The Miami Dolphins (7–7) needed to do five things to extend their winning streak to seven games, and beat the Saints in New Orleans (7–7) on Monday night’s nationally televised game in Week 16. During:
Force Saints QB Taysom Hill to rely on his arm
Make no mistake about it, Hill isn’t the type of quarterback who wants to prove he’s a pure passerby. He would instead run a substitute-style offense and drive a linebacker. He rushed for 1,120 yards and made 16 touchdowns on the ground using his feet in 204 carries in his first four seasons. Since becoming New Orleans’ starting quarterback, he has carried the ball 11 times per game, and averaged 6.2 yards per attempt.
The Dolphins have done well this season with illustrious quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton, but Hill presents a threat because of the uniqueness of the offense. This would benefit the Dolphins to contain the edges and encourage Hill, who is completing 55.7 percent of his passes, to throw the ball over his receiver and tight end.
Keep Saint RB Alvin Kamara from producing big plays
Despite missing four games due to injuries, Kamara has recorded 1,016 offensive yards and scored eight touchdowns in the 10 matches he has played. He averages 22 touches per game, meaning more than a third of the Saints’ offense will pass through his throwback, who has a habit of making big plays by missing defenders.
Miami’s linebackers – especially Duke Riley, who has played a key role in recent weeks – need to be on high alert for Kamara, especially when he is coming off the backfield. The Dolphins can’t afford a bad tackle, as they did last week against the New York Jets.
Protect Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa leads the NFL in this week’s games with a completion percentage (69.9), and his 71.6 completion percentage leads the NFL since returning from injured reserve in Week 6. His habit of avoiding sacks and making quick decisions has greatly improved the team’s sacks-per-pass-play rate.
It also helps that the left side of Miami’s offensive line has begun to stabilize due to Liam Eichenberg’s improvement, and Austin Jackson is resting as he plays left guard. Jordan Cameron and Marcus Davenport have combined for 12.5 sacks this season, and present a significant challenge to Miami’s tackles, especially with the right tackle off Jesse Davis, who struggled against powerful defensive ends. has done.
score 21, or more points
The Dolphins offense flared up last week, scoring 31 points and recording 379 yards, the fourth-highest production of the season. And it happened despite making two expensive turnovers, which gave the Jets a 10-point bounty. Miami will need that kind of scoring output to keep pace with the Saints, who have produced 300 yards more than 10 times this season.
The New Orleans defense is sixth in points allowed per game (20.4), and a large part of the Saints’ defensive success is credited to the third-down conversion rate (37.3) they are allowing. The Dolphins offense, which ranks ninth in the NFL on third-down conversions (41.9 percent), will have to sharpen on Monday.
run at least 100 yards
Duke Johnson exploded against the Jets, gaining 107 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns on his 22 carries. The Dolphins need to be provided with an opportunity to prove to the former University of Miami that he can execute the team’s swift attack against the Saints, limiting opponents to 96 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per attempt.
The Dolphins are making an average of 30 rushing attempts per game during Miami’s six-game winning streak, so expect plenty of carries for Miami’s back in this matchup. The Dolphins need to push to get to the second level of the Saints’ defense, and Philip Lindsay’s style of running in the outside field could benefit Miami’s offense.
