The Dolphins finally limited an elite RB in Week 8. Can they do it again?
Nobody thought the Miami Dolphins could stop the run.
And through seven games, they had not, allowing opposing offenses nearly 160 rushing yards per game. Then the defense ran into Bijan Robinson. Not only did they limit the elite tailback to his worst scrimmage yards total of the 2025 season, Miami held him to his second-lowest rushing yardage.
A bigger test awaits Thursday, one in the form of the greatest rushing duo of all-time: Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The question then becomes can the Dolphins replicate their success against the Atlanta Falcons back home against the Baltimore Ravens.
“You have a guy that has Hall of Fame numbers that you collectively have to really commit to stop and that’s in groups, but that also has to do with how many opportunities are you going to give him, how many times are you going to allow a team to stay on the field, and then conversely what is our offense doing to minimize his touches,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of Henry. “How do you do that? You convert third downs, you have time of possession, you’re running the ball well, those things contribute as well. It takes a team to minimize that guy.”
Henry, of course, has been a workhorse back for the majority of his 10-year career. His 11,933 career rushing yards not only leads all active players but ranks 17th all-time, ahead of Hall of Famers such as Earl Campbell, Terrell Davis and OJ Simpson. Henry, much like many talented tailbacks, wants to get to open space, so a key factor will be to force him inside.
“Just make sure all the edges are set and bring the ball back to the middle,” defensive tackle Benito Jones said. “That’s where the majority of people are at on defense, so just keep it in the box.”
Even more important: gang tackling.
“It took all 11,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said of what the Dolphins did to limit Robinson. “It’ll be no different this week. Different style of runner of course. But it’s going to be an effort in the strain game.”
The added wrinkle of Lamar Jackson just makes everything a bit more complicated. With more than 6,300 rushing yards, he has more total yardage on the ground than any quarterback in NFL history. Not only will Jackson look to put on a show in his first game back in South Florida since 2021, he will be hungry to get the season turned around as the Ravens went 1-2 during the three-game stretch without him.
“Any play can turn into a run play when that guy is back there at quarterback,” Weaver said. “We’re going to have to play through the echo of the whistle. He has one of the longer times to throw in the league, and I told them ‘hey, it’s not because he’s back there just going through his progression. He’s back there holding the ball and someone is going to uncover. We’ve got to plaster on the back end, and we’ll have to strain and rush and finish on the front end.’ ”
Discipline, therefore, becomes paramount. When Jackson starts to scramble, defensive backs, regardless of the play call, will have to be forced to find a man. Weaver discussed that very concept ahead of the Dolphins’ game against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
“The toughest thing, particularly when you are playing some zone defense and the play starts to break down, is now you have to find a body to cover,” Weaver said in mid-September. “And that’s when it gets the hardest. It truly becomes almost like a game of tag. He runs out, you better find somebody because if you don’t, he’s going to find them. You can’t put all the pressure on the DBs. You’ve got to have an aggressive but discipline pass rush. Where you try to at least funnel him away from his throwing hand.”
As Weaver and Jones alluded to, it will be up to the edge rushers to keep Jackson from the outside.
“It’s going to be a challenge for us, and we’re excited about it,” Bradley Chubb said. “You’ve got to be disciplined, and everybody got to be on their keys. Nobody can just make a rogue play trying to be a hero, it’s about playing all 11 football.”
If the Dolphins revert to the same defensive play they had the first seven weeks of the season, Thursday night might get ugly. Build off the momentum from Sunday and the Dolphins could beat the Ravens for the second time during McDaniel’s tenure.
