After an overtime loss at home last week, the Miami Dolphins dropped to 1-2 on the year. While that’s disappointing, the team is starting a rookie quarterback and has a first-time head coach to go along with a switch in defensive schemes, so in fact there have been plenty of positives to take from the opening three games.
Despite being shunned by PFF founder Neil Hornsby in our latest power rankings, Arizona Cardinals fans will be happy to have got through three tough games with a perfect 3-0 record. The strength of the team is obviously on defense, but with a superstar like Larry Fitzgerald on the field, there is at least some talent on offense.
With the Dolphins looking to get back to .500, and the Cardinals trying to stay perfect this promises to be an interesting encounter. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the three key areas to focus on in Week 4.
Dolphins Defensive Ends vs. Cardinals Offensive Tackles
Make no mistake about it, despite the fact that he is yet to record a sack so far this season, Cameron Wake (+15.5) is the Dolphins' primary pass rush threat. Proving that sack numbers are deceiving, our Pass Rushing Productivity Signature Stat shows Wake is the second most productive 4-3 defensive end, with a PRP Rating of 15.0 and 21 total pressures. He does his damage from the left defensive end position, with just two snaps as a pass rusher coming from the right. The Dolphin seeing most of the snaps on the right has been former first-round pick Jared Odrick (-0.6) and, while he has been solid against the run, he’s done little to impress as a pass rusher. His one sack, five hits and one hurry on 110 snaps as a pass rusher this season give him a PRP rating of 5.1, which ranks 33rd among 4-3 defensive ends playing 50% of their team's defensive snaps.
The good news for Odrick is that this week he will be going up against the worst graded offensive tackle by some distance in D’Anthony Batiste (-22.7). Having given up 18 total pressures on 97 plays in pass protection, our Pass Blocking Efficiency Signature Stat ranks him last again with a PBE Rating of 85.3. The man tasked with slowing down Wake, right tackle Bobbie Massie (-3.7), ranks just 16 places above Batiste with a PBE of 93.3. He’s given up two sacks, a hit and five hurries through three games. Those numbers look certain to increase against Wake unless he can produce a performance that we have yet to see from the fourth-round rookie.
Dolphins Wide Receivers vs. Cardinals Cornerbacks
With Brandon Marshall shipped off to Chicago, the Dolphins are still trying to find a number one receiver for rookie Ryan Tannehill to aim for. After a slow start to the season, Davone Bess (+3.1) stated his case to be that guy with a five-catch, 86-yard performance against the New York Jets that nearly doubled his yardage total for the year. While Bess is used both in the slot and out wide, Brian Hartline (+1.4) has been a nearly permanent fixture as the team’s right wide receiver, with 151 of his 173 snaps coming from there. Tannehill has looked his way 26 times so far, leading to 13 catches for 202 yards.
With Hartline featuring on the right, he’s going to be lined up opposite second-year player Patrick Peterson (+4.8) for much of the game. A walking highlight reel as a returner in his rookie season, Peterson has stepped up his play in coverage in a big way, giving up a mere five receptions for 43 yards on the 16 passes into his coverage. Adding an interception and a pass breakup, opposing quarterbacks have a QB rating of just 14.6 when throwing at last year’s fifth overall selection in the NFL Draft. The same success hasn’t been had by free agent addition William Gay (-3.7). Coming over from Pittsburgh, he’s allowing 63% of the 27 throws into his coverage to be caught and has given up 175 yards through the air already this season – the 12th most by any corner.
Replacing Reggie?
After picking up an injury last week, Reggie Bush’s (+3.1) status for this game is up in the air. He returned to practice on Thursday and seems confident, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll be ready to go, or how effective he can be, come Sunday. Fifth in the league in rushing with 304 yards on 50 carries, Bush is our eighth-ranked player at the position. Showing the skills that led him to win the Heisman Trophy (before he was stripped of it of course) at USC, he is our 13th most elusive running back as measured by our Elusive Rating Signature Stat, with an elusive rating of 28.2.
If Bush can’t go on Sunday, his snaps look set to be split between Daniel Thomas (-4.7) and Lamar Miller (+0.2). Thomas, a second- round draft pick a year ago, has averaged 3.6 yards per carry so far this season with his longest run going for 9 yards. That, coupled with the fact that he has forced just one missed tackle this season, show that he doesn’t have the same big play potential as Bush. Miller, on the other hand, is averaging 5.9 yards per carry with a long of 22 yards. So, if Dolphins fans are looking for a running back to step up with a big play in Bush’s potential absence, it’s more likely to come from the fourth-round rookie.
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