Dolphins’ Keys: Pressure Will Levis
Denny Simmons /Imagn Images
The Dolphins have faced a tumultuous season, and now find themselves at 1-2 and in a tie for last place in the AFC East. They are looking to turn things around on a national stage, as they face the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football.
What are the Dolphins’ keys to a victory and to getting their season back on track?
Put Will Levis Under Heavy Pressure
Through three weeks in 2024, there have been four pick sixes thrown so far in the NFL. Two of them belong to Will Levis.
I cannot stop watching Will Levis fall to his knees and just sit there after throwing the game-losing pick 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ITO3VFFrvH
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 8, 2024
(It’s never a good sign when your highlights show up on @NFL_Memes more often than they show up on SportsCenter.)
Levis has had about as rough of a start as any quarterback in 2024 not named Bryce Young. He has lost all three games he’s started in 2024; the third of those losses was to the Packers, whose quarterback, Malik Willis, was Levis’ backup in 2023. He’s second only to Deshaun Watson in sacks taken (15) and second only to Anthony Richardson in interceptions thrown (5). He has thrown more pick sixes (2) than 13 quarterbacks have total interceptions (14 if you count the Jordan Love/Malik Willis duo in Green Bay). He trails only Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts in terms of PFF grades for quarterbacks when under pressure. Despite having a receiver corps of DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd (which would be terrifying if this were 2019), Levis has been limited to a 76.5 passer rating.
In terms of pressure, Green Bay made his life a living hell on Sunday, as they had 20 pressures and eight sacks, the most sacks any team has had in a game this year. The defensive stats were quite a feat for a team who only had three sacks coming into Week 3. The Packers also forced Levis to commit three turnovers (two interceptions and one fumble).
Levis has been a mistake-prone quarterback all season, especially under pressure. Miami only has six quarterback sacks all year, but facing a Titans offensive line that has struggled to protect Will Levis despite having offensive line rocket scientist Bill Callahan as their offensive line coach can help them make up ground.
Per PFF writer Zoltán Buday: “Over the first three weeks, the Titans’ offensive line has surrendered 45 pressures, which is tied for the second most in the NFL. They own a 77.4 PFF pass-blocking efficiency score, which ranks 30th in the league.”
Get extra help to contain the defensive interior
The Titans have a formidable defensive tackle duo in two-time First Team All Pro Jeffery Simmons and rookie/mountain of a human T’Vondre Sweat. Up to this point, the latter of the two has lived up to the hype despite maturity concerns that arose prior to the draft.
Center Aaron Brewer spent the first four years of his career with the Titans. Even though Simmons is out this week due to an injury, he can provide the team with pointers on the weak points of Brewer’s game.
“He’s still the same player,” Simmons told reporters on Wednesday. “I practiced against Brew. I know him. He’s quick going lateral. He’s a guy I feel good about our nose tackle lined up over him, especially with his strengths. I’ll be able to tell (Sweat) a couple things throughout the week that, when I practiced against Brew, I saw in Brew that we still see on film.”
Brewer is 70 pounds lighter than Sweat, who was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. Brewer has had a solid season so far, as he’s allowed zero sacks and only three pressures. However, he’ll have his hands full (literally) with a defensive interior that has both exceptional skill and a knowledge of the ins and outs of his game. If guards Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg, who have had modest seasons, can successfully take some of the load off of Brewer, then the Dolphins will be in a good position to be able to function offensively.
Play it safe on offense
It seems extremely uncharacteristic of a Mike McDaniel-led offense to take a conservative approach, but hear me out.
Even with Miami having Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle as receivers, their passing offense has taken a steep decline when Tua Tagovailoa is not under center. Through Week 3, they have the NFL’s lowest scoring offense (33 points). It’s a far cry from the offense that scored more than double that total (70 points) in Week 3 just a year ago.
Their passing game won’t have any easier of a time facing the Titans, as their L’Jarius Sneed-led secondary has allowed the third fewest passing yards per game, the second lowest completion percentage for opposing quarterbacks, and the fewest passing first downs. Sneed will likely be lined up against former Chiefs teammate Tyreek Hill.
Despite the stinginess of their passing defense, Tennessee has the worst turnover differential in the NFL (-7). The Titans are one of five teams that has yet to pick off a pass this season. They have only recovered one fumble this season, which came on a muffed kickoff return against the Bears in Week 1 that led to a field goal.
This week the team will turn to recent acquisition Tyler Huntley to lead the offense. While Huntley is a decent quarterback in his own right (even earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2022), he will likely not be able to lob passes like they’re typically used to doing with Tua under center. Luckily, they have fast receivers and agile running backs like De’Von Achane who can carry the offensive load. In a game that is likely to be a low scoring affair, even a single turnover can change the entire course of the game. A cautious offensive approach will prevent that game-changing turnover.
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