DOWN X DOWN › week 9 › Lions at Dolphins

Updated Nov 3, 9:16 AM ET

2026

Week 9 · Sunday 1:00 PM ET · Hard Rock Stadium

Lions offensevsDolphins defense

Season numbers through Week 8: 7 games for Lions, 7 for Dolphins. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

DET offense MIA offense

Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads

Biggest edge

Throw it

Lions gain +0.25 EPA per dropback (2nd). Dolphins allow +0.30 (32nd).

Opportunity

Deep right is open

Dolphins are worst against deep right throws, allowing +1.34 EPA per attempt. Lions send 7% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

Watch out

Wideouts get blanketed

Dolphins give up 121 yards a game to wide receivers (4th), against a league average of 147. Lions' wide receivers produce 173 (7th).

Wash

Yards per play

Call this one even. Lions gain 6.0 yards per play (7th). Dolphins give up 5.9 (27th), with the league at 5.4.

Players to watch

Lions

Jared GoffQB · 168/248 · 1964 yds · 15 TD · 1 INTEPA per dropback +0.27 · 6th

Jahmyr GibbsRB · 157 car · 773 yds · 10 TD · 34 recEPA per touch -0.01 · 24th

Amon-Ra St. BrownWR · 53 rec · 571 yds · 5 TD · 76 tgtEPA per target +0.31

Sam LaPortaTE · 31 rec · 367 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgtEPA per target +0.74 · 2ndAidan HutchinsonLeft Defensive End · 20 tackles · 5 sacks · 1 PD5 sacks · T-12th in the NFLDerrick BarnesWeakside Linebacker · 34 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 INT · 2 PD3 sacks

Dolphins

Malik WillisQB · 108/183 · 1268 yds · 6 TD · 5 INTEPA per dropback -0.07 · 27th

Ollie Gordon IIRB · 91 car · 408 yds · 4 TD · 6 recEPA per touch -0.05 · 29th

Malik WashingtonWR · 31 rec · 329 yds · 1 TD · 45 tgtEPA per target +0.16

Greg DulcichTE · 22 rec · 256 yds · 0 TD · 28 tgtEPA per target +0.47 · 9thChop RobinsonLeft Defensive End · 13 tackles · 4 sacks4 sacks · T-23rd in the NFLMichael TaaffeFree Safety · 38 tackles · 2 INT · 2 PD2 INT · T-11th in the NFL

The series · Lions and Dolphins since 1999, and this season's records7 meetings

The Dolphins lead the series 4–3 since 1999 (they first met in 2000). Oct 30, 2022, at Ford Field: the Dolphins won 31–27. Jared Goff started at quarterback for the Lions and Tua Tagovailoa for the Dolphins; Dan Campbell and Mike McDaniel coached.

Lions at home1–3the Lions' record

In Miami2–1the Lions' record

Most pointsLions 34 · Dolphins 492010 · 2002

Biggest winLions by 11 · Dolphins by 282018 · 2002

The last 5

2022 · Wk 8	MIA 31 at DET 27
2018 · Wk 7	DET 32 at MIA 21
2014 · Wk 10	MIA 16 at DET 20
2010 · Wk 16	DET 34 at MIA 27
2006 · Wk 12	MIA 27 at DET 10

2026 records

	Lions	Dolphins
Overall	5–2	1–6
Division	2–0	1–1
Conference	4–1	1–4
Other conference	1–1	0–2
Home	4–0	0–3
Away	1–2	1–3
Last 5	WLWWW	LLLWL
Streak	Won 3	Lost 1
Points a game	29.0 – 25.7	16.7 – 25.9

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Lions' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Lions offense against the Dolphins defenseDepth charts

Dolphins defense · 4-3 DLions offense · 3WR 1TE58Sewell73Mahogany64Mays69RatledgeMiller87LaPorta 16Goff 0Gibbs 14Brown 18TeSlaa 1Williams9Uche92SielerPhillips44Robinson20Brooks10Rodriguez40Gay8Brents4Marshall3Johnson11Trader16Taaffe

Lions offense · 3WR 1TE

QBJared Goff#16 · 168/248 · 1964 yds · 15 TD · 1 INT
RBJahmyr Gibbs#0 · 157 car · 773 yds · 10 TD · 34 rec
WRAmon-Ra St. Brown#14 · 53 rec · 571 yds · 5 TD · 76 tgt
WRJameson Williams#1 · 27 rec · 437 yds · 5 TD · 44 tgt
WRIsaac TeSlaa#18 · 10 rec · 197 yds · 0 TD · 21 tgt
TESam LaPorta#87 · 31 rec · 367 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgt
LTPenei Sewell#58
LGChristian Mahogany#73
CCade Mays#64
RGTate Ratledge#69
RTBlake Miller

Dolphins defense · Base 4-3 D

RDEJosh Uche#9 · 29 tackles · 2 sacks
RDTZach Sieler#92 · 23 tackles · 2 sacks
LDTJordan Phillips · 0 tackles
LDEChop Robinson#44 · 13 tackles · 4 sacks
WLBJordyn Brooks#20 · 63 tackles · 1 PD
MLBJacob Rodriguez#10 · 68 tackles · 1 INT · 1 PD
SLBWillie Gay Jr.#40 · 19 tackles
RCBJuJu Brents#8 · 25 tackles · 1 PD
LCBJason Marshall Jr.#4 · 22 tackles
NBChris Johnson#3 · 39 tackles · 2 PD
SSDante Trader Jr.#11 · 37 tackles · 1 INT · 3 PD
FSMichael Taaffe#16 · 38 tackles · 2 INT · 2 PD

Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.

Head to head · DET offense against MIA defense

Stat	DET off	MIA def allows	NFL avg
Overall
EPA per play	+0.12#6	+0.13#32	+0.00
Success rate	49%#3	49%#32	44%
Yards per play	6.0#7	5.9#27	5.4
Explosive play rate	12%#3	11%#26	9%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback	+0.25#2	+0.30#32	+0.03
Sack rate	6%#14	4%#28	7%
Running
Run EPA per carry	-0.05#14	-0.07#19	-0.08
Yards per carry	4.7#6	4.1#18	4.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion	39%#21	54%#32	41%
Red zone TD rate	69%#5	64%#19	61%
Targets by position
WR yards per game	173#7	121#4	147
TE yards per game	60#14	69#28	55
TE targets per game	7.6#15	7.9#18	7.6
RB receiving yards per game	48#5	41#25	32

Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Lions: EPA per throw

Left

Middle

Right

Deep

+1.526% of throws

+0.337% of throws

+0.757% of throws

Short

+0.2033% of throws

+0.4419% of throws

+0.1928% of throws

Dolphins: EPA allowed per throw

Left

Middle

Right

Deep

+0.7211 throws

+0.8011 throws

+1.3415 throws