The Miami Dolphins come out of their bye week and into the fire, as they host the undefeated New Orleans Saints at Land Shark Stadium. Kickoff is at 4:15.
To say the Saints are a high-scoring outfit is an understatement. Through five games, New Orleans is averaging 38.4 points and 430 yards of total ofense per game.
Last week, Drew Brees and Company eviscerated the then-No. 1 defense in the NFL, the New York Giants, for 493 total yards and 48 points in the Saints' 48-27 drubbing.
Brees was at his best, completing 23-of-30 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns, and Marques Colston caught eight passes for 166 yards and a TD.
These two teams met in the preseason, but Brees and many of the offensive starters did not play in Miami's 10-7 victory.
For Miami to win, the Dolphins must employ the same strategy they almost executed against the Colts and Peyton Manning back in a Week 2 loss: Control the ball with the running game, and limit Brees' opportunities offensively.
The problem that week was that Manning made the most of every chance he got, and led the Colts to a 27-23 win despite having possession of the ball for only 14 minutes and 53 seconds.
The Saints present a variety of problems, as they have playmakers at every offensive position, and are even fifth in the NFL in rushing offense.
Colston will be a handful for the secondary, though Sean Smith and his 6-foot-3 frame should have some opportunities against him.
The bigger problems may be Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush out of the backfield.
The Dolphins have had problems all season with elite tight ends. In Weeks 1-3, Tony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates had their way with Dolphins linebackers and the secondary.
Not coincidentally, in this two-game winning streak they managed to shut down Derek Fine of the Bills and Dustin Keller of the Jets.
Shockey is banged up, but if he plays, he should see a lot of passes from Brees.
The Dolphins' pass rush, which has been largely nonexistent this season, may not have much of a chance Sunday, as Brees gets the ball off so quickly, teams can barely get to him.
The Saints have allowed just four sacks all year, fourth in the NFL, and the Giants' great pass rush did not drop him once in last week's victory.
Dolphins enter with balanced attack
The Dolphins are coming off their best offensive performance of the season.
In a 31-27 win over the Jets on Monday Night Football two weeks ago, Chad Henne had the finest day of his young career, completing 20-of-26 throws for 241 yards and two TDs.
Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams spearheaded a 151-yard rushing effort out of the Wildcat, and Ted Ginn made his first big play of the season, when he beat a Jets triple-team for a 53-yard TD catch.
Now, the Dolphins must find a way to penetrate a Saints defense that has been surprisiingly good this year.
New Orleans ranks ninth in the NFL in total defense -- just one spot ahead of the Dolphins -- and last week the Saints held Eli Manning to his worst day of the season, with just 14 completions in 31 attempts for 178 yards and an interception.
Darren Sharper is the quarterback of the defensive backfield, and he is a master at reading a passer's eyes.
Sharper has five interceptions through five games, and he had a sixth last week that was called back due to a penalty.
He is exactly the type of crafty safety Henne should be wary of.
Other than Sharper, the New Orleans defense is largely the same outfit that has been a sieve the past few seasons.
What has changed is the addition of Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator.
His imaginative schemes and aggressive tactics have transformed the New Orleans defense, and the big men up front -- led by Charles Grant and Will Smith -- have formed a brick wall for opposing running backs, as the Saints rank fifth in the league against the run.
The Saints have too many weapons, and though I think the Dolphins will be able to move the ball on them -- particularly on the ground -- I see the Saints slipping by with a 31-24 score.
(Photo: Getty Images)
