The Miami Dolphins return to action on Sunday following their bye week, which happened to be rather successful for a team that didn’t even play a game.
Several teams suffered losses in Week 10, including the Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. Baltimore and Jacksonville are each now 6-3, tied with Miami while Buffalo has fallen to 5-5 and is out of the AFC playoff picture, at the moment.
The Dolphins currently sit as the fourth-seed, and as the standings sit today, they’d host the fifth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers on Wild Card Weekend. We all know this picture will change, as Miami has a chance to climb to the number two slot this weekend with a win and some more luck.
The Dolphins host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium, as they’ll shoot for their second consecutive season, something they haven’t done since 2000-01. Miami is 16-2 at Hard Rock Stadium since November 7, 2021.
The offense ready to hit the surf again after bye week
- Miami leads the NFL in points scored (285) and total yards (3,918).
- They’ve gained 3,918 yards and allowed 2,902 yards in nine games this season. The 1,016-yard margin is the best in the NFL.
- In Miami’s four home games this year, they’ve outscored opponents 174-74. The 100-point margin is the second-best in the NFL.
- In home games, the Dolphins lead the league in scoring offense (43.5 points), total offense (516.0 yards), rushing offense (203.0 yards) and rank fourth in passing offense (313.0 yards).
- Miami has totaled 3,918 yards in nine games this season, setting them on pace for 7,400 yards this season, 74 yards shy of the NFL record of 7,474 set by the 2011 New Orleans Saints.
- The Dolphins’ 3,918 yards this season are the 10th-most since the AFL-NFL merger (1970) after nine games.
The "Uniforms" Offensive Line
- The Dolphins offensive line, through nine games, has allowed quarterback hits on only 30 dropbacks and just 15 sacks.
- Miami’s 15 sacks allowed are the third-fewest in the NFL while the 30 quarterback hits allowed are the fewest in the NFL.
- The Dolphins have used a mix of 10 offensive linemen and three differently constructed lines to start their last three games.
Raheem Mostert and company rolling this season
- Currently, Miami is tied with the Browns for second in the NFL in rushing, averaging 147.9 yards per game; Baltimore leads with 154.9.
- The Dolphins haven’t led the NFL in rushing since the 1972 perfect season.
- Mostert already has 11 rushing touchdowns in just nine games this season, leading the NFL. He’s the first Dolphins player since Ricky Williams in 2009 (11) to register double-digit rushing touchdowns in a season.
- Mostert’s 11 rushing and 13 total touchdowns are already career highs with eight games left to play. He’s just five rushing touchdowns away from Ricky Williams’ team record of 16 (2002) and five total touchdowns from Mark Clayton’s team record of 18 (1984).
Dolphins Defense nearing elite status
- The Dolphins have allowed less than 110 rushing yards in each of its past eight contests.
- Since Week 2, Miami ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing defense (90.4 yards) and third in yards per carry allowed (3.5).
- They have 29 sacks (ninth-most) and 65 quarterback hits (tied fourth-most) this year.
- Miami has recorded a sack in every game this season and currently has a six-game streak with multiple sacks.
- The Dolphins have four different players with at least four sacks this season, including Bradley Chubb (six), Christian Wilkins (4.5), Andrew Van Ginkel (four) and Zach Sieler (four).
- Miami is one of just four teams in the NFL with four different players with at least four sacks – Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers.
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle each seeking historic feats
- Waddle caught more passes 104 than any rookie in NFL history in his first season as a pro. In his second season, he surpassed 1,000 yards for the second time. Waddle has 522 yards and three touchdowns in eight games this season. With 478 more yards, he’ll become the first player in team history to post three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
- Hill is on pace to total 2,032 receiving yards, which would make him the first player in league history to top 2,000 receiving yards in a season.
- He became the first player since 1961 to top 1,000 receiving yards in his team’s first eight games of a season.
Tua Tagovailoa on MVP run this season
- Tagovailoa is currently tied for the NFL lead in passing TDs (19), second in passer rating (106.4) and yards per attempt (8.5) and third in passing yards (2,609).
- The 2,609 passing yards are the second-most in franchise history through the first nine games of a season, behind Dan Marino’s 2,672 back in 1984.
- Miami has won 20 of the past 29 games started by Tagovailoa. That’s the third-best winning percentage by a starting quarterback since Nov. 21, 2021 for those with a minimum of 15 starts.
