Bilal Powell must get many touches to defeat Dolphins
The New York Jets will be going up against a poor Miami Dolphins rushing defense on Sunday. Running back Bilal Powell must be a key factor for the Jets if they are going to exploit that flaw and come away with a crucial victory.
When Bilal Powell returned to the New York Jets this offseason, it was expected that he would be an integral part of the team’s offensive attack. It was assumed that he would give Matt Forte some rest when needed, and provide a significant spark in both the rushing and passing game.
Despite the expected significant workload, Powell really hasn’t gotten that many opportunities thus far in the season. He’s only gotten 30 carries in total while Forte has had multiple respective games in which he’s carried the ball thirty or more times.
What makes Powell’s lack of playing time so ridiculous is that when he has seen the field, he’s been remarkably productive. On the season, he’s averaging over seven yards per carry. He also has nearly two hundred yards receiving as he is on pace for a solid season in that respect.
With Forte’s age and the offense’s overall struggles, the Jets must give Powell more chances to make plays. That starts this Sunday when the Jets face off against the Dolphins in Miami.
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The Dolphins’ defense is ranked 30th in rushing yards per game. The only thing that they do have going for them is Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in the middle, who Powell can do a very good job of neutralizing.
A good amount of Powell would work perfectly against Miami because of his great speed and burst. These factors will allow him to bounce to the outside and turn on the afterburners as he completely avoids Suh and Miami’s strong interior defense.
Powell’s pass-catching ability should also be very effective against Miami’s defense. The Dolphins only have one good coverage linebacker in Kiko Alonso, so Powell could definitely exploit some mismatches with his speed and athleticism.
The Jets will be very sorry if they fail to use Powell to his full potential in their Week 9 matchup against the Dolphins. If they don’t, they will almost surely have a difficult time moving the ball down the field consistently.
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