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Miami offense vs. Dallas defense

	DOLPHINS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	19
	Pass	21
	Tot. Yds.	22
	Scoring	11
	Int's allowed	8
	Sacks allowed	25
	COWBOYS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	11
	vs. Pass	6
	Total yds. allowed	6
	# of Ints.	16
	# of Sacks	27
	Turnover differential	+7

With QB Dan Marino back at the helm, the Dolphins' entire offensive philosophy can change. But the question is, does head coach Jimmy Johnson want it to? The Dolphins went 4-1 with Damon Huard as the starter, winning games with great defensive efforts combined with a low-risk and highly conservative offensive game plan. Now, with Marino returning, the Dolphins are going to have to find a happy medium.

Teams are no longer going to be able to gang up against the run and pinch inside to force Huard to make the throws outside, because Marino will exploit that scheme. The biggest advantage to having Marino back is his presence. The Cowboys are forced to respect his arm and will back off some on the pressure to give themselves more personnel to work with in coverage.

Another significant aspect of this matchup is the depletion of the Cowboy's secondary. Defensive coordinator Dave Campo is being forced to back SS Darren Woodson off into deep coverage instead of playing him close to the line of scrimmage in run support. Now, instead of going to their "42" defense, which features just four defensive backs and Woodson in the slot against three-receiver sets, the Cowboys are being forced to bring in nickel corner Charlie Williams. When the Dolphins spread things out with three- and four-receiver sets they can run the ball strongside against Williams, rather than SLB Darren Hambrick.

The Dolphins are without Cecil Collins for the rest of the season, but as witnessed last week in J.J. Johnson's 106-yard rushing performance against the Patriots, Miami is fully capable of establishing the run. In fact, against the undersized and active front of the Cowboys, Johnson's running style is better suited. Johnson is a powerful runner with great balance and leg drive. He is not much of a threat to bounce it outside and pick up big chunks of yardage, but he will wear down the Cowboys in the box.

If Marino gets his feet wet and can make some throws early in the game, it will force the Cowboys into nickel personnel against the three-receiver set. Watch this situation closely, because this is when the Dolphins should be most successful running the ball to the strong side, right at the Cowboys nickel corner who will be covering in the slot.

Dallas offense vs. Miami defense

	COWBOYS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	4
	Pass	22
	Tot. Yds.	17
	Scoring	7
	Int's allowed	9
	Sacks allowed	18
	DOLPHINS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	8
	vs. Pass	17
	Total yds. allowed	10
	# of Ints.	13
	# of Sacks	25
	Turnover differential	+2

The Cowboys have been extremely cautious offensively this season, especially over the course of the past two games with Troy Aikman sidelined. Dallas is not making many big plays on offense, but they are not attempting many either.

This is a very simple offensive scheme that is designed to win the game by running the ball, then catching defenses out of position with the pass when the the defense overplays the run. However, against a Miami defense that is known for its speed and corner play, the Cowboys are going to have a difficult time keeping up their average of 130.9 yards rushing per game.

The Cowboys are without LG Larry Allen but still have the horses up front to generate a push at the line of scrimmage. Tom Myslinski moves into Allen's spot and will be aided by his center Mark Stepnoski against DT Daryl Gardener. The Cowboys have been running the ball effectively inside the tackles. They are using a lot of zone-blocking schemes, which has played to the strength of veteran RB Emmit Smith, a patient runner who still has excellent burst to the hole.

The Cowboys clearly favor running a lot of counters and misdirection, giving Smith the ball five yards behind the line and allowing him to pick his angle and crease. Up front, the Cowboys should be able to generate a surge, but the problem for Dallas is going to be in the numbers.

Miami, as everyone knows, will lock CBs Sam Madison and Terrell Buckley on WRs Ernie Mills and Raghib Ismail, most likely taking the wide receivers out of the game. This allows FS Brock Marion and SS Calvin Jackson to pinch towards the middle of the field, taking away the underneath and deep middle, as well as cheating up in run support. It is amazing, when studying this defense, how much room the Dolphins give up to the outside.

Dallas is going to have to be able to do a couple of things in order to move the ball. First, Aikman needs to get the ball to his tight end and backs out of the backfield. With so much room in the flats, the Cowboys are going to have to get production from their dump-off options in the passing game. Also, the Cowboys need to stretch the field to run the football. Dallas is going to have to run a lot of four receiver sets and motion the tight end off the line.

Dallas is confident its personnel up front can open up running lanes, but in order to do so they need to have the right numbers. If Dallas can force the Dolphins into nickel packages on some first and second downs, it will force Miami to stretch its defense out and play more honest against the run.

Special teams

	NFL RANK
	Category	MIA	DAL
	Punt return avg.	6	4
	Kickoff return avg.	2	15
	Opp. punt return avg.	25	27
	Opp. kickoff ret. avg.	18	6
	Time of possession	5	4

Miami's special teams have been outstanding this season. Olindo Mare is the top kicker in the league, connecting on 29 of 32 attempts with a long of 54 yards. The return units have been phenomenal, led by Nate Jacquet, who is averaging 15.2 yards per punt return, and Brock Marion, averaging 26.4 yards per kickoff return. Miami's only real problem has been the play of Tom Hutton, who is averaging just 41.7 yards per punt and allowing more than 30 percent of his punts to be returned.

Toby Gowin is off to a fine start for the Cowboys, averaging 44.1 yards per punt, but he has allowed more than 36 percent of his punts to be returned. Deion Sanders has been banged up but is still third in the league in punt returns, averaging 14.6 yards per return. A concern for the Dallas special teams unit is the play of their punt coverage crew. The team is allowing 12.1 yards per return and has already given up a touchdown.

Key matchups