Can defense slow down Miami?
Waller is an important aspect of this Dolphins offense, but that entire side of the ball for Miami is raring to go with speed. In theory, some of it will be lost now that Tyreek Hill is out for the year—"It's still a lot of speed, but Tyreek a different speed," admitted corner Jaycee Horn—but the combination of Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington, and even running back De'Von Achane as a pass-catcher has ensured McDaniel's fast offense can still click along.
"Their offense is built on speed. That's been a thing since Coach McDaniel got over there, so they definitely still got capable players," said Horn.
The Dolphins, as a team, are tied for the fourth-highest top speed average across the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. Speed starts before the ball is snapped, when players get a running start on motion, and slow down the defense with window dressing that causes second-guessing. According to Next Gen, the Dolphins have motioned at a league-high rate of 77.9 percent his season.
Furthermore, under McDaniel, Miami has posted the highest motion rate in the NFL in three of his four seasons as head coach. The Dolphins' motion rate climbs even higher to 88.5 percent on designed runs this season, which ranks first in the league. That motion rate on designed runs would be the highest recorded since at least 2018.
Motion also allows an offense to attack the edges, an area that Horn knows could seem susceptible after the Patriots took advantage.
"Our run defense been solid, inside the tackles," said Horn. "I think teams going to try to attack us on the perimeter more, you know, do the New England game, because they had success with it."
So how do you combat speed?
"All of it," explained Horn. "(Defensive) speed, technique, good pass rush, physicality, that eliminates a lot of speed. They slow down if you're being physical all game. So, yeah, we're going to, we got to be ready."