Broncos at Dolphins
Pro Player Stadium
Miami, Fla.
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2001
AT A GLANCE: Despite some inconsistencies this season,
both teams are in the midst of a wide-open playoff race. The Dolphins snatched victory
from the jaws of defeat last week in Buffalo, while the Broncos held on to defeat Dallas.
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| OVERVIEW: Both teams came up with big wins last week, as
the Dolphins (7-3) kept pace with the Jets in the AFC East race, and the Broncos (6-5)
bounced back from an embarrassing home loss to the Redskins. But this game is equally as
important in regard to the big picture because neither team can afford to slip up in an
unpredictable AFC race. The Broncos’ offense got a much-needed shot in the arm from
RB Mike Anderson last week in a 26-24 win over Dallas. But Denver’s injury problems
have loomed large over the past month, preventing the team from reaching any level of
consistency offensively.
The Dolphins took advantage of some sloppy play by the Bills to rally for a 34-27 win
after being down by 10 points with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
While the Broncos have not exactly lived up to expectations following their offseason
shopping spree, the Dolphins have only lost to the Rams and Jets this season.
When the Broncos have the ball:
QB Brian Griese has struggled mightily at times this season, and there are many reasons
for his imperfections.
Reason No. 1 — The Broncos’ offensive line has not pass protected as well as
it usually does. Griese’s jersey has been grass-stained quite often this season, and
he has been forced to throw a lot earlier than he’d like at times. The offensive line
had two new starters (OLT Trey Teague and OLG Lennie Friedman) to open the season and
currently has two (Friedman and ORT Matt Lepsis) playing with knee injuries. |
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| Pro Player Stadium |
| Miami, Fla. |
| Date: Sunday, December 2, 2001 |
| 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time |
| Type Of Turf: Natural |
| Meeting Of The Year: Only |
| Season Record: |
| |
Denver |
6-5-0 |
| |
Miami |
7-3-0 |
| Season Record Vs. Spread: |
| |
Denver |
5-6-0 |
| |
Miami |
7-3-0 |
| Home/Road Record: |
| |
Denver (R) |
2-3-0 |
| |
Miami (H) |
3-1-0 |
| Home/Road Record Vs. Spread: |
| |
Denver (R) |
1-4-0 |
| |
Miami (H) |
3-1-0 |
| Record On Natural Turf: |
| |
Denver |
5-4-0 |
| |
Miami |
4-2-0 |
| Record On Natural Turf Vs. Spread: |
| |
Denver |
5-4-0 |
| |
Miami |
4-2-0 |
|
| Reason No. 2 — The running game has been
anything but consistent. RB Terrell Davis has played very little this season, though he
could be back from his latest knee surgery this week. Anderson rushed for 118 yards on a
workmanlike 33 carries last week, but he had lost the starting job to Olandis Gary, who
subsequently broke his leg and was lost for the year. The Broncos have averaged 136.5
rushing yards per game in their six wins and only 88.2 in their five losses. Reason No.
3 — The Broncos are hurting at the second WR spot. Outside of Rod Smith, they have
gotten next to nothing from their WR corps.
The Dolphins expect SS Brian Walker and CB Sam Madison to return from injury this week,
and that should be a big boost for their pass defense.
One problem that remains for the Dolphins, however, is their drop-off in turnovers.
They have done well in terms of yardage allowed, but forcing turnovers was their bread and
butter last season (41 takeaways), and they haven’t forced nearly as many this year
(15).
When the Dolphins have the ball:
QB Jay Fiedler showed exactly why he can’t be benched by the Dolphins in last
week’s win, as he tossed three fourth-quarter TD passes to edge the Bills. The game
also marked the first time Fiedler went without throwing an interception since the season
opener.
RB Lamar Smith’s production has been a major disappointment for the Dolphins. He
has only two games with more than 55 yards rushing this season. A lot of his
ineffectiveness can be directly attributed to the offensive line’s below-average play
in the ground game. ORG Todd Perry hasn’t lived up to expectations, and OLT Spencer
Folau, who was called into action because of season-ending injuries to the two players in
front of him, is not as good run blocking as he is in pass protection.
The Dolphins played without C Tim Ruddy, the anchor of the line, last week because of a
knee injury, but he should return this week. Miami was dealt a major blow last week when
OLG Mark Dixon was lost for the year with a broken leg.
Travis Minor has proved to be a bright spot as a change-of-pace back. His elusiveness
and receiving ability has made it easy for the Dolphins’ coaching staff to work him
into the offense more as the season has progressed. The Dolphins also are high on rookie
WR Chris Chambers, who has shown plenty of speed and a knack for making the tough catches
in traffic.
LB Ian Gold has become much more of a presence as a pass-rushing specialist, and he is
now starting to take some playing time away from Bill Romanowski in the Broncos’ base
defense.
OLB John Mobley has been a reliable playmaker for Denver, but the Broncos would like to
see more consistency from CB Deltha O’Neal, who has seen his share of highs and lows
this season.
All game previews and depth charts were compiled as of Nov. 25. |
Offense |
| WR |
80 R. SMITH, 82 Kasper*, 84 Cole |
| OLT |
70 TEAGUE, 65 Carlisle |
| OLG |
64 FRIEDMAN, 79 Herndon |
| C |
66 NALEN, 63 Diaz-Infante, 50 Hamilton* |
| ORG |
62 NEIL, 79 Herndon |
| ORT |
78 LEPSIS, 65 Carlisle |
| TE |
89 CARSWELL, 88 D. Clark, 49 Dominguez, 86 Hape |
| WR |
83 MONTGOMERY, 81 Poole, 85 McGeoghan |
| QB |
14 GRIESE, 12 Frerotte, 17 Jackson |
| RB |
38 ANDERSON, 30 Davis, Coleman |
| FB |
37 CARTER, 86 Hape, 42 D. Smith |
Defense |
| DLE |
97 WASHINGTON, 92 Berry |
| DLT |
91 McGLOCKTON, 90 Johnson |
| DRT |
93 PRYCE, 94 Lett, 99 Reagor |
| DRE |
95 PITTMAN, 69 Hayward* |
| WLB |
51 MOBLEY, 54 Woodall |
| MLB |
56 WILSON, 55 Burns |
| SLB |
53 ROMANOWSKI, 52 Gold |
| LCB |
24 O'NEAL, 25 Davis, 23 Middlebrooks* |
| RCB |
27 WALKER, 33 Spencer |
| SS |
28 KENNEDY, 47 D. Clark |
| FS |
26 BROWN, 48 Coghill |
Specialists |
| PK |
1 ELAM |
| P |
16 ROUEN |
| H |
16 ROUEN |
| PR |
24 O'NEAL |
| KR |
84 COLE, 15 Kasper* |
| LS |
70 TEAGUE |
* Rookie |
|
|
Offense |
| WR |
86 GADSDEN, 87 Ward, 88 Ogden |
| OLT |
60 FOLAU, 70 Swayne |
| OLG |
66 IRWIN, 65 Andrew* |
| C |
61 RUDDY, 65 Andrew* |
| ORG |
75 T. PERRY |
| ORT |
71 WADE |
| TE |
83 GOODWIN, 82 Weaver, 89 E. Perry |
| WR |
80 McKNIGHT, 84 Chambers* |
| QB |
9 FIEDLER, 6 Lucas, 8 McNown |
| RB |
26 L. SMITH, 34 Minor*, 32 J. Johnson |
| FB |
44 KONRAD, 33 Dyer |
Defense |
| DLE |
79 MIXON, 91 Bromell, 96 D. Bowens |
| DLT |
95 T. BOWENS, 94 Haley |
| DRT |
92 GARDENER, 97 Grant |
| DRE |
99 TAYLOR, 90 Ogunleye |
| SLB |
52 GREENWOOD*, 56 Russell |
| MLB |
54 THOMAS, 51 Hendricks |
| WLB |
59 RODGERS, 58 Galyon |
| LCB |
23 SURTAIN, 24 Fletcher* |
| RCB |
29 MADISON, 21 Cousin, 37 Lethridge |
| SS |
45 WALKER, 41 McGarrahan, 40 Green |
| FS |
31 MARION, 27 Freeman, 35 Wooden |
Specialists |
| P |
1 TURK |
| PK |
10 MARE |
| H |
1 TURK, 88 Ogden |
| KR |
84 CHAMBERS*, 31 Marion |
| PR |
88 OGDEN, 31 Marion |
| LS |
89 E. PERRY, 83 Goodwin |
* Rookie |
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