The Miami Dolphins this season featured several big plays in the running game with Jay Ajayi in their last meeting, but don’t mistake Miami as just a vanilla, power run team.
With most of the media focusing that the Dolphins are merely a small stepping stone for the Pittsburgh Steelers to face the Kansas City Chiefs, the Miami Dolphins are working on just that: pulling off the biggest upset in recent franchise history. Not even ESPN’s prediction of a 1% chance can derail the Dolphins drive to pull off the upset.
This season’s Miami Dolphins team has quieted the naysayers in the air and on the ground.
The first glimpse that Dolphins fans noticed was the newly emerging vertical threat that is Kenny Stills in Seattle.
Stills was on the verge of shutting up the Seahawks fans as he was attempting to catch a wonderfully thrown deep pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Sadly, Stills dropped this pass, but he has caught every single deep pass that has gone his way and all for a TD.
Ask the Bengals, Chargers, Bills, and Jets how burnt rubber tastes.
Stills leads the Dolphins in touchdown receptions 30 yards or more. In fact, 8 of his 9 touchdowns resulted in game changing plays throughout the 9-2 mark after starting 1-4.
Stills has become the Dolphins fans rallying cry for a re-signing in the off season because of his tendency to get behind the defense and haul in the deep pass.
For one, the Steelers defense will need to stop Stills even if quarterback Matt Moore is throwing passes on Sunday. Moore has no issues putting enough air and touch on passes to Stills is often time finds himself open.
Despite catching two passes in their last meeting with the Steelers, Stills very well could be the key cog that breaks the ice, so to speak in the frigid air of Pittsburgh.
However, it’s not just the deep ball that should concern the Steelers, there’s another receiver called “Juice” who tends to make his own type of game-changing plays.
Jarvis Landry can make spectacular catches, but what does with his legs is the stuff of legend. By far, while everyone looks at receiver Jarvis Landry’s hands, his legs have done the most damage to defenses.
Whether it was the 66 yard touchdown on a slant from Matt Moore versus the Jets or the incredible 71 yard catch and run-close to 60 yards after the catch versus the Cardinals, Landry has proven to be more than just a possession receiver. At times, Landry can be that Mark Clayton type of receiver, built low to the ground and elusive and with his power because of his leg strength, he runs through defenders like Anquan Boldin.
Bottom line, if the Steelers believe they can stop both Landry and Stills on Sunday, they will be sadly mistaken if they make the first man miss.
Both Stills and Landry can take the cover off the defense in more ways than one and forcing the Steelers to watch their every move could open up that “vanilla” power run that last torched the Steelers for over 200 yards with Ajayi.
This game is going to be fun, it’s going to be exciting, and most of all, it might be the Dolphins best game if both Kenny Stills and Jarvis Landry put on a show on the road and say I told you so to the cameras.
