‘Pack mentality.’ How the Dolphins’ defense finally stopped an elite RB
Opposing running backs have had the Miami Dolphins circled on their schedule.
That’s because the defense has given up more than 200 yards to a backup running back, nearly 150 to a third-stringer and three touchdowns to a rookie. In fact, the Dolphins came into Sunday ranked dead last in run defense, allowing nearly 160 rushing yards per game.
So when the Dolphins lined up against one of the NFL’s best tailbacks in the Atlanta Falcons’ Bijan Robinson, the former Texas Longhorns star likely expected to have a big day. Then the game actually kicked off.
“We knew that they were going to lean on Bijan,” rookie defensive tackle Kenneth Grant said.
After several lackluster outings against middling running backs, the Dolphins finally had a statement performance against Robinson in their 34-10 victory over the Falcons. Miami limited him to just 48 yards from scrimmage, 25 of which came on the ground, his second-worst rushing performance of the 2025 season. The Falcons, as a team, ran for 45 yards on 17 carries.
“Stopping the run not only changed the time of possession, but it also was an assistant to the third-down execution, where we could be a little aggressive,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “There were a lot of things at play, but the starting point was for us — we knew they would try to give it to a dangerous player, we needed to have multiple players on every play around the ball. We did a great job doing that.”
The gameplay, according to several players, was rather simple: force Robinson inside. With Kirk Cousins tapped to start in favor of a hobbled Michael Pennix Jr., the Falcons would likely want to pound the rock. And initially, that was what they tried to do — the Dolphins just so happened to be prepared.
“Our game plan was just really focused around him and just stopping him and kind of making their offense one-dimensional,” Grant said of Robinson.
With Robinson unable to get to the outside, the defense swarmed the one-time Pro Bowler. This, as McDaniel noted days earlier, would be the key to victory.
“Pack mentality, meaning you don’t have this one special guru tackler,” McDaniel said Friday. “You have to be sound, but you have to be urgent. You have to have multiple players in the vicinity, make him stop his feet and have a group of people putting their pads on him at once. If you are in space, and he’s coming up on you, you have to shoot your guns and wrap. You can’t just try to knock him down with a shoulder pad, you better wrap up. Guys struggle to run with the football when you have a full hold of their foot or leg.”
It was clear that the team got the message.
“We just emphasized it all week,” Jaelan Phillips said. “That was the thing — gang tackling, swarming the ball — and I think we executed that.”
With the Baltimore Ravens coming in town for Thursday’s game, the Dolphins can’t really relish this victory the way that they likely wanted to. By Tuesday, the focus will be on Derrick Henry and possibly Lamar Jackson, who has dealt with a hamstring injury that has kept him out since Week 4.
Still, there are certainly some positives that could certainly be useful come Thursday evening.
“It is one of 17 that I think this team has the ability to utilize this work week in the coming weeks,” McDaniel said, later adding “if you can sustain through tough times and continue to build momentum in your game without results, the results do come, but easier said than done. I think it was an important one of 17. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will count in any other box score.”
