Dolphins have to slow Rodgers
Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase has a firm grasp of the obvious, and here’s how we know: “Aaron Rodgers,” Gase said, “is a little different than Sam Darnold.”
Rodgers, of course, is a former Super Bowl MVP and a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, the team the Dolphins visit this Sunday. Darnold is a New York Jets rookie first-round pick, a quarterback the Dolphins beat last week with four interceptions.
So … yeah, the Dolphins definitely have a bigger challenge this week.
However, the Packers are coming off their first losing season since 2008, and they are struggling this season with a 3-4-1 record and two straight losses.
The bright spot for the Packers is that they are 3-0-1 at home this season. And something else to factor into the equation is that the Packers were off to a 4-1 start last season before Rodgers got injured.
The Packers went 3-8 the rest of the way, with Rodgers playing in just one game during that stretch.
Rodgers’ completion percentage this year is 60.6 percent, which would be the lowest number of his career since he became a starter in 2008. But he has already passed for 2,542 yards this season, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio is outstanding at 15-1.
Miami leads the NFL with 15 interceptions, so that’s a fascinating matchup. Also fascinating is the fact that failed ex-Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin returned to Green Bay this year as the Packers’ offensive coordinator.
The Dolphins will surely play close attention to two Packers targets – wide receiver Davante Adams and tight end Jimmy Graham. Adams has caught 19 touchdown passes since the start of 2017. Graham, a former Miami Hurricanes player, has caught 12 touchdown passes during that same span. However, Graham missed practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury.
When the Dolphins are on offense, they will be without quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who will miss his fifth straight game due to a shoulder injury. Brock Osweiler is 2-2 at quarterback since replacing Tannehill.
SERIES HISTORY: 15th regular-season meeting. Dolphins lead series, 10-4. Green Bay won the last time they played, a 27-24 victory in 2014. The last time these teams met in Green Bay was in 2010, and the Dolphins scored a 23-20 win in overtime.
