Buccaneers must stop this key aspect of Dolphins' offense in Week 17

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not have to beat the Miami Dolphins this Sunday, but they're definitely going to want to. Even outside the small chance that Carolina Panthers could beat the Seattle Seahawks and force them out of the NFC South entirely with a loss to Miami, the Bucs will want to beat the Dolphins just to prove that, after losing six of their last seven games, they're able to win a football game.

The Dolphins are no world beaters — they're currently 6-9, coming off a bad drubbing against the Bengals and playing their backup quarterback, Quinn Ewers — but that doesn't mean they're a bad team across the board. Their ace in the hole in the games they have won this year is their running game, a varied and eclectic beast spearheaded by NFL Pro Bowler De'Von Achane. It's called by head coach Mike McDaniel, who is one of the league's best run game schemers, and on Sunday, that scheme is running right at Tampa Bay.

Here's just what makes Miami's creative run game so lethal, and how the Buccaneers can stop it:

Buccaneers must shut down creative Dolphins run game

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Head coach Todd Bowles knows what's coming. He's well aware that Miami's run game is incredibly varied and quite effective, and he praised Mike McDaniel as one of the league's best run-game schemers.

"He does a great job of scheming it up to where everybody knows what they're doing," Bowles said of McDaniel. "He's probably one of the best at getting angle blocks and getting his running backs on the perimeter."

So what does that mean, exactly?

Well, to start, Miami's run game is heavily perimeter-based, as they've run 133 attempts of outside zone running concepts, per SumerSports. Outside zone, as a blocking scheme, aims to stretch the defense horizontally to open up holes and give the running back some options at the edge of the line. You don't have to hit the perimeter, or the outside of the field, on this type of blocking scheme — in fact, cutting inside is often encouraged — but the Dolphins have a lot of fast players who can be extremely effective on the outside and hit that next level. One of those includes Achane, who ran a 4.32 at the NFL Combine and has 5.61 yards per attempt on outside zone plays.

Bowles also mentioned McDaniels' tendencies to scheme angle blocks, or blocks on an inside defensive lineman or linebacker on the frontside of a run play. This goes hand in hand with what truly makes this run game great — the versatility in formation and the way McDaniels pulls blockers.

Dolphins extremely varied with run game personnel

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) and running back Ollie Gordon II (31) leave the field following a game | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

You never know what you're going to get with McDaniels' run scheme. Per SumerSports, McDaniels does a lot in the run game with different personnel groupings, running 111 attempts in 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end) and 41 attempts in 22 personnel (two running backs, two tight ends). It gets weirder, as McDaniels has even run 27 attempts in 20 personnel (two running backs, no tight ends), with a 7.26 yards per attempt on those plays.

It is just the weird formations, though — it's even weirder how he aligns them. Take a look at this play below, for example, where McDaniels utilizes 21 personnel with tight end Julian Hill and fullback Alec Ingold lined up parallel next to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with Achane behind the two of them. The right side of the line pulls left, while the left side of the line and center pulls right, and a fake to Achane sees the ball instead go to wideout Jaylen Waddle on an end-around for a big gain.

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— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) December 8, 2025

There's a lot happening here in just this one play, with Ingold even turning fully around to run with Hill on the block, and things like this are frequent in Miami Gardens. Bowles also knows that Miami is willing to put anyone just about anywhere to deceive you, and that the Dolphins will always use frequent motion to try and disguise their looks in the run game.

"It's very different, because they use a lot of different people and move them around," Bowles said. "They can have a tackle out wide like a wide receiver, they can bring him in the backfield. They can have three running backs, they can have three tight ends, they can have two more tackles in the ballgame. You just never know."

With Ewers starting just his second game, Miami's key to victory over Tampa Bay will likely go through the run game, which is averaging the fourth-most yards per carry in the NFL right now. So how are the Bucs going to put a stop to it?

Buccaneers must stay disciplined vs. Miami running game

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles during the second half against the Carolina Panthers | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The biggest step is making sure you're disciplined. There's a lot of motion in a Mike McDaniel defense, and Tampa Bay's defenders know how crucial it is to stick with their individual assignments and not get distracted.

"Everyone has to do their job — you gotta read your keys this week," safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said. "Lot of motion, lot of flash and a lot of people moving, so you have to make sure you're detailed on your guy and what you're supposed to do within the scheme of how they're running things."

Cornerback Jamel Dean agreed. He noted that it's best to focus on what you're individually responsible for as opposed to worrying about the big picture, and that Miami has both the scheme and the weapons to beat you if you aren't careful.

"For the most part, I try to focus on the things that I need to see," Dean said. "So I'm not being distracted by all the pieces. So I focus on what I need to key on, and that's pretty much it... we gotta come very prepared. They're going to give us big eye candy, and they've got weapons to beat us if we step wrong."

As far as technique goes, an easy way to counter the outside zone that Miami runs is to crowd the line of scrimmage, perhaps by putting a safety in the box on the edge of the line. This could in turn open you up to effective inside zone runs and play action, but the Dolphins don't have much going on either front — their 62 inside zone attempts have averaged just 3.77 yards per carry, per SumerSports, and play action would require the rookie Ewers to beat you himself in his second NFL start.

With that in mind, look for Bowles to put some extra bodies in the box to discourage that aspect of the run game and force the Dolphins to play through Ewers and not their backs. That being said, the Dolphins are still very fast and have a solid offensive line, so part of stopping their innovative run schemes will require the Bucs to stay disciplined against excessive motion and beat their man at the line of scrimmage to protect the perimeter and make sure Achane and company don't break an explosive play with their acceleration. As always, the coaches will scheme, but the players will have to execute.

The Buccaneers and the Dolphins will face off at 1 p.m. in Miami on Sunday.

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