QB Clash, Pass Rush Among Five Biggest Storylines for Dolphins-Chargers Week 6

The Miami Dolphins will look for get back on track against the Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) shake hands after the game at SoFi Stadium in 2023. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins will look to get back on track when they face the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

The Dolphins will go into the game with a 1-4 record and face a Chargers team that's 3-2 but coming back-to-back losses against the New York Giants and Washington Commanders.

Ahead of this Week 6 matchup, we analyze the five biggest storylines:

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THE QB CLASH

No, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert won't be directly facing each other, but this is no less the biggest talking point about this matchup given their neverending link as the fifth and sixth overall picks in the 2020 NFL draft. This will be the fourth time in the NFL the two quarterbacks have faced each other, with the Dolphins having a 2-1 advantage in the first three.

TIME TO TURN UP THE PRESSURE

The Dolphins defense has been a major disappointment so far this season and it's stopping the run that's been the biggest issue. But the focal point will be taking advantage of a Chargers tackle tandem that consists of a Houston Texans reject (Austin Deculus) and a player signed off the practice squad Saturday who'll be playing his first regular season game since 2022 (Bobby Hart). There is no excuse for Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson not to have a big impact in this game.

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WALLER ALL THE WAY

Tight end Darren Waller has been a great story since he got into the lineup, with three touchdowns in two games, but the Dolphins can't forget about him in the second half or let the defense take him away like the Carolina Panthers did last Sunday. If that means forcing some throws in his direction, so be it. The Dolphins have to make him a big factor from start to finish.

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PLAYING A CLEAN GAME

A big reason for the Dolphins' 1-4 start has been some massively untimely penalties, such as Jack Jones' defensive pass interference to give Carolina a game-clinching first down last Sunday. Before that, there were the two offensive penalties on the final, futile drive against New England and Zach Sieler's roughing-the-punter penalty against the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins are not good enough at this time to be able to afford those kind of key mistakes.

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STOPPING THE RUN

For a second consecutive week, the Dolphins will be facing a backup running back, in this case a third-string running back. It's one of the reasons we're not expecting a repeat of the disaster from last week when Rico Dowdle burned Miami for 206 rushing yards, but the Dolphins still have to do the work to make sure the Chargers don't control the ball on the ground.

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