NFL WEEK 6

KEYS TO THE GAME Dolphins’ starting quarterback:

It’s rookie Skylar Thompson starting at quarterback, not veteran Teddy Bridgewater, as many expected. We’ll see whether Thompson can get wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle the ball consistently. It’s the key to a successful offense. Yes, the running game had its best outing last Sunday with Raheem Mostert rushing for 113 yards, but the Dolphins only scored two touchdowns.

It’ll be up to Thompson to get the ball to Hill and Waddle where they can get yards after the catch or to hit them deep, and Thompson has shown he has the arm strength to throw deep and accurate passes. Still, everything will be a challenge for the rookie seventh-round pick, including being settled in the pocket.

For that to happen, pass protection must improve. Thompson absorbed 16 quarterback hits and two sacks in the 40-17 loss at the New York Jets.

Dolphins’ secondary vs. Vikings’ passing game:

Health is a major factor. The Dolphins need All Pro cornerback Xavien Howard (groin) able to play. The Vikings’ passing game is fueled by quarterback Kirk Cousins (1,327 yards passing,

66.2% completions, 7 touchdowns, 5 interceptions,

8 sacks, 86.4 passer rating) and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (40 receptions,

547 yards, 2 TDs), but don’t ignore wide receivers Adam Theilen (25 receptions, 248 yards, 1 TD) or K.J. Osborn (16 receptions, 159 yards, 1 TD).

If Howard doesn’t play, the pass defense starts with the front seven and their pressure. If he does play, perhaps he shadows Jefferson. Or the Dolphins could double-team Jefferson and have Howard shadow Theilen, the No. 2 wide receiver, in an attempt to get passes thrown toward Howard. The Dolphins used that philosophy with Cincinnati when Howard shadowed Tee Higgins, the Bengals’ No. 2 wide receiver, and they double-teamed Ja’Marr Chase, the No. 1 wide receiver.

Special teams: This has been a growing concern for the past few weeks. Yes, injuries have been a factor, but every team has injuries.

Punter Thomas Morstead has been good, but kicker Jason Sanders has been shaky. The Dolphins have a large crew of core special teams players, including safety Clayton Fejedelem, cornerbacks Keion Crossen and Justin Bethel, linebacker Duke Riley and Andrew Van Ginkel, tight end Tanner Conner, and wide receiver Trent Sherfield, and someone needs to lead the group back to respectability.

Fourth quarter:

The Dolphins have been outscored 34-0 the past two fourth quarters, both on the road, against Cincinnati (13-0) and the Jets (21-0).

The Dolphins have played hard, which is admirable, but they’ve made costly mistakes, particularly in pass defense. It should be noted Howard wasn’t available for the fourth quarter of either game.

Offensively, the Dolphins have had Bridgewater and Thompson playing quarterback in the fourth quarters. But that could be the case again, so the Dolphins must find a way to score points and keep opponents off the scoreboard in the quarter.

Turnover margin: The Dolphins are now minus-2 in turnover margin. Among the 11 teams that are negative in that category, only the Dolphins (3-2) and Green Bay (3-2) are over .500.