Pressure on for Chubb and Phillips to Apply Pressure
The Miami Dolphins' Week 1 battle against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium is a matchup of 2022 playoff teams with bigger aspirations for the 2023 season, and it's one that will feature some terrific matchups.
One of those key matchups won't exactly be a head-to-head battle, but it nonetheless should go a long way toward determining the outcome, and that's the showdown between each team's set of elite pass rushers.'
The Dolphins will come in with Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb trying to disrupt Justin Herbert, while the Chargers will counter with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa trying to do the same to Tua Tagovailoa.
PHILLIPS' STRONG PERFORMANCE AT SOFI STADIUM
While the Dolphins came up on the wrong end of a 23-17 decision against the Chargers in that Sunday night game last December, they did win the pass-rushing battle that night.
Not only did the Dolphins have four sacks in that game, compared to two for the Chargers, they pressured Herbert on 26.8 percent of his passes compared to the Chargers pressuring Tua on 21.1 percent of his. The Dolphins led in pressures 15-7 and in QB hits 8-3.
Chubb didn't have a sack in that game, but he did led the team with four pressures. Phillips had one of the four sacks for the Dolphins on that night along and shiould have had another, except it was nullified by one of the worst roughing-the-passer calls that's ever been made.
Overall, Chubb has two sacks in six career games against the Chargers, though he didn't have one in two games in 2022 — the first when he was still a member of the Denver Broncos before his trade to Miami in November.
Chubb and Phillips disrupting and getting to Herbert would be important regardless, but it might be even more so in this game with the absence of All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey because of his knee injury.
"Well, I just think the whole front needs to play good each and every week regardless of who we have playing in the secondary," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Thursday. "Obviously without Jalen, it's a little different back there, but if he was there, we'd still expect them to play good."
We should mention that the Chargers were missing their two starting tackles — Rashawn Slater and Trey Pipkins — in that game last December.
RARE CHANCE FOR BOSA
Bosa, whose father John was the Dolphins first-round pick in 1987, didn't play in that Sunday night game last December, making it two consecutive games against Miami he missed.
Bosa also was inactive when the Dolphins defeated the Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium in 2020.
Mack pretty much was kept in check in the game last December; he finished with three assists but no sacks or tackles for loss.
Mack and Chubb each made the Pro Bowl last season, though neither of them was able to reach double digits in sacks, as they had earlier in their careers.
While Mack hasn't reached double digits in sacks, he remains a dangerous pass, particularly if he has Bosa on the other side.
"Both of them together, obviously, very talented guys," offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. "Very talented pass rushers. Obviously, playing the run as well. I just think that makes us be very aware of how we're going to run the football, how we're going to protect the passer. I mean, just making sure that we have a plan for talented guys, because I think each week when you're dealing in the NFL you always got one rush or two rushers. I mean, the good thing is that through our training camp, having to go with Jaelan (and) Bradley, I mean, we're dealing with two talented rushers as well. So I think, ultimately, just for our end, is that when you're dealing with a talented edge, guys, it's just making sure that you account for them."
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