Miami (1-3) at Carolina (1-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m., EDT, FOX
BetMGM line: Dolphins by 1 1/2
Series record: Dolphins lead 6-2
Against the spread: Dolphins 2-2, Panthers 2-2.
Last week: Dolphins beat Jets 27-21; Panthers lost to Patriots 42-13.
Last meeting: Dolphins beat Panthers 42-21 on Oct. 15, 2023 in Miami.
Dolphins offense: overall (26), rush (27), pass (22), scoring (21).
Dolphins defense: overall (26), rush (30), pass (20), scoring (26).
Panthers offense:
overall (24), rush (26), pass (21), scoring (26).
Panthers defense: overall (19), rush (23), pass (12), scoring (19).
Turnover differential: Dolphins minus-2, Panthers minus-1.
WR Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins will be relying on the fifth-year wide receiver much more now that Tyreek Hill is out for the season with a knee injury. And Waddle has shown he’s a capable No. 1 receiver. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in his first three NFL seasons, the first of which came in 2021, a year before Hill signed with the Dolphins. Waddle has 17 catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the first four games of the season, and he is averaging 10.9 yards per catch.
RB Rico Dowdle. Dowdle could start this week with starter Chuba Hubbard hampered by a calf injury and unable to practice on Wednesday or Thursday. The Panthers signed Dowdle as an unrestricted free agent to provide added depth in the backfield, giving them two 1,000-yard rushers from last season. Hubbard was limited to 35 offensive snaps against the Patriots and had 10 carries for 49 yards and three receptions for 20 yards. Dowdle played 27 snaps and had nine carries for 32 yards while catching one pass for minus-2 yards.
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane vs. Panthers front seven. Achane is coming off his best game of the season on the ground, running for 99 yards on 20 carries while scoring his first TD rushing in the team’s first win over the Jets. Achane had been used more as a receiver in the first three games, where he caught 18 passes for 141 yards and two scores. He faces a Panthers 3-4 defense that has struggled against the run under coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Dolphins: WR Tyreek Hill suffered a significant knee injury in Miami's win over the New York Jets and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday. WR Cedrick Wilson, whom the Dolphins signed Wednesday for depth, did not practice this week because of a minor knee procedure he had weeks ago and likely won't play on Sunday. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the team was aware of the procedure before signing Wilson, and he will practice next week.
Panthers: Carolina lost a third offensive lineman to injured reserve when guard Chandler Zavala (knee) went down last week, further depleting what was once the team's deepest position. Brady Christensen, Carolina's utility lineman who has extensive starting experience at a number of O-line spots, is expected to take his place. Veteran wide receiver David Moore (elbow) was also placed on IR this week, which means Brycen Tremayne and rookie Jimmy Horn could see additional reps. Carolina is expected to get Xavier Legette back in the lineup, but he has just 8 yards on four receptions in two games.
The Panthers have lost the past two games to the Dolphins. However, the most recent time the two teams met at Bank of America Stadium the Panthers came away with a 45-21 victory. The majority of matchups in this series have been high-scoring games with the teams combining for at least 53 points in each of the past three meetings.
The Dolphins picked up their first win of the season on Monday night, holding off the New York Jets 27-21 to move to 1-3. ... Hill's injury occurred in the third quarter. The five-time All-Pro's left knee became twisted badly shortly after he made a catch near the sideline. Hill had surgery on Tuesday to repair multiple dislocated ligaments, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Hill caught 21 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown in his four games this season. ... A win on Sunday would be Miami's 30th victory under head coach Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa's 40th victory as a starter. ... Third-year RB De’Von Achane has scored in three of four games this season and is the third player since the 1970 merger to have 15-plus rushing touchdowns and 10-plus receiving scores in the first 32 games of his career. ... The Dolphins offense is 23 of 47 (48.9%) on third down attempts, which is the second-best mark in the NFL this season. ... Miami's defense generated its first turnover of the season on a forced fumble in the first quarter against the Jets and ended up with three takeaways in that game. But the Dolphins are allowing 378.8 total yards per game, including 158 yards rushing per game, which is third worst in the NFL. ... The Panthers' lone win this season came at home when they shut out the Falcons 30-0 in Week 3. They are 1-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. ... QB Bryce Young is 7-25 as a starter, tied for the third-worst record in NFL history among QBs with at least 30 starts. ... The Panthers are expected to have a packages of plays for speedy rookie WR Jimmy Horn this week with Moore out. Horn has yet to play in a regular-season game. ... WR Jalen Coker is eligible to return from injured reserve, but indications are it could be another couple of weeks before he's ready to go. ... The Panthers have already lost three offensive linemen (Robert Hunt, Austin Corbett and Chandler Zavala) to injured reserve. ... Carolina's defense has just two sacks this season. ... K Ryan Fitzpatrick missed a field goal and an extra point last week.
Darren Waller scored two TDs last week in his Miami debut and could be in for another productive game against a Panthers defense that has struggled to defend tight ends.
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