On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will search for their first win of the season as they take on the undefeated Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Most recently, the Miami Dolphins lost 24-10 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3.
Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis went 20-for-36 with 210 passing yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. Now, ahead of Miami’s matchup against the Vikings, one starting member of Minnesota’s secondary has issued a blunt statement regarding Willis and Miami’s offense.
Minnesota Vikings Cornerback Doesn’t Hold Back on Malik Willis
Ahead of the Miami Dolphins matchup against the Vikings, Minnesota cornerback Byron Murphy told reporters that he believes the Vikings will have opportunities for takeaways while facing Willis. Murphy said, “Definitely will be some opportunities. [Willis] definitely likes to take some shots down the field… we’re going to be looking forward to plastering on the WRs to make the play.”
This season, Murphy has already registered one interception as he picked off Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in Week 2.
In his career, Murphy has totaled 17 interceptions. Murphy has particularly excelled since joining former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores with the Vikings. Flores, who serves as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, runs a blitz-heavy scheme that tends to force a lot of turnovers. Since joining the Vikings, Murphy has totaled 12 interceptions in 51 games. The cornerback only notched five interceptions in his previous 56 games.
Willis, who did not throw an interception as a member of the Green Bay Packers, has now thrown one in two out of three starts this season. Additionally, Miami’s quarterback also lost a fumble.
Avoiding takeaways will be a major priority for the Dolphins on Sunday; however, that is not an easy task against a Brian Flores-led defense. In 2020, the Miami Dolphins led the NFL with 29 total takeaways under Brian Flores.
Miami Dolphins’ Comments
Regarding Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said, “I think he’s a great play caller and he’s done a tremendous job there.”
When asked about Flores’ aggressive scheme, Hafley replied, “I think what he’s done a really good job and what they’ve done a really good job is they have a lot of veteran players that have played in the system that are really good at communicating and checking and talk to one another. I think the older you get and the more experience you get with guys, you can start to build it and do more and more because there’s so much communication that goes into that. I think what he’s done is he’s gotten a group of guys at each position who he’s got smart guys, he’s got good communicators, he’s got really good coaches and they can kind of piece it all together. I think that’s really important when you look at scheme.”
Meanwhile, Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis said of Minnesota’s aggressive defense, “I mean, watching the tape, they do a lot. I mean, they have a great defense, obviously. They’re undefeated for a reason, and they’ve been doing a great job. And we’ll just continue to search and try to come up with a plan to go out there and execute.”
Vikings Defender Takes Shot at Dolphins QB Malik Willis Before Week 4