Matchups to Watch: Week 4 @Dolphins

Matt Eberflus Vs. Jacoby Brissett

The Colts’ defense will go against a quarterback they know all too well after he spent most of his career either as a starter or backup in Indy. Eberflus has plenty of reasons to be familiar with Jacoby Brissett, and the Colts probably know his strengths and weaknesses better than any other NFL team. Brissett played well in his first start in a Dolphins uniform, but he is just not a dynamic passer that can lead an offense. He had 49 passing attempts for just 215 yards, good for 4.38 YPA, a laughable number. In fact, his running back Myles Gaskin had more yards per carry than Brissett had yards per attempt! The Colts defense has been really bad to start off the season, and are nowhere close to the expectations they set for themselves for this campaign. If the unit is to shake off the rough start, what better matchup than this one?

Michael Pittman Jr. Vs. Xavien Howard

Howard is one of, if not the best cornerbacks in the NFL right now, with unparalleled ball-hawking skills and flawless technique. MPJ has clearly been the Colts' #1 weapon in the passing game, pacing the team in targets. Pittman Jr. fared well against Jalen Ramsey, so it will be exciting to watch him matched up against another elite cornerback.

Mark Glowinski Vs. Emmanuel Ogbah

Continuing with the recent trend of putting the best edge rushers against the right side of the Colts offensive line, Dolphins’ defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah will probably match up against Colts’ right guard Mark Glowinski for most of the game. Glowinski has been terrible to start the season, as he dearly misses having such a talented tackle like Braden Smith next to him. Glow has allowed 13 pressures on 136 pass-blocking snaps, and he has allowed the fourth-most pressures among guards. On the other hand, Ogbah has continued his streak as one of the most underrated defensive players, with an astounding 25.5% PRWR (pass-rush win rate), while also getting 5 stops in the run game without any missed tackles.

Kemoko Turay/Ben Banogu Vs. Austin Jackson/Jesse Davis

Like the Colts, the Dolphins have also been having a lot of trouble finding solid play from their starting tackles Austin Jackson and Jesse Davis. The Colts have not been able to generate any sort of pressure from the edges this season, and the team desperately needs either Kemoko Turay or Ben Banogu to step into that role. If either of the duo is going to enjoy a coming-out game, it will most likely be this week, against a quarterback that likes to hold on to the ball (Brissett ranked 3rd in time to throw his last season as a full-time starter) a lot, and two mediocre tackles.

Darius Leonard Vs. Mike Gesicki/Myles Gaskin

Darius Leonard is yet another Colts defender that has been struggling this year. The Maniac has been without his characteristic explosiveness due to a nagging ankle injury that keeps him from playing at full strength. Players like Leonard rely a lot on their athleticism, so without it, he has looked less like The Maniac and more like The Sane (lame joke, I know). If I were the Colts I would just let Darius get back to full health before playing him, but the problem is there is no linebacker depth at all, the only backups are Zaire Franklin and E.J Speed, and neither have any meaningful experience starting at linebacker. Brissett loves the check-down (18 combined targets to Gesicki and Gaskin last week), and if Leonard fails to make the stop, then the Dolphins could have an abundance of YAC.