timetable to return is unknown.
The Second Battle of Former Bama Quarterbacks
You have seen and heard of Tua Tagovailoa's games against Mac Jones, one of Bama's former quarterbacks and one of his former teammates.
This Sunday, he will battle another one of Bama's former quarterbacks in Bryce Young.
Both attended the same college, but they weren't teammates. In fact, Young took over as Bama's starting QB a year after Tagovailoa was drafted to the Dolphins.
Young stated how the Dolphins QB influenced him to play with the Crimson Tide:
"It was a big transition from when he was there, just what the offense looked like and what Alabama moved to offensively. It's flourished since then, and I was a recruit when all that was happening, so that was a really big reason for me being there."
- Bryce Young, Panthers rookie QB
Tagovailoa didn't know how much he impacted Young. He responded:
"It's one of those things that Yeah, Alabama is not just a ground-and-pound team. They do throw the ball, and they throw it a lot. I would say with the supporting cast that I had, we definitely had some say in, I think, recruiting."
- Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins QB
Tagovailoa has been finding his flow while Young is still trying to get himself together. Watching them perform against each other will be interesting to see.
Final Thoughts and Prediction
The Dolphins should treat this game as a prelude to their next big test against the Philadelphia Eagles next week.
Now, whomever steps in for Achane needs to be able to step up to his level and not have Mostert do all the carrying. If that goes to Ahmed, then he needs to show how reliable he can really be.
Carolina is a struggling team right now considering they're the only winless team left in the league.
Their hunger to win would make them look like a threat to Miami, but the injury plague they're dealing with says otherwise.
Six of Carolina's players, most of them starters, will be out due to injuries. This could be a huge advantage for Miami on both sides.
They need to win Sunday's game to show their future opponents that they're ready for the bigger challenges coming their way. As long as they prove their toughness on all positions, they will be.