The Miami Dolphins will visit the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday looking to claim bragging rights over the state of Florida, the AFC version that is. The Dolphins are 3-3 and hoping to go over .500, while the Jaguars look to improve from their current 1-6 record. To point out that these two teams have struggled in the last few years would be an understatement. This season however, both teams seem to have finally found a sense of direction following a fairly productive off season and the upcoming contest promises to be quite a display of defense.
Miami's offensive line has looked good at times, but has given up their fair share of sacks as well. Facing Jacksonville this week, will prove to be challenging for the Dolphins' OL to say the least, since the Jaguars defense ranks second in sacks in the NFL with 22, behind only to Buffalo's 24. The problem for Jacksonville this week and for several more to come, is that middle linebacker Paul Posluszny will be out, however the Jaguars' defense is still a force up front and this can be a problem for Miami.
The Dolphins will need to keep quarterback Ryan Tannehill on the move throughout the game, in order to keep the Jaguars defense home. A combination of designed roll outs, bootlegs and executing the read option effectively, will be the Dolphins' only hope to keep the pressure off their quarterback. The Dolphins' 11th ranked running game, may be facing its toughest hurdle so far this season. The Jaguars front will probably be getting a lot of mid level support since Jacksonville's best hope against Miami will be to stack the box and continuously rush the passer, dropping back only its secondary in coverage. Expecting the Jaguars to try to force Miami's offensive line to hold against their rush, can work in the Dolphins favor if Miami can capitalize with TE and RB screens.
This game will come down to how well the Dolphins can game plan and continue to play well on defense. The contest will not be easy for the Phins, but if they continue to be disruptive on passing plays and execute on offense, Miami's superior defense should make the difference in the game. The final score prediction is Miami 16, Jacksonville 10.