Countdown To Kickoff | Dolphins vs. Lions

Miami Dolphins (4-2) vs. Detroit Lions (2-3)

Game Facts

DATE: Sunday, Oct. 21

TIME: 1 p.m. ET

SITE: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.

TV: FOX

TV ANNOUNCERS: (Dick Stockton, play-by-play; Mark Schlereth, color analyst; Jen Hale, sideline reporter)

DOLPHINS RADIO NETWORK: KISS (99.9 FM); WQAM (560 AM); WQBA (1140 AM-Spanish)

RADIO VOICES: English broadcast — Jimmy Cefalo, Bob Griese, Joe Rose, Kim Bokamper; Spanish broadcast — Roly Martin, Eduardo Martell

The Series

SERIES RECORD: Miami leads 7-4

AT MIAMI: Dolphins lead 4-1

AT DETROIT: Teams tied 3-3

LAST MEETING: 2014 at Detroit; Lions 20, Dolphins 16

HISTORY LESSON: This will mark only the second time the teams face each other in Miami before December. The one previous exception came Sept. 8, 2002 when the Dolphins extended their winning streak in season openers to 11 games with a convincing 49-21 victory. That game marked the Dolphins debut of Ricky Williams, who rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns. It was the second-highest point total for the Dolphins in a season opener, behind only the 52 they put up in a 52-14 victory against the New York Jets in 1995. **Read more Matchup Memories here.**

SERIES TREND: The Lions have won the past two meetings (by seven and four points) after the Dolphins had taken the previous five, including the last three by 15, 28 and 17 points.

Scouting Report

DETROIT'S RECORD: 2-3

LAST GAME: Won 31-23 vs. Green Bay

OVERVIEW: As was the case last Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the Dolphins will be facing an NFC North team with a first-year head coach, in this case Matt Patricia. He took over in the offseason after serving as the defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, so he's someone with whom the Dolphins are very familiar. And, like the Bears last week, the Lions will be coming off their bye. Detroit got to that point with a 2-3 record following their victory against Green Bay in Week 5 where the Lions were outgained 521-264 but took advantage of five missed kicks (four field goals and one extra point). The Lions' other victory was a convincing 26-10 decision against Patricia's former team, the Patriots, in a Week 3 Sunday night game. Patricia has brought a 3-4 scheme to the Detroit defense, whose most well-known player remains defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Outside linebacker Devon Kennard was early standout, though, as he leads the team with five sacks and has a fumble recovery. On offense, longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford has rebounded after a poor performance in a season-opening home loss against the New York Jets on Monday night. Stafford had 10 touchdown passes and one interception in the past four games and posted a passer rating above 100 each time. Veteran Golden Tate leads the team with 33 receptions and is one of three wide receivers sharing the team lead with three touchdown catches along with Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. The running game has a new look in 2018, with veteran LeGarrette Blount, who Patricia brought with him from New England, and rookie second-round pick Kerryon Johnson sharing the workload. Johnson has been the more effective of the two players, with 286 rushing yards and a 5.7 average that ranks sixth in the NFL.

KEY NEW FACES: OL Frank Ragnow (draft-1st round), RB Kerryon Johnson (draft-2nd), DT Da'Shawn Hand (draft-4th), RB LeGarrette Blount (Philadelphia), TE Luke Willson (Seattle), LB Devon Kennard (N.Y. Giants), LB Christian Jones (Chicago), QB Matt Cassel (Tennessee), 

KEY VETERANS GONE: DT Akeem Spence, LB Tahir Whitehead, DE Anthony Zettel, TE Eric Ebron, TE Darren Fells, C Travis Swanson

Final Injury Report