The Lions vs. Dolphins Week 10 matchup sends a 5-2 Detroit team that has won four of its last five games to Hard Rock Stadium to face a Miami squad that has lost six of seven. The game kicks off Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. ET, and the biggest question is whether the Dolphins’ struggling defense can slow down a Lions offense that is averaging 29 points per game.
Detroit Lions vs Miami Dolphins Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 8
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
- TV: Fox
- Weather: 86 degrees, 47% chance of precipitation
Detroit sits at 5-2 and third in the NFC North, two games behind Minnesota at 6-1. Miami is 1-6 and last in the AFC East, four and a half games behind division-leading Buffalo at 6-1. A look at recent form shows just how different these two trajectories have been.
Can Detroit’s Offense Keep Rolling Against A Depleted Miami Defense
Jared Goff has completed 168 of 248 passes for 1,964 yards with 15 touchdowns and just one interception this season, giving him a 110.0 passer rating. The Lions are averaging 412 total yards and 29 points per game, both figures well above Miami’s averages allowed. Detroit has won four of its last five, including a 45-21 rout of Arizona and a 19-15 win over Minnesota on Nov. 1, detailed in the Lions’ recap of that victory.
Jahmyr Gibbs has carried the load on the ground with 773 yards and eight touchdowns on 157 attempts, and the Lions rank among the league’s most efficient red zone offenses at a 90.00% scoring rate inside the 20. Miami’s defense has allowed opponents to average 304.4 total yards and 16.7 points per game, but the Dolphins have managed only 9 sacks and six takeaways all season, numbers that suggest limited pressure on a Lions line that has allowed just 16 sacks through seven games.
How Does The Jack Campbell Injured Reserve Move Affect Detroit’s Defense
Linebacker Jack Campbell is now on injured reserve with a neck injury, with a listed return date of Dec. 6, according to the official injury report. That takes him off the field for Sunday’s trip to Miami and removes him from Detroit’s linebacker rotation for several weeks to come.
Campbell joins a Lions injury report that already included several other absences. Center Cade Mays is out with an ankle sprain, linebacker DJ Wonnum is out with a concussion, cornerback D.J. Reed is out with a hip injury and safety Kerby Joseph is out with a knee injury, all three with a projected return date of Nov. 15.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who leads Detroit with 53 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns, is not listed among the players ruled out, though his rib injury had been a lingering concern entering the week.
Detroit’s defense has still been one of the better units in the league at creating turnovers, with 7 takeaways against only 4 giveaways for a plus-3 turnover differential. Losing Campbell alongside Joseph in coverage could be tested against a Miami passing attack that has thrown five interceptions already this season.
How Banged Up Are The Dolphins Entering Sunday
Miami’s injury report is crowded heading into the matchup. Running backs Jaylen Wright and Kaytron Allen are both questionable with quadriceps injuries, defensive end Malik Herring is questionable with a neck stinger, cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. is out with an undisclosed injury and running back De’Von Achane is on injured reserve after ACL surgery, with a return date listed in February. With that many players sidelined or in doubt, Miami’s expected starting lineup remains unsettled this close to kickoff.
Quarterback Malik Willis has completed 108 of 183 passes for 1,268 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions, posting a 79.7 rating. Running back Ollie Gordon II leads the ground game with 408 yards and four touchdowns on 91 carries, and Malik Washington paces the receiving corps with 31 catches for 329 yards. Miami’s lone win in its last five came Oct. 25 against the New York Jets, 28-25, before a 24-19 home loss to New England on Nov. 1.
Lions Vs Dolphins By The Numbers
- Points per game: Lions 29.0, Dolphins 16.7
- Total yards per game: Lions 412.0, Dolphins 304.4
- Passing yards per game: Lions 280.6, Dolphins 181.1
- Rushing yards per game: Lions 131.4, Dolphins 123.3
- Third-down conversion rate: Lions 39.02%, Dolphins 42.70%
- Red zone scoring rate: Lions 90.00%, Dolphins 94.44%
- Turnover differential: Lions plus-3, Dolphins minus-3
- Sacks recorded (defense): Lions 24, Dolphins 9
- Giveaways: Lions 4, Dolphins 9
The Key Matchup: Lions’ Offensive Line Against A Depleted Dolphins Front
Detroit’s offensive line has allowed only 16 sacks across seven games while paving the way for 920 rushing yards and a 4.6 yards-per-carry average. Miami’s pass rush has produced just 9 sacks all season, a unit that could be further thinned if Herring is unable to play. If Detroit’s line controls the line of scrimmage the way it has for most of the season, Gibbs and Goff should have room to operate against a Dolphins defense that has struggled to get off the field, allowing opponents to convert 42.70% of third downs.
Players To Watch
Jared Goff, QB, Lions
Goff has thrown just one interception all season against 15 touchdown passes, and he will look to continue that efficiency against a Miami secondary that has allowed opposing quarterbacks room to operate.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions
Gibbs ran for 153 yards in Detroit’s win over Minnesota, covered in the Lions’ recap of that game, and has eight rushing touchdowns on the year. He projects as the focal point of the Lions’ offense with the defense now thinner at linebacker following the Jack Campbell injured reserve move.
Malik Willis, QB, Dolphins
Willis has thrown five interceptions against six touchdowns this season. How he handles a Detroit defense that has forced seven total takeaways will be a factor in whether Miami can stay competitive.
What To Watch
Detroit remains in the thick of the NFC North race at 5-2, trailing only Minnesota’s 6-1 mark, in a division where Green Bay and Chicago are also within striking distance. Miami, at 1-6, is looking for any sign of progress after six losses in seven games. How Detroit’s defense adjusts without Jack Campbell, along with how many of Miami’s questionable players actually suit up, will shape how the game unfolds.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Fox from Hard Rock Stadium.
Other News
The Detroit Lions placed linebacker Jack Campbell on injured reserve with a neck injury, according to the official injury report. Campbell’s return date is listed as Dec. 6, ruling him out for Sunday’s game at the Miami Dolphins and beyond for at least the next month.
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