NFL preview: Miami Dolphins face Denver Broncos live on Sky Sports on Sunday

The wheels aren’t exactly coming off but the Denver Broncos certainly have a few more worries than usual as they play host to the Miami Dolphins in our second Sunday game on Sky Sports.

Peyton Manning’s crew were flying earlier in the season but they’ve lost two of the last three and are struggling with a few injury problems meaning everything is not as rosy as it was, although they still top the AFC West on 7-3.

Miami are on the march with four wins in the last five built around the NFL’s second-best defence overall, and that’s the last thing Manning needs to see after a tough run of three games on the road.

At 6-4 the Dolphins are well in the AFC playoff race and a positive result against the reigning AFC champions would make a real statement about their post-season credentials.

Home sweet home?

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A three-game road run is tough and the Broncos lost two of them, to the Patriots and the Rams by a combined score of 65-28, so it’s not like the games were even close. Seven of Denver’s nine regular season defeats with Peyton Manning have come on the road, where he’s thrown 10 less TDs and 10 more interceptions.

Denver posted their lowest score in a couple of years in their 22-7 defeat in St Louis last week, and they have injuries to Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Montee Ball to worry about. They need some home comforts at Mile High, where Manning has only lost three times in 24 games since joining the team.

Dolphins defence

Miami’s second-ranked defence is also second against the pass with 208 yards a game, but they’ll have their hands full with Denver’s third-best overall offence and second-best aerial attack even if Thomas and Sanders are slowed by injuries. The Dolphins defence has kept games close, even in defeat, with their last two losses coming by a combined seven points.

Their 24-9 win over Buffalo saw them avoid allowing a touchdown for the second time in three weeks in another swarming display, and they’ve had the extra rest to prepare heading to Denver. They’ve also had success against the league’s best quarterbacks this season with Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers restricted to season-low completion percentages against Miami.

Pass rush

Crucial for both teams is getting at the quarterback and stopping the opposition from harassing their own triggerman. Manning has been sacked a league-low 11 times in 10 games, but the Rams did knock down 12 of his passes last week so the Fins will have their hands held high at the line of scrimmage.

Miami’s offensive line has not exactly been great, with Ryan Tannehill being sacked 58 times last season and 25 times this campaign, including eight in the last two games. The Dolphins will have tighten that up in a road game when they face Vonn Miller and DeMarcus Ware who have produced 19 sacks between them this campaign.

Run the ball

For Miami, running the ball will be key to not only get things going on offence but to also crucially keep the ball out of Manning’s hands. Miami are sixth in rushing this season but need Lamar Miller to shake off injury worries to take the field. Tannehill himself is second on the team with 271 yards of rushing himself. Miami would be wise to run the ball – they’re 6-0 this season when they run a minimum of 24 times.

Denver’s ground game has vanished this season, ranking just 26th with 3.7 yards a carry – which is the lowest rate since Manning took over. Averaging just 90 yards a game, they need to move the chains with the run to try and take some of the heat off Manning’s arm, especially if he is down a couple of receivers. In Denver’s three defeats this season they’ve run for just four first downs, that number needs to move north to try and open up the passing game.

Stat attack

Manning holds a losing career record against Miami, for what it’s worth, going 5-7 with 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, while the Dolphins have a healthy 11-4-1 record against the Broncos over the years.