STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins</h2><br>PLAYER NOTES<p></p> --DE Evander "Ziggy" Hood is questionable for Sunday due to a hamstring injury. After playing his first five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is on his fourth team in the past five years.<p></p> --CB Xavien Howard is likely to miss his fourth straight game due to a knee injury. Despite all the time missed, he is still tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions.<p></p> --S T.J. McDonald has an ankle injury and will likely miss his second straight game. He has been a season-long starter and has three interceptions.<p></p> --DT Kendrick Norton is questionable due to an ankle injury. The rookie was a late-season pickup by the Dolphins, but his injury has thwarted his plan.<p></p> --WR Danny Amendola (knee) was held out of practice on Wednesday. Amendola leads Miami in receptions (55) and receiving yards (549). He has missed just one game this season, although his sore knee has been an issue for weeks.<p></p> --DT Adrian Branch (knee) was held out of practice on Wednesday. Branch, who has played 13 games this season, including one start, has two sacks, four QB hits and five tackles for losses.<p></p> PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Kalen Ballage, Miami's fourth-round pick, has been getting more opportunities of late, and that should continue in the season finale, especially with veteran Frank Gore on injured reserve. Ballage, who played at Arizona State, is a big back (6-2, 237 pounds) with speed, and 16 of his 24 carries this season have come within the past two weeks. Overall this season, Ballage is averaging 6.0 yards per rush and has one touchdown. In the passing game, he has been targeted 10 times and has eight receptions for a 6.9 average.<p></p> GAME PLAN: For the first time all season, it doesn't matter if the Dolphins win or lose. For the first time all season, the playoffs are out of the question. Yes, the Dolphins players have pride, and they want to win just for the sake of winning. They will want to stop Bills quarterback Josh Allen from scrambling. They will want to avoid turnovers, which is a goal for every team. But, beyond that, Sunday's game will be about individual performances as they look ahead to next season. As Dolphins defensive end Cam Wake put it: "I assume that, every week, you are playing for your job. It's an audition It's a league with a short memory - what have you done for me lately?"<p></p>MATCHUPS TO WATCH<p></p> --Dolphins FS Reshad Jones vs. Bills QB Josh Allen. Jones has played 13 games this season and ranks fourth on the team with 56 tackles. He also has two interceptions, but he hasn't had a pick since the season-opener. Allen, the seventh pick in the 2018 draft, has one of the strongest arms in the league and has proven to be highly effective as a runner (536 yards). He is 4-6 as a starter. He has prototypical size at 6-5 and 240 pounds, but accuracy has been an issue with a 51.7 completion percentage. He has seven touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, and the Dolphins will need to stop his scrambling and force him to become one-dimensional.<p></p> --Dolphins LB Jerome Baker vs. Bills RB LeSean McCoy. Baker, who turned 22 on Christmas, has had an impressive rookie season as a third-round pick out of Ohio State. Baker ranks fifth on the Dolphins with 51 tackles, and he has added three pass-breakups, three QB hits, two sacks and one interception for a TD. McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowl player, has suffered through the worst season of his career, and - at age 30 - Sunday may mark his final game in a Bills uniform. After rushing for more than 1,100 yards in each of the past two seasons, he enters Sunday with just 488 yards, two touchdowns and a 3.2 average. </div> <div class="flex gap-2"> <div class="font-bold text-gray-600">The Sports Xchange</div> </div> <div id="comments" class="pt-6"></div> </div> </div> <div class="py-6 space-y-6"> <div class="space-y-4"> <h2 class="md:col-span-2 lg:col-span-3 font-bold text-xl text-gray-800">Recent Stories</h2> <a href="/feature/testing-buffalo-bill-page" class="group flex flex-col bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg overflow-hidden shadow"> <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-6"> <h3 class="font-bold text-lg text-gray-800 group-hover:text-gray-700">Testing Buffalo Bill Page</h3> <div class="text-gray-600 group-hover:text-gray-500 line-clamp-6"> Joe Horrigan knows the Buffalo Bills </div> </div> </a> <a href="/feature/06e3032cec6e442ab60a7fd8ae1b3701" class="group flex flex-col bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg overflow-hidden shadow"> <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-6"> <h3 class="font-bold text-lg text-gray-800 group-hover:text-gray-700">Steelers positional analysis: Kenny Pickett stands alone in QB room</h3> <div class="text-gray-600 group-hover:text-gray-500 line-clamp-6"> 2/17/2024If the Steelers were concerned about the uncertain future at quarterback when Ben Roethlisberger retired, the outlook at the position might not be any more ... </div> </div> </a> <a href="/feature/07f24b7086b24e9e83c29e8bf9cd913b" class="group flex flex-col bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg overflow-hidden shadow"> <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-6"> <h3 class="font-bold text-lg text-gray-800 group-hover:text-gray-700">49ers coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t deserve criticism since Super Bowl</h3> <div class="text-gray-600 group-hover:text-gray-500 line-clamp-6"> Globe StaffUpdated February 17, 2024, 9:38 a.m.Kyle Shanahan has been on the defensive all week following the 49ers’ 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs in the Super ... </div> </div> </a> <a href="/feature/2ae9263e12c74de88c5fb4aa552a1f3e" class="group flex flex-col bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg overflow-hidden shadow"> <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-6"> <h3 class="font-bold text-lg text-gray-800 group-hover:text-gray-700">New Raiders GM expected to be aggressive in search for top QB</h3> <div class="text-gray-600 group-hover:text-gray-500 line-clamp-6"> February 17, 2024 - 4:19 PMIf Tom Telesco’s past offers clues about his future, expect the Raiders’ new general manager to be aggressive in bringing in a top-level ... </div> </div> </a> <a href="/features?skip=22" class="group flex items-center justify-center gap-2 bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg shadow px-3.5 py-2.5 text-gray-800 hover:text-gray-700 font-medium"> <span>Read More Stories</span> <span class="transition-transform group-hover:translate-x-1 motion-reduce:transform-none"><i class="fa-solid fa-arrow-right"></i></span> </a> </div> <div class="space-y-4"> <h2 class="md:col-span-2 lg:col-span-3 font-bold text-xl text-gray-800">Latest Player Notes</h2> <a href="/note/65f70668f166e2567ab51b31" class="group flex flex-col bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg overflow-hidden shadow"> <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-6"> <h3 class="font-bold text-lg text-gray-800 group-hover:text-gray-700">How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day</h3> <div class="text-gray-600 group-hover:text-gray-500 line-clamp-6"> <span class="font-light"> </span> Mar 15, 2024 Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ... </div> </div> </a> <a href="/note/65f70667f166e2567ab51b24" class="group flex flex-col bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg overflow-hidden shadow"> <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-6"> <h3 class="font-bold text-lg text-gray-800 group-hover:text-gray-700">Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day</h3> <div class="text-gray-600 group-hover:text-gray-500 line-clamp-6"> <span class="font-light"> </span> Mar 15, 2024 Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ... </div> </div> </a> <a href="/note/65f70667f166e2567ab51b11" class="group flex flex-col bg-gray-100 hover:bg-white transition rounded-lg overflow-hidden shadow"> <div class="flex flex-col gap-2 p-6"> <h3 class="font-bold text-lg text-gray-800 group-hover:text-gray-700">How can UW recruit its best class ever? 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