Washington Redskins Must Limit Miami Dolphins Pass Rush

By Andrew Long | Sep 11, 2015

In their first game of the 2015 NFL season, the Washington Redskins will host the Miami Dolphins and their ferocious pass-rush that now includes Ndamukong Suh. The fact that the Dolphins have such a strong pass rush is bad news for the Redskins, as their offensive line allowed the second most sacks in the entire league last year.

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On the flip side, Miami’s defensive unit reached the quarterback a total of 39 times last year. That’s good for 16th in the league, which puts them in the middle of the pack. But, once you factor Ndamukong Suh into the mix, a middle of the pack pass-rushing unit very quickly becomes a formidable, if not elite, group to defend.

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Prior to bringing Suh aboard, the Dolphins relied mainly on the talents of Cameron Wake when attempting to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Wake recorded 11.5 sacks in 2014, 8.5 sacks in 2013, and 15 in 2012; that equates 35 sacks in three seasons, and that’s without the assistance of Suh in the middle.

With a dominant force like Suh eating up, or blowing past, interior blockers, Wake is all but guaranteed to see more one-on-one opportunities moving forward. It’s very likely that his sack total will increase this year, and opposing teams, such as Washington, will have to game plan with the dynamic pass-rushing duo in mind.

Wake is slotted as Miami’s left defensive end, meaning he’ll be lining up opposite of Morgan Moses for a majority of the game. Moses, a second-year guy out of Virginia, will be tested every play, as Wake is one of the best pass-rushers in the league. The best option would be to double-team Wake with a combination of Moses and Brandon Scherff, a rookie who mans the right guard position for the Redskins.

But that idea quickly falls apart once you factor Suh into the equation. Playing the role of a 4-3 defensive tackle, the 28-year-old is the player on the Dolphins’ line that’s most likely to command a double team. Moses won’t be able to assist in the defense of Suh, as he will already have his hands full with the elusive Wake.

This means that Washington will likely employ a combination of Scherff and Kory Lichtensteiger to try an stifle Suh’s pass-rushing efforts. They won’t be able to do that on every play, though. If the Redskins want to minimize the number of hits and sacks that Kirk Cousins takes this Sunday, their running backs and tight ends will have to aid in the blocking effort.

I fully expect the Redskins to leave additional running backs or tight ends in the backfield in an attempt to thwart the Dolphins pass-rush. Don’t be surprised if Washington only has three or four players running patterns on passing plays, as their suspect offensive line needs all the additional help it can get.

If the Redskins are able to keep the Dolphins pass-rush at bay, they have a good chance at winning this football game. But, if they can’t find a way to keep opposing players out of their backfield, Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Redskins offense are in for a long, lousy day.

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