**3\. Establish a ground game.**
The Commanders have tinkered with ways to re-ignite their ground game over the last month with little success. Granted, some of that is because of the injuries at receiver, which has allowed defenses to overcommit to stopping the Commanders on the ground, but relying on the likes of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez remains what the Commanders do best, and they'll need the group to perform to get a win against Miami.
Things should be a bit easier for the Commanders in that regard than they were in previous weeks against the Seahawks and Lions, both of whom rank in the top 10 in rushing yards allowed per game. The Dolphins, at least in terms of their ranking, are not as formidable, allowing 139.7 yards per contest on the ground and 4.9 yards per attempt. They've given up 10 rushing touchdowns -- tied for the fifth most in the league -- although they have limited teams to less than 100 yards in two of their last three games.
The Commanders should test that with their trio on Sunday. McNichols and Rodriguez have gotten more involved in recent weeks, and both have put up solid numbers when carrying the ball. McNichols averages 7.6 yards per carry on 22 attempts, while Rodriguez is at 4.4 yards per carry. Rodriguez in particular has stood out to the coaches, with Kingsbury saying that he and Rodriguez's teammates know he makes the most out of every touch. Rodriguez got the first carry against the Lions but had just six for the night.
Similar to the passing game, the Commanders must figure out a solution to getting more out of their running backs. Quinn suggested earlier in the season that the Commanders might need to force the issue, even if it means settling for one- or two-yard gains at times. It's possible that strategy will pay off against the Dolphins, who rank 23rd in run-stop win rate.