MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey did a tremendous job shadowing star New York Jets WR Garrett Wilson in Week 15. Wilson finished with three catches for 29 yards in Sunday’s 30-0 Dolphins victory, but those all came when the game was in garbage time.
So why should the approach change against star Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb in Week 16 — even if CB Xavien Howard is back from the hip injury that kept him out of the Jets’ game?
Should Miami Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey Shadow CeeDee Lamb?
Ramsey essentially erased Wilson from the game Sunday. Per Next Gen Stats, Ramsey lined up across from Wilson on 23 of 42 routes (54.8%) and was targeted just once (which resulted in an incompletion). Ramsey’s press coverage rate was 69.6%.
“Found out that X wasn’t playing probably an hour before the game,” Ramsey told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel after the game.
“They told me to follow Garrett. Followed him, in hopes of getting some targets. Normally, he’s like 33% of their offense. But still only got one target. It was boring, but it is what it is.”
Another “boring” game on Sunday against the Cowboys would be just fine for Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Of course, the Cowboys’ offense is leaps and bounds better than the Jets’, so Ramsey should expect more exercise when these 10-win teams meet on Christmas Eve.
But if Ramsey does shadow Dallas’ WR1, Lamb, and does a similarly effective job, the odds of a Dolphins win go way up.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
Lamb on the year has 103 of the Cowboys’ 348 receptions (29.6%), 141 of their 496 targets (28.4%), eight of their 28 touchdowns (28.5%), and 1,306 of their 3,753 receiving yards (34.8%). Those 141 targets are the fourth most in the league this season.
We talk Cowboys-Dolphins strategy, look ahead to the final two games of the season, and discuss much more in a supersized edition of the Week 16 PFN Miami Dolphins Podcast.
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