Game Preview: Miami Dolphins vs Denver Broncos
The (6-3) Miami Dolphins travel to Denver to play the (3-6) Broncos, and Tua Tagovailoa faces off against another young quarterback in Drew Lock. The Dolphins are on a five-game win streak and are looking to extend it to six to match the Buffalo Bills’ 7-3 record making it a very important game for Head Coach Brain Flores and the Dolphins to win. The Bills have their bye this week giving the Dolphins an opportunity to gain on them.
The Dolphins’ young quarterback has been playing very well this season as he runs the offense efficiently and has yet to throw an interception. Tua performs is at a high level in the red-zone with all of his touchdowns being within the opponents’ twenty. This was something this offense struggled with early in the season with a lot of drives ending in three points rather than seven. Tua has provided a sense of urgency this offense needed, and he is only going to get better and better as the season progresses. As the game slows down more for him, he will be able to display his incredible athleticism and accuracy on a consistent basis. He needs to continue to spread the ball around and utilize all of his weapons. Tua has shown that he is a very intelligent quarterback, as it is clear he is always thinking and being methodical with the football. A lot of analysts and experts talk about Tua’s incredible feel for the game and fans are starting to see it too, but remember it’s not Tua against the Broncos but the Dolphins versus the Broncos.
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) November 19, 2020
The Broncos also have a really young offense with QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, and rookie WR Jerry Jeudy leading them. Although they have a lot of young talent on their team, they haven’t been able to play as a unit on a consistent basis and have had a problem turning the ball over. Drew Lock is banged up with a rib injury, and he might not even play. Expect the Broncos to have a similar offensive game plan to the Chargers with a heavy run attack. Phillip Lindsey and Melvin Gordon pose an intimidating running back duo and will have a heavy workload on Sunday. The Dolphins’ run defense needs to step up this game and contain those two, especially on first down. If the Dolphins stop the run on first down and force the Broncos into harder situations, they will be forced to pass the ball. This gives the Dolphins’ rush a chance to overwhelm the quarterback and generate some turnovers.
The Dolphins are now in the position where they are the team expected to win. They need to keep playing at the high level they are at and not play down to their competition. The defense needs to continue to dominate and make Tua’s job as easy as possible. Brian Flores wants all three phases of the game to compliment each other, and that’s exactly how the Dolphins have been playing this season.
