The second area the Dolphins need to improve on Thursday night is their running game. We all know that Reggie Bush was benched on Sunday because of his careless fumble early in the game.  Reggie is motivated to improve and I think he will.  Reggie is playing for a new contract and must perform better or he will not get the payday he wants (be it from the Dolphins or another team). I would like to see more of Lamar Miller, but his carries will come at the expense of someone else.

No matter who is in the backfield, the Dolphins offensive line must do a better job of opening holes and getting a surge up front.  Most notably, the Dolphins linemen must do a better job on 3rd and short because they are creating no holes for their running backs to get through.  The Dolphins have thrown far more than they’ve run in the last 2 games, both losses.  Understandably, they threw more against the Titans because they were down early.  BUT, Mike Sherman must do a better job of finding offensive balance to help his rookie QB.

Finally, the Dolphins must do a better job of stopping the opponents running game.  Wow, haven’t typed that much this season.  Fred Jackson will not play, but CJ Spillier will and he’s a similar back to Chris Johnson.  He’s fast and explosive and can make a 3 yard run turn into a 30 yarder.  The Dolphins defensive line must do a better job of creating penetration and staying in their rush lanes.  Otherwise, we could see another big day out of an opposing running back.

The pass defense should probably be on this list too.  However, they played a pretty good game on Sunday, albeit the Titans didn’t need to throw too much.  The Dolphins pass defense needs to do a better job of getting off the field on 3rd downs, something they’ve really struggled with recently.

The Dolphins have a short week and don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves. Instead, they need to use the embarrassment of Sunday’s loss as motivation to go out and beat the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.  Thankfully, they won’t have to wait too long to prove that Sunday’s game was just an off day.

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