The Dolphins have a Josh Allen problem. Injuries make the latest matchup tougher

The Dolphins’ 56-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens marked the defense’s worst performance of the year, as the unit gave up a season high in points and total yards (491).

As great as Lamar Jackson, who threw five touchdowns and recorded a perfect passer rating, was for Baltimore, Miami’s regular-season finale pits the team against an opponent who has been near-perfect in his matchups against the team.

The Dolphins, who host the Bills on Sunday night, are 2-10 against their division rival since quarterback Josh Allen entered the league, and the sixth-year player has been an annual headache for Miami.

“This guy’s the new John Elway on steroids. And I don’t mean he’s taking steroids,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Thursday.

Allen has completed 64.5 percent of his passes against the Dolphins and accounted for 39 total touchdowns in 12 meetings, including the playoffs, while only turning the ball over 10 times. The No. 7 overall pick from the 2018 Draft remains one of the most volatile players in the league, capable of throws and runs that can only be replicated by few, as well as head-scratching decisions that put his team in tough spots. Allen leads all quarterbacks in total touchdowns (42) and ranks second in turnovers (19). But he has typically played his best against his division rival. In Miami’s Week 4 meeting with Buffalo, a 48-20 loss, Allen accounted for 337 total yards and five touchdowns.

The latest injuries to hit the Dolphins could make Allen even harder to contain. In the Dolphins’ loss to the Ravens, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and cornerback Xavien Howard were both carted to the locker room with injuries. Chubb will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, while Howard is unlikely to play because of a left foot injury.

In Miami’s Week 4 meeting, the defense played without a trio of starters: cornerback Jalen Ramsey, outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips and safety DeShon Elliott. On Sunday, the Dolphins could be without as many as four defensive starters, as Phillips (Achilles) is out for the season and inside linebacker Jerome Baker’s status is unknown after he was designated to return to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday.

The absence of Chubb and Howard presents different, but equally problematic, challenges, against a quarterback who has played his best ball against the Dolphins.

Chubb leads Miami with 11 sacks and was in the midst of his best stretch of play since coming to the Dolphins via trade in November 2022. Fangio said the defense will replace Chubb “by committee,” a group that figures to veterans Emmanuel Ogbah and Melvin Ingram, along with second-year player Cameron Goode.

Ogbah has appeared in 14 games this season and has 5.5 sacks but has only played 22 percent of the defensive snaps, a career low. He was a healthy scratch for the game against Baltimore, but coach Mike McDaniel said the decision had to do more with Ogbah’s return from a hamstring injury and the practice reps that were given out.

Ingram, who played with the team in 2022 and re-signed to the practice squad on Dec. 14, has played 37 defensive snaps and recorded two tackles in the last two games.

[Ogbah is] a good pass rusher, for the most part,” Fangio said. “[Ingram is] a little bit more rounded for the [outside linebacker] position with the ability to drop and stuff like that.”

After Howard was carted to the locker room, Eli Apple stepped into his spot but was involved in a coverage bust that led to a 75-yard touchdown catch. Fangio said he will continue to move forward with Apple, Jalen Ramsey and Kader Kohou as the teams’ top cornerback options.

But after wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught six passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns, much of it on Kohou, the decision to shadow the All-Pro could once again be a key one. In the first matchup, Fangio opted against Howard shadowing Diggs and has seldom used the strategy this season. When Howard was ruled inactive for Miami’s Week 15 game against the New York Jets, Fangio had Ramsey shadow receiver Garrett Wilson and it was a successful endeavor.

While McDaniel previously spoke of schematic advantages that come with not shadowing a player, Fangio said the secondary handled the game plan against the Jets well and “I think if we want to do it again, I think they’ll handle it.”

Miami could be boosted by the return of Baker, who has missed the last four games with a sprained MCL. But McDaniel and Fangio were noncommittal about the availability of Baker, who has been limited in practice this week. If he returns, he could be another linebacker to help corral Allen. If not, he’ll be another key defensive contributor whose shoes the Dolphins will have to fill on Sunday.

“We’ve just got try to cancel out every phase,” Ingram said. “Josh is a tremendous athlete. He’s one of the best in this business. We just have to try to cancel out everything and play smashmouth football.”