Track speed, home-field advantage among 6 things Cowboys should know about Dolphins

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off an embarrassing loss on the road, and to get back in the win column, they’ll have to beat a good team while away from AT&T Stadium. The team needs to move on quickly as they play another AFC East opponent, only this time its the division-leading Miami Dolphins hosting the Cowboys in Week 16.

This contest also provides the Cowboys an opportunity to stay on top in the NFC East after they got a gift on Monday night. Like the Cowboys, the Dolphins are 10-4 on the season, but Miami is coming off a blowout win and have won four of their last five games.

After a stretch of football where the Cowboys looked like one of the best teams in the league, they had their doors blown off last week. How they respond may say everything about Mike McCarthy’s team. Here are six things to know about the Dolphins ahead of their Week 16 matchup.

Rival Cowboys' home dominance

The Cowboys are the only team undefeated at home in the NFL so far this season, but the Dolphins do have a 6-1 record when playing at Hard Rock Stadium. And much like the Cowboys, they routinely win by double-digits, where five of their six home wins have come by at least 14 points.

In their six wins at home this season, the Dolphins are averaging over 37 points a game, which includes a 70-point outing in Week 3. Since coach Mike McDaniel has taken over the team two years ago, Miami’s enjoyed a home-field advantage with a record of 12-3.

The team and coach have a lot to do with the success, but it also helps that they play and practice in the heat all year long and are more experienced in playing in the rain that can occur at random times in South Florida. Weather shouldn’t be a factor for upcoming matchup, where the temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70’s and no rain is in the current forecast.

Dallas’ had some issues playing on the road and this will be another opportunity to get right away from AT&T Stadium.

Dynamic one-two punch at RB

Miami has one of the best one-two punches at running back with starter Raheem Mostert and backup De’Von Achane. The duo has combined for 1,579 rushing yards and a whopping 25 touchdowns on the ground.

The veteran Mostert is just 34 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season, ranks third in the league in rushing and is tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns with 20, 18 of which have come on the ground. Mostert is averaging almost five yards a carry and has run for the third most first downs, with 56.

Achane has played in just eight games but has rushed for 613 yards and seven scores, despite carrying the ball just 72 times. The rookie’s most impressive number is 8.5, which is his ypc on the season. Achane’s also scored on runs of 67 and 76 yards, both os which came at home.

It’s a dangerous dynamic duo that will be difficult to slow down, especially for a team that just gave up 266 yards on the ground last week. There isn’t a more explosive RB tandem in the league than Mostert and Achane.

Speed kills

The Dolphins play football, but they could just as easily be classified as a track team with their ridiculous speed at their skill positions. Achane has three gains over 50 yards, including two touchdowns, and Mostert has four touches of over 25 yards, but the wide receivers also burn up the field.

WR Tyreek Hill has seven catches of over 40 yards, which includes five touchdowns, including four scores of 50+ yards or more. Their No. 2 receiver, Jaylon Waddle, isn’t far behind in the big play category. Waddle has five catches of over 30 yards, which includes a 60-yard score last week.

Every snap is an explosive play waiting to happen if the Cowboys don’t tackle well as the Dolphins have 40 big plays from the four listed above.

After getting bullied last week, the Cowboys’ defense is about to be tested in a different way, with speed.

Tyreek Hill's on a historic pace

Hill’s having one of the best seasons for a WR in the history of the league, and he was on pace to become the first receiver to ever surpass 2,000 yards before he missed Miami’s last game with an ankle injury. Still, Hill can set the NFL record for receiving yards in a season by averaging 141 yards over his last three games and needs 153 yards a game to go over 2,000 yards for the year.

Even without the records, Hill is having a monster season, leading the league in yards (1,532), receiving touchdowns (12), yards after the catch (601), big plays (26), first downs (69) and is the only WR in the NFL averaging over 100 ypg (118.6). Hill’s been the best WR in the league by a wide margin this year and only his ankle injury has slowed him down.

He’s currently questionable to play, but if Hill’s available, the veteran WR is the Dolphins’ biggest threat on offense. When he’s on the field and it’ll be a challenge to limit Hill’s damage.

Tua Tagovailoa an MVP candidate

The Cowboys have a quarterback playing at an MVP level this season, but Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is in the conversation as well. Tagovailoa leads the league in passing yards, yards per game, and is tied for fourth in touchdown passes. The 25 scoring throws is tied for a career-high and he should be surpassed that total well before the season is out.

Tagovailoa also has the best completion percentage in the NFL at 71%, which is impressive considering how much he’s throwing the ball down the field. The four-year veteran is second in the league in yards per attempt and is putting the ball on the money. Tagovailoa has been very efficient this season in running one of the best offenses.

The good news is that when Tagovailoa struggles, the Dolphins lose. In their four losses, Tagovailoa has thrown for just three touchdowns and couldn’t push the ball down the field. If the Cowboys can disrupt his timing, they’ll have a chance to slow down an explosive offense and quarterback.

They get after the QB

The Dolphins have a good defense that has been getting better over the course of the 2023 campaign. Their run defense is the fourth best group in the league, giving up just over 90 yards a game, but what Miami does best on defense is rush the passer.

With 48 sacks, the Dolphins are second in the NFL, led by veteran pass rusher Bradley Chubb’s 9.5. Defensive tackle Zach Sieler has already surprassed his career-high in sacks with 7.5, and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s 4.5 are just one off his best total as well.

Much like the Cowboys, the Dolphins like to get a lead and let their front seven attack the quarterback. It helps to have a top trio of cover players in the secondary to give the pass rush time to get home. Cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard, along with safety Jevon Holland, provide the coverage to force quarterbacks to hold onto the ball to give the defense time to pick up sacks.

The offensive line for the Cowboys needs to have one of their best games to keep quarterback Dak Prescott out of harm’s way.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire