Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle OUT vs. Ravens; How Does Miami Adjust?
When the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins meet at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the winner can claim the AFC's top seed entering the final week of the regular season. But the Dolphins will be doing so without one of their top players.
According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Dolphins are ruling receiver Jaylen Waddle out for Sunday's game against the Ravens.
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The former first-round receiver has totaled 1,000 yards receiving for the third straight year and is on his way to a Pro Bowl season despite the rash of injuries he's sustained this year.
With Waddle out on Sunday, will the Dolphins' high-powered offense look any different against a physical Ravens defense?
The answer is not exactly the easiest to answer for a couple of reasons.
First off, Miami has already played a game this year without their young wideout. In Week 3 against the Denver Broncos, the Alabama product missed the game due to a concussion he suffered in the previous week.
The Dolphins put up 70 points and over 700 yards of offense in his absence.
Waddle left last week's contest against the Dallas Cowboys early with his ankle injury, but Miami was still able to rack up 375 yards of offense and close to six yards a play.
What makes an offense like Miami's so difficult is their play-calling and alignment before the snap. Head coach Mike McDaniel uses pre-snap motion among the most in the league and it allows other stars like Tyreek Hill to be open despite tough defensive alignments.
The use of motion will allow teams to hide losses on an offense better than those who refuse to use it.
A clear example of this was just last week against a vaunted Cowboys defense. Waddle left the contest early, but other players like Durham Smythe, Cedrick Wilson Jr., and Robbie Chosen combined for nine catches and 117 yards. Of course, having Hill's nine catches for 99 yards helps too.
Miami's use of motion can mitigate any type of loss on the field. That's what makes Baltimore's challenge so hard this week.
The Dolphins can attack any defense no matter the playmakers they have on offense. As long as one of Hill and Waddle are on the field, they have the potential to put up a lot of yards and points.
For Baltimore's unit to be successful, they can't bite on the quick movement the Dolphins show pre-snap, and keep everything in front of them.
That means no big plays and a heavy dose of physical football.
The Ravens are a unit defensively that can match up very well with a quick team like the Dolphins. The way they can be successful, though is by applying the same type of physical football that they did last week against the San Francisco 49ers.
Not having to deal with a top player like Waddle could certainly help.
