More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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It sure did get nerve-racking a few times on Thursday night. But when all was said and done, the Dolphins went up to Charlotte and officially dug themselves out of the 0-3 hole they put themselves in to start the season by knocking off the Panthers 24-17.

Ricky steps up in Ronnie's absence to lead the way
There was a lot of panic amongst Dolphin fans over the past few days as we all awaited word on how serious Ronnie Brown's injury was. We then learned yesterday that Brown would be done for the season with a Lisfranc fracture to his right foot (he'll have surgery Friday, by the way). That's when we all began to wonder whether Ricky Williams could step into the role of workhorse and lead this offense. We all learned on Thursday night that - at least for now - Ricky's still got it.

In an outstanding performance, Williams carried the ball 22 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns - adding a receiving touchdown as well. This, by the way, was Ricky's third career three touchdown game and the first time in his career that he scored a touchdown both running and receiving. Not bad for a 32 year old back.

Don't let the numbers fool you, though. It was an up and down game for Williams. Nine of Ricky's 22 carries went for two yards or less - including four runs for negative yardage. Of course, it's not all Ricky's fault - sometimes he just got no blocking help from his line. But what impressed me most was how explosive Ricky was on some of those other carries. He looked very spry on that 3rd & 1 toss left to get down to the one yard line on Miami's second touchdown drive. And then, of course, there's the 46 yard scamper by Ricky in which he showed good burst and long speed on his way to the endzone - on carry number 22 on the night, by the way.

We said this week that without Ronnie and on a short week with little preparation time, the Dolphins would get back to the basics and play "conventional" football. They did just that - and it worked thanks to Ricky Williams. Now can Ricky keep it up for the rest of the season?

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It got a little tight in that fourth quarter, but the Dolphins made a couple of big plays and they are now back at .500 following a 24-17 win.

I'm writing up my full recap (might not be as long as usual due to the time) as we speak. Use this thread to discuss your thoughts on the game in the meantime.

Panthers driving to start the 4th. Let's hold 'em to 3.

Dolphins lead 14-3.

Use this thread now for all live game discussion.

GO DOLPHINS!!!

Lex Hilliard, welcome to the NFL!

Dolphins lead 7-3.

Use this thread now for all live game discussion.

GO DOLPHINS!!!

MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-5) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-5)

SERIES

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More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

Top priority: contain this man.

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It's hard to believe that the Dolphins will already take the field just days after a late rally prevented them from falling to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In less than 24 hours, the Dolphins will battle the Panthers up in North Carolina - with the winner completing their giant dig out of the 0-3 hole both started the season in and reaching .500 for the first time this season.

For the Dolphins, this will mark the third time in less than a month that they will have a chance to get back the the .500 mark. Below are just some of the most important factors for Thursday night's game.

Win the battle in the trenches
Here's the situation. The Dolphins played a game on Sunday. On Monday, they had their players in for film work. On Tuesday, the Dolphins hit the practice field for what essentially was a "Friday practice" - meaning it was shorter and less physical than a typical midweek practice. On Wednesday, the team went through a walkthrough before boarding a plane and heading up to North Carolina. Preparation time? Not much this week.

I take this to mean two things. One - I wouldn't be shocked if the Dolphins unravel some new wrinkle - likely involving Pat White - on Thursday night given that the Panthers also had minimal time to prepare for this game. But more importantly, I get the feeling that this game is going to come down to which team can execute better in the trenches. Who will physically dominate who? The answer to that question will go a long way towards determining who wins this game.

The Panthers and Dolphins come into this game ranked third and fourth respectively on the ground - each averaging just over 156 yards per game. Miami, of course, comes into it without their top running back while the Panther will likely have both of their guys who make up their own dynamic duo. The Dolphins, though, are expected to have Justin Smiley back at left guard after he missed last week with a shoulder injury - certainly good news for us.

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So I'm in my car driving home when my cell phone starts blowing up with text messages. And it was not good news.

Various sources - including ESPN, the Palm Beach Post, and the Miami Herald - are confirming that the Dolphins have indeed placed Ronnie Brown on Injured Reserve, ending his 2009 season with a foot injury.

We should learn more about the severity of Ronnie's foot injury in terms of long-term issues in the coming days. But speculation is that Ronnie suffered the dreaded Lisfranc fracture - which is treatable but requires rest for weeks.

This means that Ricky Williams will suddenly be thrust back into the workhorse role - a role he isn't exactly a big fan of. Expect to see some opportunities for Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets as well.

You also can't help but wonder about Ronnie's future in Miami. If a new CBA is not reached between the players and the owners, then Brown is under contract in Miami for one more season - with a salary of $5 million. But if a new CBA is reached prior to the start of the 2010 "league year" - meaning that the uncapped season does not happen - then Brown is a free agent.

It's a tough break for Ronnie, no doubt about it. And it's sickening to me as well - as one of the NFL's "good guys" suffers his second season-ending injury in three years. Talk about bad luck.

With the game tomorrow night, today's injury report is the equivalent of a typical Friday injury report. And both sides have key injuries.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Probable
Gibril Wilson, S (hamstring)

Questionable
Justin Smiley, OG (shoulder)
Tyrone Culver, S (ankle)

Out
Ronnie Brown, RB (foot)
Anthony Fasano, TE (hip)
Paul Soliai, NT (ankle)
Erik Walden, LB (hamstring)

Notes
-A source told the Miami Herald that Smiley is will indeed play. He practiced fully on Wednesday.
-Culver hurt his ankle in practice and was limited. He'll likely be a game time decision.

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This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL RedZone channel.  Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations?  Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone. With the Dolphins playing a Thursday night game this week, Sunday would be an excellent time to see what NFL RedZone is all about.

For the third consecutive week, the Dolphins executed very well from inside the red zone - converting four trips into two touchdowns and two field goals. But that's only 50% - how is that good?

The two trips in which the Dolphins settled for field goals occurred at the end of each half - the first was Dan Carpenter's 30 yard field goal kicked with 10 seconds remaining. The other was Dan Carpenter's 25 yard field goal kicked with 14 seconds remaining. In both cases, the Dolphins didn't run any offensive play inside Tampa's 20 - they only kicked the field goal.

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More photos » by J. Pat Carter - AP

Does anyone really care if Ricky doesn't talk to the media? I know I don't - as long as he finds ways to scamper into the endzone like he's doing here.

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With Ronnie Brown out for at least Thursday night's game in Carolina - and likely longer - the focal point of the Dolphins' offense will once again be Ricky Williams. And this week, of all weeks, the power running game is especially important for Miami. Why? With short rest and little preparation time, the game plan on Thursday is pretty simple - run, run, and then run some more.

The Panthers are 25th in the league in stopping the run and allow 4.6 yards per carry. The Dolphins, meanwhile, have had to adapt to a very different kind of week. The players were in on Monday to do film work. They then hit the practice field on Tuesday - except it was like a typical Friday practice (shorter and less physical than usual). The team will go through a walkthrough on Wednesday before boarding a plane to Carolina later in the day. With less than ideal preparation time, I expect the Dolphins to get back to the basics - pounding the rock.

The major difference this week is that the spotlight will not be on Ronnie and Ricky. It'll just be on Ricky. Does Williams have the skill and talent to be successful as the workhorse running back at the age of 32 like he did five or six years ago? Probably - but he doesn't seem to be relishing the role.

Or, at least, he isn't relishing the spotlight that he's suddenly been thrust into.

It's been well known that Ricky isn't exactly a fan of the media - or of any kind of attention, for that matter. But on Tuesday, Ricky made it clear how much he doesn't like speaking with the media.

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