Carolina has to slow down zero-blitz pressure from Dolphins

After starting 1-7, the Dolphins have won three in a row, and they’ve done it with an aggressive defense.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule pointed out this week that in their win over Baltimore, they ran zero blitzes (meaning their corners played man, and there was no safety help over the top) 31 times. They created a pair of turnovers, and limited the Ravens to 94 yards on the ground.

“They burned the boats and said we’re here to win, and they won, they took away the football,” Rhule said.

The Dolphins blitz more than any team in the league this year. According to Next Gen Stats, they blitz on 40.5 percent of the dropbacks, the only team in the league over 40 percent (Tampa Bay is second at 37.9 percent, followed by Baltimore at 35.7).

That puts more pressure on the Panthers offensive line this week, and they know it.

“They bring a lot of blitz, obviously, so we have to be on point with our rules and who we’re supposed to block and all that good stuff,” Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton said this week.

The Panthers line has improved steadily over the course of the year, even as injuries have knocked part after part out of the lineup. Veteran John Miller is doubtful this week with an ankle injury after a one-week return, meaning Trent Scott will return at right guard. Change has been a constant (eight different groups of starters in 11 games), which has forced them to focus on the small parts of the game.

“We just all continue to focus on our craft and continue to find ways to improve,” Moton said. “We knew we weren’t playing up to our standards, so collectively we wanted to do everything we can to get the job done. There’s a lot of room for growth and improvements to be made, but all we can do is take it one day at a time and continue to grow.”