A 2-9 New Orleans Saints squad limps into Week 13 for a road game against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are just 4-7 themselves, but won two straight games and three of their last four before their bye last week. An already very limited Saints offense could potentially be further shorthanded in this one because of injuries.
New Orleans is a lowly 26th in total offensive yardage and 31st in points scored. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough is set to make his fourth straight start, but he’s had little help around him. They’ll face a Dolphins defense that is just 25th overall. Miami has had specific struggles against the run, but this is also an area where the Saints have threatened defenses very little. Perhaps even less so now without their top offensive weapon.
Dolphins Run Defense
- 142.6 yards per game (29th)
- 4.9 per carry (29th)
- 10 touchdowns (15th)
Miami has held only two opponents under 100 rushing yards this season. Of those other nine foes, seven have rolled for over 140 on the ground. The Dolphins have surrendered four 100-yard rushers and seven other runners to gain at least 65 yards.
This is a defense built more to rush the passer with speed on the edge. As a result, the Dolphins have often been overwhelmed at the line of scrimmage. Defensive ends Matthew Judon, Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, and Andre Carter are extremely athletic but are undersized and have a hard time matching up in the trenches. Rookie first round defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is the biggest of the Dolphins down linemen, but he and fellow tackle Zach Sieler have had a tendency to wear down late in contests.
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks is a throwback type of player who blows up plays when able to come downhill. Brooks leads the NFL in both total tackles (125) and solo stops (71) and has the explosive burst to get into backfields in a flash. Middle linebacker Tyrel Dodson has had a bit of a breakout year in 2024, his fifth year, but can be a bit undisciplined when pursuing the play to the edge. Safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ashtyn Davis, and Ifeatu Melifonwu look the part as physical specimens. In run support, however, they aren’t as physical as you’d think by appearance and have often allowed bigger gains by poor angles to the ball.
Saints Run Defense
- 91.6 yards per game (29th)
- 3.6 per carry (30th)
- 3 touchdowns
Only two teams have rushed for fewer yards than the Saints, just one team has averaged fewer yards per carry, and nobody has less touchdowns on the ground. To say that about a team with prolific scoring threats like Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill is mind-boggling. The Saints will now be without Kamara, who is dealing with knee and ankle issues that may sideline him for multiple weeks. Kamara was the team’s leading rusher with 471 yards on the ground, with injured Kendre Miller the next closest at 193 yards.
Next man up in the Saints backfield is rookie Devin Neal. A Round 6 choice, Neal has gotten only 17 rushes over just seven game appearances. He has flashed some good acceleration in his limited action and was a powerful back in college for the Kansas Jayhawks, an attribute that might fit well with what Kellen Moore wants to do with the Saints. Neal rushed for 4,343 yards in four years at Kansas, including 1,000-yard outputs in each of his final three seasons with 49 rushing touchdowns.
Former Notre Dame star Audric Estime and Northwestern standout Evan Hull have been added in recent weeks for depth and may see some touches. Estime had 310 rushing yards and averaged 5.8 per carry as a 2024 rookie with the Denver Broncos. Hull has just two offensive touches for a total of 2 yards in his two NFL seasons. The best scenario is that the team gets some early production from Neal and that Kellen Moore actually figures out a way to use Taysom Hill. In seven games, Hill has 32 rushes for a meager 69 yards and a 2.2 yard average.
For any New Orleans runner to have any success, this team will need to perform far better in the trenches. Taliese Fuaga looks like he’ll return this week at right tackle after a two-game injury absence. Fuaga and rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks make a formidable tandem, though Banks has had some struggles in two of his last three games. The real issues are on the inside, where Cesar Ruiz has offered less resistance than an unmanned toll booth while Dillon Radunz and Luke Fortner have not gotten consistent push off the line.
New Orleans ranks just 24th in rushing attempts, while Kellen Moore has often insisted on running inside instead of behind his talented tackles. While rookie Tyler Shough has shown intriguing potential at quarterback, the Saints must run the ball better to lessen the pressure on him and a limited receiving corps. With Kamara on the sidelines, this may only happen with a surprising performance from Devin Neal or Audric Estime.
