Dolphins Beat: Run defense the 'biggest issue' down the stretch

Dolphins beat writer James Walker on the team's sudden struggles against the run:

It is by far the biggest issue plaguing the Dolphins down the stretch. What is strange is their run defense wasn't a problem until the past two weeks. Miami was ranked eighth in run defense after Week 11. But giving up 478 yards in the past two games now has the defense ranked 21st against the run. That is a huge decline. There haven't been any major injuries among the front seven. The Dolphins suddenly forgot the fundamentals of tackling and holding the point of attack. They were forced to put eight (and sometimes nine) in the box the entire second half Monday to stop the Jets. Miami was lucky Geno Smith was the quarterback, because there were plays to be made in the passing game. The Ravens should be a tough matchup for Miami because they also can run the football and have a much better passing game.

Fantasy Impact: 

The Dolphins gave up 105 yards on 17 carries to Chris Johnson in Week 13, and the Jets didn't have any semblance of a passing attack in that game. Miami also yielded 167 yards on 27 carries to C.J. Anderson in Week 12, while Joique Bell averaged 4.4 YPC (44 yards on 10 carries) in Week 10. The Ravens have a good rushing attack, so Justin Forsett should be able to post another big fantasy line in Week 14.

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