Watch: ESPN’s NFL Matchup breaks down Dolphins’ challenge in Darren Waller

When the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders clashed at the end of the 2020 NFL regular season, it brought about a dramatic contest that featured a lot of ebbs and flows. The peaks and valleys of a slugfest between two teams hoping to punch a ticket to the postseason (neither did) were accentuated by a number of big-time plays from Raiders tight end Darren Waller; who was seemingly uncoverable despite some terrific efforts by Dolphins safety Eric Rowe.

If the Dolphins are going to prevail once again in this contest, they’re going to need to be on their A-game in coverage and there’s no piece of the puzzle they could benefit more from negating than Waller.

But that is easier said than done, given that Waller is one of the most physically gifted tight ends on the gridiron and the Raiders are more than capable of getting creative with how they scheme up targets for him.

And that’s where ESPN’s “NFL Matchup” comes in. Analyst Matt Bowen broke down the tape of Waller’s usage against the Dolphins last season and spotlighted the challenges that Waller and the Raiders’ defense creates.

There is no easy answer for how to negate these concepts from Las Vegas. But how Brian Flores attempts to ask his team to be up to the challenge will be fascinating to watch unfold, given the additions to the team’s secondary since last season and the Raiders’ hot start to this 2021 regular season.