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New Orleans Saints-Miami Dolphins: Week 7 Preview

by Samuel Sica analyst Written on October 19, 2009


Week 7 is filled with many great match-ups between playoff-caliber teams including the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins.

The Saints did not make the playoffs last season, but they seem to be well on their way to the postseason with an impressive win over the New York Giants Sunday to remain undefeated.

On the other hand, Miami did make it into the postseason last year by winning the AFC East Division with a record of 11-5.

This game will prove to be more important to the Dolphins than it is for the Saints, as Miami enters week 7 with a record of 2-3 coming out of their bye.

Miami currently sits third in the AFC East behind the division-leading New England Patriots who sit at a mark of 4-2 after demolishing the Tennessee Titans by a score of 59-0 on Sunday.

The Dolphins are coming off two straight wins over divisional opponents with victories over the Buffalo Bills 38-10 and the New York Jets last Monday Night 31-27.

Miami found itself down to the Jets with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. However, QB Chad Henne, marched the Dolphins down the field and Ronnie Brown punched in a touchdown with six seconds left.

The Dolphins are now led at the quarterback position by Chad Henne after their starting QB Chad Pennington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during the game against the San Diego Chargers. Henne has started in two games and has exceeded expectations by winning both of them.

Henne has done everything that the Dolphins have asked him to do so far and more in leading Miami to two straight wins.

Henne has completed 44 out of 67 passes with a 65.7 completion percentage. He has also thrown for 448 yards with three touchdown passes and just one interception.

Miami’s key strength is in their running game, as they are led by Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The Dolphins lead the league in rushing yards per game with the help of the many Wild Cat formations that they run causing confusion for many defenses.

Brown has 93 rushing attempts for 443 yards averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Also to his credit, Brown leads the team with six touchdowns. Williams has rushed for 316 yards off 61 attempts with an average of 5.2 yards per carry.

Williams has rushed for two touchdowns and has contributed to the offense with 11 receptions for 132 yards with a touchdown.

The receiving corps for Miami is led by Ted Ginn Jr., who has 16 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown. Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo have also contributed with Bess catching 23 passes for 175 yards and Camarillo with 14 receptions for 119 yards.

The Dolphins defense is not what it used to be, but has been improving the past couple of weeks. Yeremiah Bell is leading the Dolphins defense with 34 total tackles while Gibril Wilson is not far behind with 30.

Jason Taylor is still proving to be a defensive force as he is leading the team with four sacks. The next closest to Taylor are Joey Porter, Randy Starks, and Cameron Wake all with two sacks this season.

Will Allen leads the team in interceptions with two and Vontae Davis can account for the only other interception on the team as he ran an interception back for a touchdown against the Bills in Week 4.

On the other hand, The Saints are off to a great start with an undefeated mark of 5-0 after handing the New York Giants their first loss of the season by a score of 48-27 with Drew Brees throwing for 369 yards with four touchdown passes.

New Orleans leads the league in points scored and yards per game and rank in the top-three in rushing yards and the top 10 in passing yards per game.

The Saints passing attack is led by Drew Brees, who has completed 110 out of 159 pass attempts for 1,400 yards. Brees has a completion percentage of 69.2 with 13 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.

New Orleans rushing game is a three-headed monster led by Pierre Thomas who has 48 rushing attempts for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Bell and Reggie Bush have also contributed in the rushing game with Bell rushing for 263 yards on 60 attempts with two touchdowns and Bush with 42 attempts for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Saints receiving corps is led by Marques Colston, who has 25 receptions for 394 yards with four touchdowns.

Jeremy Shockey and Devery Henderson have also been good targets for Brees, with Shockey catching 22 passes for 199 yards with three touchdowns and Henderson with 15 receptions for 241 yards with a touchdown.

On the other side of the ball, the defense of the Saints is one of the best in the league. Roman Harper leads the team with 34 total tackles with Scott Shanle not too far behind with 32 total tackles.

Charles Grant leads the Saints with four sacks while Will Smith is second on the team with two sacks.

Darren Sharper leads the team with five interceptions; two of them being run back for touchdowns. The next closest to Sharper is Shanle with two interceptions.

This is an important game for both teams as Miami looks to keep pace with division leader New England while the Saints look to stay perfect and go 6-0.

By looking at the records alone this game would look to be a blow out but Miami is a much better team then their record portrays. Miami has a dynamic rushing attack with Wild Cat formations that will prove to test the defense of the Saints.

If Miami has any chance of upsetting the unbeaten Saints they must play tough defense and not turn the ball over. Miami’s defense has been improving but still allows many big plays which Drew Brees will definitely take advantage of.

I believe that it will be a very close game despite the high powered New Orleans offense but the Saints will end up victorious in the end off the arm of Brees.

The Saints are too tough for the Dolphins on both sides of the ball and will remain undefeated heading into Week 8.

New Orleans Saints-Miami Dolphins: Week 7 Preview | Bleacher Report

Rugby Saint II

"the defense of the Saints is one of the best in the league"...What?????

saintsfan1976

Who saw this coming?? LOL

One thing they neglected to mention is the fact that Gregg Williams' defense is all about disrupting the other team's timing.

foreverfan

I'm tired of giving Greg Williams all the credit. All we had to do was cut Jason David and Josh Bullock and find a replacement for Deuce and we're in the Superbowl!

Greg Williams is a product of the Turk.

saintsfan1976

He's helped improve our defense AND our offense. He gets cred alright. NOT all, but plenty...

ScottF

My biggext concern against Mia is that in the past, this was a game we lost year after year. Hopefully Payton and Williams already are smacking guys around, keeping them focused

BIGEASY504

one name - Gary Gibbs - now leave Greg Williams alone he's got our players doing what Gary could not, so yes Greg Williams is the man!!!!

QBREES9

Dolphins vs. Saints

A defense that could keep the New Orleans Saints' high-powered offense from having to win games by itself has been consistently missing the past few seasons, but that seems to have finally changed for coach Sean Payton's club.

That improvement hasn't kept the offense from continuing to put on an impressive show.

Drew Brees and the league's top-ranked offense look to lead the Saints to their first 6-0 start since 1991 on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, who nearly signed the NFL's top-rated passer three years ago.

Brees may have never even arrived in New Orleans had Miami been more aggressive in pursuing him after the 2005 season, when he had major reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder. The Saints and Dolphins - then coached by Nick Saban - showed the most interest, and Miami was said to be his preferred destination.

The amount of the contract offered by the Dolphins isn't known, but New Orleans came through with a six-year, $60 million deal. Miami, meanwhile, is on its seventh starting quarterback since then.

"All due respect to the Miami organization and coach Saban," Brees said Wednesday, "but I didn't feel like they believed in me and my ability to come back from that injury like the Saints did."

The Saints have had a top-five offense in each of their three season with Brees under center, but after having the 11th-ranked defense in 2006, they've had one of the league's 10 worst the past two seasons.

That didn't keep Brees from nearly setting the NFL single-season record for passing yards in 2008, but it did keep the Saints out of the playoffs for the second straight season.

New Orleans has shored up its defense under first-year coordinator Gregg Williams and free agent safety Darren Sharper, who leads the NFL with five interceptions - two of which he's taken back for touchdowns. The Saints have forced a league-best 15 turnovers and are allowing 301.2 yards per game to rank ninth in the NFL.

"It makes us a lot better by going against our offense in practice," Sharper said. "It makes us both better because you have the top offense in the league going against one of the better defenses."

After New Orleans held both Buffalo and the New York Jets below 250 yards during weeks 3 and 4, it was the offense that stole the show again following the bye. Brees threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-27 win over the New York Giants and their top-rated defense last Sunday at the Superdome.

While Brees has helped pace the Saints' passing game, perhaps the biggest reason for their first 5-0 start since 1993 has been the rushing attack. Behind the trio of Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and Reggie Bush, New Orleans is averaging 159.6 yards on the ground - 60.0 more per game than last season.

With the rejuvenated defense and running game, no longer are the Saints being referred to as a "finesse" team.

"I think we have had that reputation for the last few years," said Brees, whose 118.4 passer rating is on pace to be the second-best in NFL history. "We're trying to get rid of that label because I don't think it applies."

Perhaps if Brees had ended up in Miami, the Dolphins (2-3) would have turned into a pass-first team. But right now they're doing just fine emphasizing their running game.

Miami got off to an 0-3 start but has won its past two behind an average of 200.5 yards on the ground behind its wildcat offense that gives direct snaps to Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

The Dolphins' 177.0 rushing yards per game lead the league, but against the Jets on Oct. 12 it was quarterback Chad Henne who helped make the difference. Miami ran for 151 yards, but Henne threw for 241 and two fourth-quarter touchdowns in leading a 31-27 comeback win.

Henne is 2-0 as the starter since taking over for the injured Chad Pennington, but as long as the wildcat is working - the Dolphins are averaging 7.1 yards per play when Brown or Williams take the snap - he's happy to share time.

"The wildcat is just a great tribute to our offense," Henne said. "You see how many yards we get out there when we run it."

The Dolphins rank third in rushing defense (76.4) and New Orleans is fifth (83.4), meaning whichever team can stop the other on the ground could walk away the winner - something the Saints have never done in three visits to Miami.

Despite New Orleans' improved ground game, the Dolphins know the Saints' offense still hinges on Brees.

"The quarterback drives the offense," said linebacker Akin Ayodele, whose brother Remi is a defensive tackle for New Orleans. "And looking at Drew, everywhere he's been, he's pretty much done a great job in being efficient and taking control."

The Dolphins' chances to get to Brees could be much better if linebackers Joey Porter and Matt Roth can return. Porter has missed two games with a hamstring injury but should be back, while Roth - who hasn't played this season due to a groin injury - is practicing and could play.

Miami won the most recent meeting with New Orleans 21-6 on Oct. 30, 2005, at the Superdome. Brees lost all three games against the Dolphins while with San Diego.

Saints-Dolphins Preview - Oct. 21, 2009 - NFL - CBSSports.com Game Preview

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