The Dolphins are back on the road after a homestand in which Miami took a pair of contenders to the wire. Despite the 0-2 record against the Patriots and Lions, Head Coach Jeff Hafley's team has made an impression in a pair of close defeats.
"Coach Hafley's done a good job in his first year," Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell said. "It reminds me of what we were when we came in. They're young, they're hungry, they're active, they run, they hit, they hustle, they finish, try to play disciplined ball. And they're playing that way."
The Dolphins will need to lean on that reputation now more than ever. Tuesday, the team placed quarterback Malik Willis and defensive lineman Zach Sieler on the injured reserve list, with the latter slated to miss the rest of the season.
Sieler played 76 percent of the team's defensive snaps through eight games, serving as the linchpin of a young, upward-trending defensive line.
"It's tough losing a guy like Zach for some of those young defensive guys that really leaned on him," Hafley said. "He was playing at a high level and what he was doing for a bunch of young guys was pretty cool."
Offensively, Kyle McCord is set to make his NFL debut Sunday, starting at quarterback for the injured Willis.
A sixth-round pick of the Eagles in 2025, McCord arrived in South Florida in August via a trade with the Green Bay Packers. McCord threw 61 touchdowns in his four-year college career with a 21-4 record as a starter.
"He's got a strong arm," Hafley said. "He sees it well. The ball comes out fast. He's decisive. He's aggressive. He has played in a lot of games, but from when I watched him, he's thrown a lot of passes, and he does have arm talent and the ball comes out quickly and it'll be interesting to see."
The hosting Colts have undergone plenty of change ahead of the Week 10 matchup with Miami. Running back Jonathan Taylor was the subject of trade deadline debate, but the Colts ultimately retained the three-time Pro Bowler. Taylor has recorded 29 career 100-yard games but hasn't surpassed the century mark in over a calendar year, when the Colts played Atlanta on Nov. 9, 2025.
"Jonathan Taylor is a good back, if not just as good as (Lions running back) Jahmyr Gibbs," Edge Chop Robinson said. "So, we got to prepare the same whether it's the worst back in the league or the best back in the league. It doesn't really matter. We're all in the NFL. They're all great players."
The line blocking for Taylor looks different after the Colts sent eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle. Indianapolis also dealt All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to San Francisco and parted ways with wide receivers Josh Downs and Keenan Allen ahead of Tuesday's deadline.
"I say this, and this has nothing to do with the Colts, because I have a tremendous amount of respect for (Colts Head Coach) Shane (Steichen) and what he's done there and the players that they still have," Hafley said. "Regardless of who we're playing right now, where we're at, regardless whether it was the Lions or the Colts or the Patriots or down the road, this has got to be on what can we do to improve our players. And even in team meetings, it's fundamentals and techniques and getting better at our scheme and trying to figure out what we can game plan to continue to add and develop that we can still run at a high level."
Make sure to check out the Injury Report and the team's official social media accounts 90 minutes before kickoff to see who is active for the game.
Watch the game live on Sunday, November 15 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, listen on the Dolphins Radio Network and view the Game Center for the latest coverage.
