Dolphins-Lions Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out

The Miami Dolphins improved to 5-3 on the season with their 31-27 victory against the Detroit Lions

The Miami Dolphins made it two victories in a row when they defeated the Detroit Lions, 31-27, at Ford Field on Sunday.

Ahead of the matchup, we ranked and analyzed the five biggest storylines, so now it's time to revisit those to see how they played out:

1. Dolphins Face Their Former Interim Coach

BEFORE THE GAME: Dan Campbell has become famous for his strong personality and his "bite their knee caps" passion, and there's never been a question about how hard his Detroit teams have played the past two seasons even if they haven't been successful in the won-loss record. It's been more than six years since the Dolphins bypassed Campbell for their head-coaching vacancy after he had served as interim head coach for the final 12 games of the 2015 season, and it's a pretty safe bet that Campbell wants this game badly. So expect the Lions to be as fired up as ever, if not more, and the Dolphins better be prepared to match that intensity.

DURING THE GAME: Campbell's team certainly came out playing well as the Lions jumped out to 14-0 and 21-7 leads. Campbell also deserves credit for the bold decision to attempt a fake punt from the Lions 34 late in the first half, a move that paid off with a field goal right before halftime. But, as has been the case too often for Campbell, his team just couldn't finish and the Lions took over in the second half.

2. Going After Goff

BEFORE THE GAME: The Dolphins pulled out their victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday night mostly because of their three interceptions, and it's quite possible that creating turnovers on defense will be their ticket to another victory. And it's impossible to overlook the fact that the last time the Dolphins faced Jared Goff, they came up with four takeaways to defeat his Los Angeles Rams at Hard Rock Stadium almost exactly two years ago (Nov. 1, 2020, to be precise).

DURING THE GAME: That the Dolphins won this game had nothing to do with them advantage of Goff, who actually put together a very good performance that included zero turnovers. Goff was 27-for-37 for 321 yards with one touchdown and no picks. His biggest mistake was throwing for the end zone on fourth-and-1 from the Miami 35 the last time the Lions had the ball when they simply needed a first down.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Tua Time

BEFORE THE GAME: Tua's return to the lineup against Pittsburgh got off to a perfect start, the Dolphins marching to a touchdown on their first possession. But that would be the only touchdown in the game for the Dolphins, who saw their passing game struggle for most of the final three quarters. The Lions' 32nd-ranked defense would seem to offer a perfect opportunity for the offense to have the kind of performance we saw at Baltimore in Week 2 — or at least a more explosive outing than we've seen all season outside of that one game.

DURING THE GAME: This was the kind of performance the Dolphins and their fans wanted to see from Tua in the Pittsburgh game. In perhaps the best outing of his career, Tagovailoa was accurate, decisive and borderline brilliant while completing 29 of 36 passes for 382 yards with three touchdowns and no picks for a 138.7 passer rating. He also had a couple of scramble, including an 18-yard gain on the game-winning touchdown drive.

4. Terron and the Rookie

BEFORE THE GAME: The Lions have high hopes for 2022 second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, the defensive end from Michigan, and he holds the key to their pass rush. But the Dolphins offensive line is coming off a very good game in pass protection when they made Pittsburgh's Alex Highsmith, who came into the game as the NFL sack leader, disappear. Terron Armstead played a big role in that success and he'll go into this Detroit game having not been listed as questionable for the first time since Week 1, which bodes well for how we could perform.

DURING THE GAME: Aidan who? The rookie played 58 snaps against the Dolphins and we might not have noticed a difference had he played only five. That's how invisible he was. Hutchinson was credited for one assist and was never anywhere near Tua in the pass rush. The Lions got two sacks in the game, both on blitzes, but it was another very good pass-protecting effort by Armstead and company.

5. Tough Test for Run Defense

BEFORE THE GAME: Detroit will get a boost in this game with the return of lead running back D'Andre Swift, who missed the past three games with ankle and shoulder injuries. With Swift in the lineup along with fellow running back Jamaal Williams, the Lions rushed for 181, 191 and 139 yards in the first three weeks. The Dolphins rank eighth in the NFL in run defense, but this could be their biggest challenge to date yet this season.

DURING THE GAME: Williams and Swift ended up combining for all three Detroit touchdowns, but the Lions running game wasn't a major factor in this game. Detroit rushed for 82 yards and that included the 13-yard run by C.J. Moore on the fake punt, without which the totals become 18 carries for 69 yards and a 3.8 average. Swift and Williams did combine for eight receptions, but outside of Swift's 7-yard average touchdown, there was little damage done there.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.