FRISCO, Texas — Week 16’s face-off of the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys at the 10-4 Miami Dolphins is historical. It’s connected as the match coming newest in a season in NFL history inbetween 2 groups averaging 30 or more points per videogame, with Dallas ranking as the NFL’s No. 2 scoring offense (30.8 points per videogame) and Miami leading the league (31.5 points per videogame).
Both offenses are crammed with playmakers. The Cowboys are equipped with Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard, Pro Bowl large receiver CeeDee Lamb, sage veteran Brandin Cooks and emerging second-year tight end Jake Ferguson. The Dolphins have maybe the fastest group of ability positions gamers in the NFL, consistingof the 2023 league leader in getting lawns (1,542) and getting goals (Tyreek Hill), the 2022 league leader in backyards per catch (Jaylen Waddle, 18.1), the 2023 co-leader in skirmish goals (Raheem Mostert) and the 2023 league co-leader in skirmish goals by novices (De’Von Achane).
“Yeah, it’s extremely enjoyable, various methods of moving gamers,” Cowboys broad receiver CeeDee Lamb stated Thursday when asked about the high-powered match. “A lot of playmakers, a lot of speed. We have speed, they have track runners. Very delighted. Looking forward to it.”
Lamb’s 25 plays of 20 or more backyards this season ranks as the second-most in the NFL behind just Hill’s26 A high school track professionalathlete himself, Lamb is naturally thrilled about the race to light up the scoreboard with Hill and the Dolphins. However, Dallas’ fifth-ranked scoring defense that permits an average of 18.9 points per videogame, isn’t as delighted to be to go up versus Miami’s turbo-charged offense. All-Pro edge rush Micah Parsons, who leads the NFL in quarterback pressures (89) and quarterback pressure rate (20.9%), was clocked at an average pass rush get-off time time of 0.57 seconds in Week 2 versus the Jets, the fastest of any gamer in a videogame throughout the last 2 seasons. He understands he’ll mostlikely have to leading that effort on Sunday.
“It’s not enjoyable at all when you’re getting prepared to go up versus somebody like Tyreek Hill since I understand I have to run faster than I ever have all year,” Parsons stated Thursday. “I may hit a Mach speed chasing somebody like him. Your conditioning has to be a little bit greater, specifically with him, Waddle and all of the vibrant gamers and running backs they have. So it’s neverever actually enjoyable, however it’s constantly enjoyable enjoying. When I’m enjoying him going from 1,600 backyards in the routine season I’m like ‘man this guy is nuts.’ Like it’s interesting to watch it, however when you’re infact playing in it, ‘ahh damn I got to offer with this shit now, guy.’ But it’s cool.”
The internal clock for Parsons, Pro Bowl protective end DeMarcus Lawrence and the rest of the Cowboys’ NFL-best pass rush — they lead the NFL with a 47.1% quarterback pressure rate — requires to speed up this week in order for them to keep up. Head coach and offensive play-caller Mike McDaniel’s offense leads the NFL in movement rate (77.8%) with nearly the verysame rate of plays having a league-high movement rate at the snap (77.2%).
What that does schematically is spring open Miami’s speed at a much quicker rate, playing into the quick processing of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whose 2.47 seconds for his average time to toss is the fastest in the NFL this season. Not so coincidentally, he likewise leads the NFL in conclusion portion (71%) and passing lawns (3,921) in 2023, and if that holds, Tagovailoa would be veryfirst the quarterback to do so in a season because future Hall of Famer Drew Brees did it in2011
“Yeah, he’s having a terrific year,” Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore stated Wednesday. “He has terrific guys around him. They have a excellent running videogame. They have 2 elite receivers. So, it’s not simply him. It’s simply everyone he has around him. So, it’s going to take all of us to play our finest football.”
McDaniel’s Dolphins success with a specific type of movement, called “cheat movement” by his previous employer and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, is high up on the Cowboys’ hunting report.
“I feel like everyone is doing it now,” Gilmore stated. “We’re playing the exactsame offense every week now. They [Miami] simply have various guys. It makes it mucheasier, however they simply have various guys in various positions.”
The “cheat movement” is where McDaniel has Hill or Waddle sprint laterally in a brief movement either to or away from the football before instantly turning upfield upon the snap into more vertical, down