The Miami Dolphins may not have one of their top pass rushers available on Sunday after Jaelan Phillips reportedly injured his back at practice on Friday.
The linebacker is listed as questionable to face the New England Patriots on Sunday night. He had 11 total tackles and 0.5 sacks in Miami’s 36-34 season-opening win at the Los Angeles Chargers last week.
The 24-year-old has not missed a game in his first two NFL seasons and made 15 starts in the 2022 campaign, when he recorded seven sacks after totaling 8.5 sacks as a rookie.
The Dolphins could get back one of their best offensive lineman with tackle Terron Armstead listed as questionable after sitting out the Week 1 game. He has practiced the past three days and seems to be on track to make his 2023 season debut after getting injured and having to be carted away from the sideline during a joint practice last month.
“Good week of work. Happy to be back to be back on the field. We’ll see what happens Sunday night,” Dolphins OT Terron Armstead said about his 3 straight days of practice. pic.twitter.com/i2F7BfKNDa
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) September 15, 2023
Defensive back Elijah Campbell and tight end Julian Hill also are listed as questionable.
Earlier in the week, running back Raheem Mostert was reportedly in jeopardy of missing the game, but he is ready to go after two straight days of full participation at practice.
The Patriots have six players listed as questionable, including former Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker, who played 93 games over seven seasons with Miami before joining New England last season.
The Dolphins are looking to start 2-0 for a second straight season after not doing so since the 2018 campaign. They have had some recent success against the Patriots, winning three of the past four games, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 4-0 in his starts against New England head coach Bill Belichick.
Miami’s offense looked spectacular in the opener, with Tagovailoa throwing for 466 yards and wide receiver Tyreek Hill accumulating 215 receiving yards on 11 receptions.
It was a performance that vaulted Miami into the role as the betting favorite to win the AFC East, and if it can now get to 2-0 with a win on the road over a division opponent, its status as a legitimate Super Bowl contender is likely to increase.
