How do the Dolphins stop Bills QB Josh Allen? They get another shot to crack the code

Football is a team sport, but when it comes to the Dolphins’ recent struggles against the Buffalo Bills, one player — quarterback Josh Allen — has been more responsible than anyone else for Miami’s shortcomings.

The correlation is simple: In eight games since Allen entered the league as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Dolphins are 1-7 against the Bills, with Buffalo winning seven in a row.

When the Dolphins host the Bills at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, the defense will once again seek to limit — if not completely stifle — the star quarterback, an objective that has been fruitless in recent years.

In eight games against the Dolphins, Allen has accounted for 2,410 yards and 25 touchdowns with just five interceptions.

“I think we’ve all been witnesses to he’s steadily become one of the best players in the National Football League,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “[You could] easily argue he’s the best one. And it’s not because he’s God’s gift. It’s because he’s unbelievably talented. But it’s because you can tell more than that, it’s because he works at his craft. He’s developing every time he’s on the field. He’s a really, really good player that you’ll never, I don’t think, see him stopped necessarily. It’s about minimizing and containing all together.”

As the Bills, betting favorites to win the Super Bowl, have cruised to a 2-0 start, Allen has led Buffalo with play that has reinforced him as the favorite to win league Most Valuable Player honors. Allen has completed 75 percent of his passes for 614 yards, and his seven touchdown passes are tied for the league lead.

A Dolphins defense that opened the season with a dominant performance against the New England Patriots was a mixed bag in the team’s Week 2 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Through three quarters, the Dolphins gave up 35 points as quarterback Lamar Jackson easily found answers for their Cover 0 looks. In the fourth quarter, when the Dolphins outscored Baltimore 28-3 to mount a historic comeback, the defense allowed just three first downs and made a key fourth-down stop.

“I feel like we can do better,” cornerback Xavien Howard said. “I feel like we’re going to have to play better and we’re also going to have to make more plays on this side of the ball this game.”

In Week 2, all three of Jackson’s touchdown passes came against the blitz, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Pressuring the quarterback has been a problem for the Dolphins defense, which didn’t register a sack or hit on Jackson. Through two games, the Dolphins have the third-highest blitz rate at 44.3 percent, according to Next Gen Stats, but their 16.3 percent pressure rate ranks fourth-lowest.

In last year’s meetings, Allen fared worse when the Dolphins blitzed — 14 of 29 passes for 131 yards — but he has been one of the best quarterbacks this season when facing extra rushers this season. When teams bring more than four pass rushers, Allen has completed 10 of 16 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

The Dolphins have sacked Allen just eight times in eight meetings, but defensive players said that just as important as bringing Allen down is ensuring there aren’t clear lanes for him to leave the pocket. It’s a strain on not only the pass rushers but the defensive backs who have to chase pass-catchers across the field.

“It’s more of a contain thing,” inside linebacker Jerome Baker said. “You don’t want him rolling out and just having free access to look down the field or have that option of throwing it down the field or just running the ball. You really have to contain him. Even when you have free shots at him, you have to be under control because he can easily make that first guy miss and now you’re leaving a big gap. It’s really a team effort, a defensive effort, and I think we’re up for the challenge.”