Can the Dolphins Slow Down Von Miller?
Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Dolphins are facing the Buffalo Bills at the worst possible time. After serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, Bills edge rusher Von Miller is set to make his return to action this Sunday against the Dolphins. What really sucks about this is that the Dolphins already had to deal with Miller earlier in the season back in Week 2, so the Phins are getting no reprieve whatsoever, even with the star’s penchant for missing games over the past couple of years.
Despite being the NFL’s oldest starting edge rusher and missing all of last season and these last four games, Miller is still a great player that the Dolphins need to account for. In his most recent matchup against Miami, he was tied for the team lead with one sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit. It’s certainly not the most dazzling statline. However, the Dolphins ran the ball on 45% of their plays, and their average completed air yards sat at a meager 1.8 yards, leading Tua Tagovailoa to only have 145 passing yards.
In layman’s terms, the Dolphins were forced to run a dink-and-dunk offense against the Bills, and they got blown out because of it. Miami needs to strike a balance between getting the ball out quickly so Tua doesn’t run the risk of getting hurt, while also being aggressive enough on offense to keep up with Josh Allen and company. One of the keys to accomplishing this will be reducing Miller’s effectiveness, but is that an achievable task for the Dolphins?
This was something the Phins really struggled with in Week 2, when Miller generated 4 pressures and a sack on 14 pass rush matchups against right tackle Austin Jackson. Every one of his pressures got to the quarterback in under 2.5 seconds. That 2.10-second average time to pressure is Miller’s fastest in a game since the 2021 season where he had 9.5 sacks on the year.
Miami cannot let this happen again. Jackson is a decent lineman who has been middle of the road in pass protection, but putting him out on an island against one of the league’s premier pass rushers is a recipe for disaster. Dolphins offensive line coach Butch Barry and Mike McDaniel need to come up with a game plan to help aid Jackson in his matchup against Miller. Having players like right guard Liam Eichenberg and blocking tight end Durham Smythe be more proactive in pass protection on the right side of the line will be critical this week.
Even if the Dolphins invest all of their energy into slowing down Miller, his impact may be felt in other ways. If Miami sells out trying to stop Miller, that will provide more favorable individual matchups for Gregory Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa off the edge. Epenesa currently leads the Bills with 4 sacks, while Rousseau is second with 3.5 sacks on the season. Where Rousseau has Epenesa beat by a larger margin is in total pressures, as he leads Buffalo with 19 pressures this season.
Buffalo also has some underrated pass rushers on the interior defensive line. DaQuon Jones ranks 30th amongst all interior defensive linemen with a respectable 70.3 pass-rush grade. Not too far behind is Ed Oliver, who has a 65.7 pass-rushing grade. Again, none of those guys are game-changing talents like Dexter Lawrence or Chris Jones, but they are more than good enough to capitalize on favorable matchups. Especially against a Dolphins interior offensive line that has struggled in pass protection this season
Tagovailoa will need to get the ball out quickly, and even then, Miami may need to pick their poison with the abundance of above-average pass rushers the Buffalo Bills have at their disposal. Judging by how their last matchup went, making the effort to do whatever it takes to slow down Miller makes sense, even if it means focusing less on Epenesa and Rousseau. Because while those two may have better stats than Miller, he’s still the Bills’ best and most accomplished pass rusher.
All things considered, Miller’s return will make life more difficult for the Dolphins, regardless of how they plan on stopping him. Hall of Fame-caliber edge rushers like Miller have a way of making life easier for their teammates, and there hasn’t been anything to suggest that Von has slowed down, even at 35 years old.
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