The Dolphins are on a roll this year and they have to feel confident this weekend against a Jets team that they swept by a combined score of 61-52 last year.  Chad Henne had a lot of success throwing the ball against the Jets last year as he completed 32 of 47 passes (68.1%) for 353 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins don’t change their offense for teams like the Jets.  That means Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are going to come after the front seven of the Jets’ D.  The Jets are only allowing 50.5 yards rushing per game and 1.8 ypc but the Fins are averaging 126.0 yards rushing per game so something has to give here.  The Dolphins will likely keep the passing game short in this game throwing the ball a lot to Brandon Marshall especially with Darrelle Revis out.  It will hurt Dolphins’ fans to see Jason Taylor wearing Jets’ green.

When the Jets have the ball:  As long as Rex Ryan is the head coach of the Jets, I think they will be a run first football team.  LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene will be getting a lot of work against the front seven of the Fins.  Mark Sanchez played pretty well against the Dolphins last year but he will likely not be using Braylon Edwards much in this game (because he’s stupid).  That means that Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller are going to have a much bigger workload in the passing game this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 16, JETS 14

The Dolphins start a very rough stretch in the schedule starting this week in Minnesota.  They are going to have to pick up their overall game big time to beat a Vikings’ team that will be well rested and in a bad mood.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins will likely have to throw the ball more than they like to in this game.  They will likely keep the passing game short to help protect Chad Henne from DE Jared Allen and OLB Chad Greenway for the Vikings.  That means that Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline better be ready for a heavy workload.  That doesn’t mean that the Fins are going to go away from their strength though as they are likely to still attack the Vikings’ interior of the D with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Dolphins held the Bills to 50 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.9 ypc) last week but stopping Adrian Peterson is a whole different type of animal.  Brett Favre will also likely attack the Fins’ corners with Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian who will also be motivated to atone for weak games against the Saints in the season opener.  The Fins need to know where TE Visanthe Shiancoe is on every play as he is Brett Favre’s favorite target for right now.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, DOLPHINS 13

These two teams split last season’s series with each team winning big at home.  The Fins won 38-10 at home and then the Bills plunked them 31-14 later in the year in Buffalo.  I have a feeling that the new, improved Dolphins are going to have some fun this Sunday in New York.  Here is a close look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins were a run heavy team last season and I look for that to be the philosophy this weekend.  Look for the Fins to attack the outside of the Bills’ defense challenging their outside linebackers and corners to make some plays.  Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams will also be pounding the ball up the middle quite a bit too.  Don’t look for the Dolphins to use a deep passing game as they will keep things short to Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline and Davone Bess to control the clock and help where out the Bills’ D.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills don’t have much of a passing game but they have a decent run blocking line and a nice stable of RBs.  The Dolphins must control the Bills running game if they are going to win this game.  That means that NT Randy Starks is going to have to demand a double team so that inside linebackers Karlos Dansby and Channing Crowder can flow to the ball.  The only real passing threat down the field that the Bills have is Lee Evans so look for the Fins to have safety help over the top on his side of the field.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 24, BILLS 16

Both of these teams need a win and a lot of help to make the playoffs.  With that in mind look for this game to be a slugfest.  The Dolphins will likely come out running the ball against a Steelers’ D that has gotten soft against the run lately.  Rickey Williams is a little gimpy but he will give it a go tomorrow.  The Steelers love to blitz but if Chad Henne has time to throw the ball he should be able to torch the Steelers who have not gotten a interception from their CBs all year long.  Henne spreads the ball around so there is no one the Steelers should really double.

The Dolphins will likely turn OLBs Jason Taylor and Joey Porter loose against the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger tomorrow.  With what is at stake you know that Joey Porter will try to stick it to his old team who thought he was washed up a couple of years ago.  The Fins must blitz early and often to protect their rookie corners.  The Steelers will also be giving the rock to Rashard Mendenhall a lot tomorrow so the Fins will have a lot to worry about on defense.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 21, DOLPHINS 20

This might be the best football game of the day tomorrow in Nashville, Tennessee.  The Dolphins have won 5 of their last 7 games while the Titans have won 6 of their last 7 games.  The Dolphins will probably open up the offense a little more than usual in this game due to the Titans’ pass defense which is allowing 258.2 yards passing per game this season.  The Titans will likely gang up to try to stop Ricky Williams and they do have a decent run defense as they have only allowed 99.4 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  Expect the Dolphins to try to be close to 50/50 on run and pass plays tomorrow.

The Dolphins will have to go all out to try to stop Chris Johnson tomorrow.  That is easier said than done as he already has 2,017 yards rushing and receiving and he has scored 13 TDs this year!  If the Dolphins can slow down Johnson some then they can attack the pocket by blitzing as Vince Young is a tad gimpy with a hamstring injury.  With Young not being able to take off out of the pocket his injury takes away a key weapon in the Titans’ offense.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 28, DOLPHINS 27

The Dolphins have won 3 of their last four games while the Jaguars have won 4 of their last five games so these teams both come into this game hot.  The Dolphins won’t change how they play the game this weekend as Ricky Williams will likely be the focal point of the offense against a Jags’ D that is allowing 103.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  If that works then Chad Henne will likely have another great game on Sunday as the Jags only have 12 sacks on the year.  That means that he should be able to get the ball downfield off of play action passes to Davone Bess, Brian Hartline, Ted Ginn and Greg Camarillo. 

The Jaguars will be leaning heavily on Maurice Jones-Drew in this game so the front seven of the Fins will likely need to be up for the challenge.  The Jaguars have allowed 34 sacks this season so the Dolphins should be able to get a lot of pressure on him.  Also, Garrard’s top receiver (Mike Sims-Walker) is doubtful for this game due to knee and calf injuries.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 23, JAGUARS 20

The Patriots have a weak schedule the rest of the way so they need to finish off the Dolphins’ hopes this Sunday.  The Dolphins need to take care of business this weekend or they should start getting ready for 2010.  The Patriots beat the Dolphins four weeks ago 27-17 at Foxboro.  The Patriots will stick to the same thing that worked so well against the Fins the first time and that is throwing the football.  Tom Brady threw for 332 times the last time these two teams played and he will likely torture the rookie corners on the Fins’ roster.  Look for Randy Moss and Wes Welker to both go over 100 yards receiving in this game.  The Patriots will likely only turn to the running game to help grind out the clock.

The Dolphins will come out running the football against the Patriots on Sunday.  The Patriots are allowing 109.7 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so Ricky Williams should get his share of yards.  Still, look for the front seven and the safeties to be creeping up into the box to stop the Fins’ running game.  The Dolphins must have Chad Henne take a few deep shots off play action or it’s going to be a long day for them offensively.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 30, DOLPHINS 17

This is a big game for both teams tomorrow night as they each sit at 4-5 on the year.  The Dolphins will be without Ronnie Brown which could force them to throw the ball a bit more than usual.  Still, they will try to ride Ricky Williams against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 128.1 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Dolphins will likely have to throw the ball a few times on first down to make the Panthers pay for cheating the safeties up towards the line of scrimmage.  That would mean that Ted Ginn and Brian Hartline will have to step up and that is a iffy proposition.  But, Chad Henne has a strong enough arm to get the ball deep if he has time to throw the ball.  That means that the Dolphins will have to keep DE Julius Peppers (who is playing with a broken hand) out of the backfield which is easier said than done.

The Panthers will likely pound the ball with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart against a Dolphins’ D that is only allowing 97.6 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry so something will have to give in this game.  The Panthers could also come out throwing the ball before they run it to try to get the Dolphins out of their comfort zone offensively getting them to play from behind.  To do that though the Panthers will need to keep Jason Taylor, Cameron Wake and Charlie Anderson away from Jake Delhomme.  Because if Delhomme has time to throw the ball he will likely beat the rookie CBs of the Dolphins with Steve Smith and Mushin Muhammad.  Delhomme has been better about protecting the football and look for that to continue tomorrow night against a Fins’ D with 8 interceptions that is allowing 239.4 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 27, DOLPHINS 20

The Buccaneers travel to Miami to deal with the Dolphins on Sunday and this should be a interesting football game.  A lot will fall onto the shoulders of rookie QB Josh Freeman in this game as Cadillac Williams could have a hard time finding running room against a Fins’ D that is only allowing 94.5 yards rushing and 3.7 yards per carry so far this season.  The Bucs will still try to run the ball early in this game to keep the Dolphins’ D honest.  If they can’t then the Dolphins will be bringing the blitz early and often against the Bucs.  If that does happen then Freeman should look to get the ball into the hands of Kellen Winslow on the short stuff.  Young WRs Maurice Stovall and Sammie Stroughter seem to be on the same wave length with Freeman so they should get a lot of work in this game against the rookie corners (Sean Smith and Vontae Davis) of the Fins.

The Dolphins’ offense has been licking their chops looking at gamefilm of the Bucs’ front seven as the Bucs are allowing 163.4 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and the Wildcat Formation will likely be used quite a bit in this game and for good reason as the Fins’ are averaging 150.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry this season.  Chad Henne will likely just be managing this game as the passing will be kept to the shorter stuff.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 30, BUCCANEERS 13

This is a big game for both of these teams in the AFC East.  The Dolphins need this game to get back into the division race as they are 3-4 on the year while the Patriots sit atop the division with a 5-2 record.  The Fins will keep the ball on the ground in this game with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams against a Patriots’ D that is allowing 109.4 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  They will likely use a lot of the Wildcat Formation against the Patriots on Sunday.  The Fins will likely keep passing to the play action variety as Chad Henne has been so-so since taking over as the starting QB.

The Patriots will likely try to jump on the Fins with the passing game.  If Tom Brady has time to throw the ball (which is likely) then he will attack the corners of the Dolphins who are both rookies with Randy Moss, Wes Welker and rookie Brandon Tate.  Ben Watson might also be a factor for the Patriots in this game as he has a huge size advantage over the guys that will be covering him.  Laurence Maroney will probably carry the load in the running game against the Fins but expect the Patriots to concentrate on using their Air Raid on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, DOLPHINS 27