It’s an interconference battle on the gridiron as a pair of teams hoping to put one in the win column to improve their standing in their respective playoff pictures collide in the Motor City. The Miami Dolphins are on the road as they make the trip to face the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon. Miami prevailed 16-10 at home against Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football last week to snap a three-game skid. They failed to cover the line as a seven-point favorite. Detroit was drubbed 24-6 on the road by Dallas last Sunday, failing to cover as a seven-point underdog in the contest. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Dolphins own a 7-5 advantage but the Lions have won the last three meetings. That includes a 32-21 road victory in the most recent matchup on October 21, 2018.
Miami saw the return of Tua Tagovailoa in the win over Pittsburgh last week as they snapped a three-game skid but they still have room for improvement. The Dolphins enter week 8 4-3 on the season and they stand third in the AFC East standings. Against Pittsburgh, Miami started strong, jumping to a 13-0 lead after the opening quarter. The Dolphins kicked a field goal with two seconds left in the first half to take a 16-10 lead at halftime and neither team put up any points in the second half, though for different reasons. Miami couldn’t generate much in the way of offense while Pittsburgh turned the ball over repeatedly. That allowed the Dolphins to escape but it hardly proved inspiring. Miami held a 372-344 edge in total offense though they lost the first down battle 19-17 and time of possession by a 33:16 to 26:44 margin. The Dolphins did win the turnover battle 3-0, picking off Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett in the red zone o n each of the Steelers’ final two drives.
On the season, the Dolphins are 3rd in the league in passing offense as they average 281.6 yards per contest this season. The Dolphins are just 29th in rushing offense as they average 85.4 yards per game on the ground. Miami is 19th in the league in scoring offense as they put up 21 points per game. The Dolphins are 23rd in scoring defense as they give up an average of 23.6 points a contest. Tua Tagovailoa is 101 of 150 for 1,296 yards with nine touchdowns against three interceptions. He missed two-plus games after suffering a concussion against the Bengals September 29 before returning to face the Steelers in week 7. Teddy Bridgewater is 37 of 60 for 522 yards with three touchdowns and three picks while adding 21 yards on the ground. Skylar Thompson is 26 of 46 for 255 yards with an interception plus nine rushing yards. Raheem Mostert leads the team on the ground with 87 carries for 388 yards and a score this season. Chase Edmonds (38 carries, 106 yards, two TD) is the second back in the system. Tyreek Hill leads the team in the passing game with 57 catches for 773 yards and two scores. Jaylen Waddle (34 grabs, 621 yards, three TD), Mike Gesicki (18 catches, 192 yards, three TD) and Trent Sherfield (13 grabs, 132 yards) are the only other players with at least 100 receiving yards this season. Jason Sanders is 15 of 16 on extra point attempts and 10 of 13 on field goal tries with a long of 49 this season.
There is a lengthy injury report to monitor heading into kickoff for Miami. Tackle Terron Armstead (toe), defensive backs Clayton Fejedelem (groin) and Xavien Howard (groin), linebacker Melvin Ingram (rest) and tight end Durham Smythe (hamstring) didn’t practice Wednesday. Meanwhile, defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah (back), Christian Wilkins (hand) along with Zach Sieler (hand/ankle), quarterback Sky lar Thompson (thumb), linebacker Jerome Baker (hip), tight end Tanner Conner (knee), wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (shoulder), tackle Greg Little (Achilles) plus cornerbacks Keion Crossen (knee) and Kader Kohou (oblique) were all limited. Watch for updates on their statuses leading into kickoff.
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