The Dolphins
Denver at Miami, 11 a.m., KCNC-4
For the record: The Dolphins have lost five straight games. Their latest setback was a 35-17 loss at New England on Sunday. Miami has surrendered 35.4 points per game during the losing skid, but the offense hasn’t been much better. The Dolphins have been shut out twice this season and have been held under 20 points six times.
Who’s hot: Safety Reshad Jones returned a fumble for a touchdown against the Patriots. He also had a game-sealing interception in Miami’s biggest win this season, a 20-17 victory at Atlanta on Oct. 15. Jones has played at a Pro Bowl level, but he hasn’t had much help.
Who’s not: The offensive line. The Dolphins gave up seven sacks in their loss to the Patriots, a team that had only 17 sacks in 10 games before Sunday. Miami has dealt with a rash of injuries up front, and poor line play has been at least in part responsible for starting quarterback Jay Cutler missing two games because of two different injuries (rib, concussion).
Key stat: The Dolphins have rushed for only one touchdown this season. Every other team in the NFL has at least three rushing scores in 2017. The Dolphins rank 29th overall in rushing at 79.2 yards per game. They finished Sunday’s game with only one healthy running back on the roster in Kenyan Drake.
FYI: Dolphins coach Adam Gase, the Broncos’ former offensive coordinator, has faced a QB carousel of his own this season. First, starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. The Dolphins answered Tannehill’s absence by signing previously retired Cutler to a lucrative, one-year deal. But backup Matt Moore has played in three games this season because of injuries to Cutler, whose status for Sunday’s game wasn’t clear when Gase addressed reporters in Florida on Monday. Streaking: When the Broncos visit the Dolphins on Sunday, it will be almost a calendar year since their last road victory — a 20-10 win at Jacksonville on Dec. 4, 2016. The Broncos have lost seven straight games away from Denver since. Coachspeak: “It is not always going to go as smooth as you want it. You have to be ready to adjust and need your players to stay on board and keep focused and not worry about the end result and focus on the process.”