FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys will travel east this weekend to take on one of the fastest teams in NFL history as the Miami Dolphins will send their electric offense to the field led by Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane in hopes of giving Dallas its first two-game skid since 2021.
The challenge for the Dallas defense starts and finishes with limiting the speed from Miami to keep the weapons in check and away from explosive plays. When any of the Dolphins' speed weapons get out in space, dangerous things happen, and it's at the forefront of the Cowboys' defense's mind going into Sunday.
"It takes everybody to tackle those guys in space," cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. "We have to stay physical up front and make great tackles and plays on the back-end. Just play with great technique, trust your teammates and be physical. Being physical is what it comes down to. Win the line of scrimmage. If we take care of that, we take care of the game."
The Dolphins also utilize the most motion pre-snap of any team in the NFL which will force the Cowboys defense to ramp up communication in a road environment to account for matchups and moving pieces.
"It just comes down to communication," Gilmore said. "Once they motion, you have to communicate with your teammates to stay on the same page."
The challenge with Tyreek Hill is unique on its own, as the Dolphins' primary speed weapon is closing in on the NFL's first 2,000-yard receiving season and is expected to be back on the field after a week of resting a banged up ankle.
"Once he gets the ball in his hands, he's hard to tackle in space," Gilmore said. "People didn't think he was a receiver before he came in the league. They thought he was more of a gadget guy, but he's proven every year that he's a great receiver. You gotta be smart and play with good technique and then go from there."
"He's one of the best receivers in the league. Obviously, he's probably the fastest player in the league. It's definitely going to be a big challenge for us, but I think we'll be ready."
While the challenge is daunting, it is achievable for a defense that has experience this season limiting dangerous offensive weapons. Even after a big loss in Buffalo, the confidence is high in bouncing back on defense ahead of Miami.
"We got fast players too," Gilmore said. "It's gonna be a great challenge, but we have a great defense. It's gonna be fun."
