Lions Insider Dishes on How the Dolphins Can Attack, Shock Detroit

The Miami Dolphins will face their former interim head coach in Week 9 when they take on Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions at Hard Rock Stadum.

Detroit will go into the game with a 5-2 record and coming big NFC North victories against the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, the latter handing the Vikings their first loss of the season and thus officially preserving the 1972 Dolphins' status as the only perfect team in league history at least for another year.

To discuss this matchup from different angles, as well as the Lions' ascent to perennial contender status after a tough start under Campbell in 2021 with the similarities to the current Dolphins, we called on Detroit Lions On SI Publisher John Maakaron, who earlier in the week also was a guest on the All Dolphins Podcast (check out that episode).

LIONS INSIDER DISCUSSES DETROIT AND DOLPHINS MATCHUP

1. Where can the Dolphins attack the Lions defense?

JM: I think the Lions are most vulnerable in the secondary, as they've shown throughout the season. In particular, the Lions have had trouble covering tight ends, so the Dolphins could exploit Detroit's defense over the middle of the field. Jack Campbell is out, and with that the Lions will have to rely on their backup linebackers in their man-coverage heavy scheme. With D.J. Reed also not expected to play, the Lions will be down their best cornerback. They've had some success as of late in holding the Packers and Vikings' passing attacks, but Reed has been a huge part of that. If Malik Willis can get into a groove, it could be a long night for the back seven.

2. How good a pass blocker is rookie right tackle Blake Miller, and how much help do you think they'll give him in pass-protecting against Chop Robinson?

JM: Miller has been solid up to this point. While there have certainly been growing pains throughout his debut season, the rookie has held his own for the most part. As far as giving him help, nothing is off the table. Last week against a blitz-heavy Vikings defense, the Lions utilized several multi-tight end packages designed to shift the strength of the defense as well as keep the blitzers off balance. If Miller struggles early in 1-on-1 work against Robinson, the Lions could do this once again to get him some help.

3. How much concern do you think there should be from a Detroit standpoint about an emotional letdown after the big win against Minnesota but also seeing Jack Campbell leave the field on a stretcher and still lay in a hospital bed?

JM: That is a very real concern. Dan Campbell discussed that earlier this week, when he noted that the team was split between their empathy for Campbell and his situation but also the urgency to prepare for their upcoming game. The sight of Campbell being injured in that fashion is very jarring, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Lions come out slow based on the fact that they're coming off of two high-stakes divisional wins (Green Bay and then Minnesota).

On the other hand, Dan Campbell is a master motivator and has traditionally had his teams ready to play in situations where they could be entering a trap game. There's certainly a concern that they could have an emotional letdown, but I would be very surprised if that were the case given Campbell's track record.

4. The Lions underwent a similar rebuild to what the DOlphins are doing right now with Dan Campbell in 2021 and started 0-10-1 that year; when did you start believing a turnaround was coming?

JM: The turnaround didn't truly begin until his second year. Sure, there were moments in year one where things were encouraging and looking up. Campbell would have the team ready to play, they would compete until the end and unfortunately they rarely came out with a win amidst some agonizing losses. Then, year two started extremely poorly culminating in that loss to Miami (coincidentally) at Ford Field that put Detroit at 1-6. After that game, though, things turned around drastically as the Lions won eight of their last 10 to finish with a winning record.

Even throughout those early struggles, though, there were always signs that the team might end up being competitive and winning. They were in just about every game, and never went down without a fight. There are elements of that in Miami's current start to the season, and because of that there should be some optimism.

5. How do the DOlphins make sure Aidan Hutchinson isn't in Malik Willis' lap the entire game?

JM: Teams have had some success limiting Hutchinson by making him go through multiple players en route to the quarterback. Oftentimes, there's a chip from a tight end and a back on his side waiting for him should he win his initial matchup. Willis can help himself by using his mobility to evade Hutchinson, who sometimes has a tendency to get too far upfield. In order to avoid him taking over, Willis will have to be quick on his feet and Miami will need to get him some extra help by utilizing chip blocks from tight ends and running backs.

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