Dolphins vs. Lions preview: 3 questions that will decide the game of the week

The Miami Dolphins (5-3) and the Detroit Lions (6-2) are two of the hottest teams in the NFL right now ... exactly like nobody predicted. Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White previews the game of the week of the century.

The Dolphins are quietly putting together a pretty good year after looking like the circus had come to town earlier on in the season. They have to be happy sitting at 5-3, after a 1-2 start during which the head coach was openly questioning whether he had the right starting quarterback. After winning three straight, helped by a tweak to the offensive system and a defense that never stopped getting after the quarterback, the Dolphins look like the team that may have the best chance to unseat the Patriots as perennial AFC East champs after all these years. I am finally a believer in that team now, having watched them dismantle the Chargers last week.

The Lions welcome the Dolphins to Detroit in Week 10, sitting with a 6-2 record atop the NFC North, one game back of the NFC-leading Arizona Cardinals. Detroit has even managed to win without Calvin Johnson, who has missed the last three games. It hasn't always been pretty, but the Lions have found a way to 'git 'er done' the last few weeks. They shouldn't have to make do any longer with Megatron expected back in the lineup this week. They'll definitely need all hands on deck if they want to slow down the red-hot Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.

These are the top three questions that will determine the outcome of the game:

1. Will the Lions be prepared to stop Ryan Tannehill on the read option?

This is normally a question reserved for when a defense is facing quarterbacks like Cam Newton or Colin Kaepernick, but as I pointed out a few weeks ago, Tannehill is now a major run threat in this new-look Dolphins offense. Since the Raiders game in Week 4, Tannehill hasn't rushed for fewer than 35 yards. In Miami's last four games, he hasn't rushed for fewer than 47 yards. In eight games, the first three of which the Dolphins weren't even using Tannehill as a runner much, he already has 245 rushing yards, more than he has run for in either of his previous two seasons. The Dolphins have won four out of their last five games with this new approach. The one game they lost went all the way down to the wire, against the Packers.

Here's the thing, though. It's not like Tannehill got a bunch of carries in the last five games. The most carries he has had in a single game this season is six. So I get it if some folks might not think it's that big of a deal, especially since he has yet to score a rushing touchdown this year.

Tannehill's runs extend drives for the Dolphins at just the right moments. They pick their spots with him, and with a read option play the defense mostly dictates who carries the ball. It's like found money when he picks up 10 yards on one of those plays. When he has success early, it also tends to make the opposing defense a little tentative the rest of the game, forcing them to make sure they have everyone accounted for on read option runs. That tends to open up the passing game down the field, especially since Tannehill is now throwing some of those pop passes up the seam.

The Lions defense is second in the league against the run, but they haven't really played anybody that has had their quarterback run on read options. They played the Panthers earlier in the year, when Cam Newton still wasn't quite healthy, and he only ran the ball one time off that action. The only other quarterbacks they've faced who run a little read option -- the Jets' Geno Smith and the Vikings' Teddy Bridgewater -- didn't test them much with it, either. Because of that, it's hard to say just how prepared they'll be to stop Tannehill when he does decide to keep it and run, but it may end up being the key to stopping that offense overall.

If they can put some big hits on Tannehill and keep him from running, then the impressive defensive line will still be able to tee off on the snap of the ball and get into their pass rushes without hesitation. If they get hurt on one or two of those Tannehill runs early then it's going to necessarily take away some of their aggressiveness, which will only serve to help Tannehill and the Dolphins offensive line on passing plays. It's no secret that the Lions' ferocious pass rush has been the key to a lot of their success this year. If you slow those guys down, I think the Dolphins have a shot.

2. Will the Lions be able to stop Cameron Wake from taking Matt Stafford's head home with him as a trophy?

Everybody has their favorite player or players to watch. For me, one of them is Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake. That guy is living, breathing, dominating clinic tape ... no wasted movement, no lazy hands, always using the right footwork and keeping long levers. If every defensive lineman played with the kind of technique Wake employs on every single play, what a beautiful thing that would be for me.

I love watching both the Lions' and the Dolphins' defensive lines because those are two groups that know how to rush as a unit and do a damn good job of it (the Vikings and Rams also come to mind). On Sunday, Wake will have top billing for me for two reasons.

First, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has attempted 40 and 47 passes, respectively, in his last two games. The Lions are also second-to-last in the entire NFL running the ball. Wake is kind of undersized at 6'3 and around 260 pounds, so he can struggle at times against teams that run the ball. I say struggle, but it's not like he is getting pancaked or something. He just has to really brace for impact when he is not sure if its run or pass, to make sure that if it is run he doesn't get pushed off the ball. When it ends up being pass, it takes him a while to switch back to pass rush mode and get to a move. However, the Lions don't have much of a running game, and they are chucking the ball around the field. That isn't likely to work out well.

Ask Philip Rivers 'bout it.

Secondly, it'll be right tackle LaAdrian Waddle facing Wake on Sunday for most, if not all, of the game. Waddle has been in and out of the lineup this season due to injuries, most recently a concussion that kept him out of their win over the Falcons in Week 8. His backup is Garrett Reynolds. Neither one of those guys is anything special.

Wake has to be licking his chops thinking about pass rushing damn near every play against either a banged-up starter or an average backup right tackle. I think we all can acknowledge that Stafford isn't that great under pressure, so whether Detroit can find a way to get Wake blocked will make a huge difference on Sunday.

Ask Philip Rivers 'bout it.

3. Which sidekick goes off (assuming Calvin Johnson plays)?

I see a lot of similarities between this Dolphins defense and the Lions defense. That might be why the Dolphins are rated second against the pass while the Lions are just three spots behind them. With the premium both teams put on getting to the quarterback, both are also going to try to take away the opposing quarterback's No. 1 option and force him, under pressure, to go to someone else repeatedly to win the game. It's easy to see the Dolphins looking to make Stafford force his throws to someone other than Calvin Johnson. The same is true when it comes to how the Lions could be looking at Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace. The question then comes down to which team will have its No. 2 guy step up on Sunday.

Most people would probably bet on Lions receiver Golden Tate as the sidekick who steps up and has another big day. They would certainly be justified when you consider the fact that Tate has had over 134 yards receiving in three of the Lions' last four games, including three touchdowns over that same span. The problem is that Johnson didn't play at all in three of those four games either, and had just one target in the game he did play. Tate was the man with Johnson out, but it can get tricky when a guy has to go back to being lower on the totem pole again. Which is to say, you have to wonder if Tate will be able to continue to get busy even with potentially fewer targets.

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Don't forget that just because an opposing defense tries to take a guy out of the game with double coverage, that doesn't mean they will succeed or that the offense still won't still try to get that guy the ball. Stafford has no qualms about going to Johnson when he is double covered, so Tate may have to try to make do with the scraps.

I'm also intrigued by Dolphins rookie receiver Jarvis Landry. He's starting to assert himself and make a big push to be Wallace's sidekick in Miami. I loved Landry at LSU because he was so physical after the catch and he knew how to jump up and pluck the ball out of the air in traffic. He hasn't lost that edge since joining the Dolphins, and the last few weeks I just keep seeing him contribute more and more on offense as well as on special teams as a return man.

It just feels like a breakout game is coming for Landry, and it could definitely happen on Sunday. I do believe that the Lions will try to double Wallace; in fact, I think they would be crazy not to, considering the damage he can do getting down the field in a hurry. Miami is going to need somebody to step up, so why not Landry?