Miami’s defense struggles to contain rushing quarterbacks

The Miami Dolphins spent the first 14 weeks of the season showcasing one of the league’s best rushing defenses, holding opposing ground attacks to 108.3 yards per contest.

The Dolphins are the seventh-best team at containing the rush — until opposing quarterbacks are thrown into the mix. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen ran the ball eight times for 47 yards against Miami in Week 3, which is pretty mild considering the games Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields put together against Josh Boyer’s defense.

In Baltimore against the Ravens for Week 2, Jackson carried the ball nine times for 119 yards and a touchdown, torching the defense for a 79-yard touchdown in the third quarter. In Chicago against the Bears, Fields ran in a 61-yard touchdown and finished with 178 rushing yards on 15 attempts.

Allen averaged 4.7 yards per carry against the New York Jets last weekend and will now face a Miami team that allows 6.3 yards per run by opposing quarterbacks. Allen has at least 47 rushing yards in five of the last seven games.

Slowing down Allen in wintery conditions is a priority for coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins, who are looking to snap a two-game losing streak and sweep the Bills for the first time since 2016.