The list of all-time greats who have played defensive line for the Miami Dolphins includes Jason Taylor, Cameron Wake, Ndamukong Suh, and many more.
It speaks volumes about how tight this team is together that, with two games remaining in the season, they were able to pull together and reach this milestone. For the linemen who toil in the trenches, football is a team sport unlike any other.
The 52 team sacks the Dolphins recorded throughout the season broke the franchise record. With 49 sacks in 2005, Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor helped tie the record that had been set back in 1983. Taylor got 12 sacks in that particular year.
In the game against the Cowboys, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb recorded his 11th sack of the year, the most by a Miami Dolphin since Cameron Wake in 2017. This offseason, pairing him with Vic Fangio, his former head coach, has paid off handsomely and elevated his game.
With a combined total of 16.5 sacks, defensive tackles Zach Seiler and Christian Wilkins, as well as outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, are all playing at a high level along the line. Following Jaelen Phillips’ injury, fans were worried about a decline, but the Dolphins appeared to have taken that as inspiration to play even more together.
Jalen Ramsey, a cornerback, has been a major contributor up front ever since making his Dolphins debut in week nine. There are plenty of opportunities for them to get to the quarterback since Ramsey is essentially shutting down one side of the field. Since his debut, our defense has allowed the fewest points per game (15.7) and the most yards per game (258.9) in the league.
Despite players like safety Jevon Holland, linebacker Jerome Baker, and others missing games, the team’s depth has stepped up and helped maintain the defense. When it matters most, players like safety Deshaun Elliot and linebacker Duke Riley are doing well.
The depth of this defense sets them apart from defenses from previous years. The next man up is more than capable of filling in when a player falls down. On Sunday, if they can limit quarterback Lamar Jackson and the hot Baltimore Ravens, this team has an opportunity to show everyone they are a Super Bowl-caliber defensive squad.
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