The Miami Dolphins will face the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis without Pro Bowl running back De’Von Achane, creating expanded opportunities for Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright. Miami is also seeking to build on its most complete showing of the young 2026 season.
The matchup will be the Dolphins’ third road game in the first four weeks. Minnesota enters with a 3-0 record, the NFL’s second-ranked scoring defense and the league’s 32nd-ranked total offense, according to the source.
Communication will be critical
Quarterback Malik Willis said the Vikings can present familiar looks before changing the play’s appearance or outcome. He said Miami must follow its coaches’ plan and prepare for Minnesota’s defensive scheme during the week.
“They do a great job switching it up, giving you stuff that looks like something that you’ve seen and then doing something else out of it… And I think we just got to listen to our coaches and prepare this week with the scheme they have for us and do what we can,” Willis said.
Head coach Jeff Hafley said the challenge will require all 11 players to respond correctly. He highlighted the responsibilities of the receivers, tight ends, Willis and the running back, while emphasizing the importance of communication in a loud environment.
“It’s going to be everybody. It’s going to be the receivers responding the right way, the tight ends responding the right way, Malik’s ability to communicate, where’s our back, is he where he’s supposed to be, is he seeing everything the right way. I mean, it’s going to take all 11… We’re going to have to be on the same page. It’s going to be loud, so communication is going to be a key to this game,” Hafley said.
Dolphins turn to Gordon and Wright
Achane suffered an injury during the Dolphins’ Week 3 game against Kansas City and will not be available against Minnesota. His absence gives Gordon and Wright the opportunity to take on larger roles in the backfield.
Wright said Achane will be missed but expressed confidence in the running backs’ ability to continue building on his work. He also wished Achane a quick recovery.
“It’s hard to see anybody go down like that. I mean, it’s the nature of the game. De’Von’s going to be missed. He’s going to be missed, man. I love De’Von. I wish him the best, quick, fast recovery. Hell of a player, hell of an athlete, but at the end of the day, the RBs, we’re going to hold it down for him. I know he’s going to be happy for that. We’re going to try our best just to make him happy, just to continue to build on what he’s been doing,” Wright said.
Gordon said he and Wright have continued to receive practice repetitions, including reps that Achane would have received. Gordon described the situation as an opportunity for the two young backs to become leaders and keep moving forward.
“It’s a great opportunity just because we go through practice, we practice everything, we rep everything, even when De’Von was with us. Me and 5 (Jaylen Wright) still got reps that De’Von would have had. So, it’s just like practicing without him, which is horrible, like I said, he’s a great guy. It’s just time for me and 5 to step up, become leaders on this team and keep moving forward,” Gordon said.
Willis said Gordon and Wright have been making plays and improving. He also said the coaching staff will work to put them in position to succeed.
“I think they’ve been making plays all offseason and just continuing to get better each day. And I think that we have the coaches that will do what we need to do to put them in the best position to be successful,” Willis said.
Miami looks to carry Week 3 progress forward
The Dolphins’ Week 3 game was described as the team’s most complete showing of the young 2026 season. Miami had possession of the ball while trailing Kansas City by four points in the final period, giving the Dolphins a chance to continue fighting against one of the NFL’s best teams.
Hafley said the performance offered a broader indication of the progress being made by some of Miami’s young players.
“Against, I think, one of the best teams in the NFL, it’s 14-7, we have the ball and watching those young guys make those plays and just continue to fight back – it doesn’t feel good right now because I want to win in everything that we do. But I think if we look at the bigger picture, I think it just kind of shows where we’re heading with some of these guys,” Hafley said.
Wide receiver Malik Washington said Miami still has areas to address despite its progress. He identified penalties, cleaner play and assignment execution as priorities for the Dolphins moving forward.
“I think we’ve made a ton of progress, and I say that, but I recognize that there’s still a long way to go. We got to clean up our penalties. We got to play a little bit cleaner football. We got to be on our assignments, and I think we still can earn some growth in that area, and we’ll continue to work on that throughout the weeks,” Washington said.
FSB Take
The Miami Dolphins face an unbeaten Minnesota Vikings team without Achane, making Gordon and Wright central to the next step in Miami’s season. Communication will be important against Minnesota’s changing defensive looks, while Washington’s emphasis on penalties and assignments gives the Dolphins clear areas to improve. The Week 3 performance provides the foundation, but Miami must carry that execution into its third road game in four weeks.
Source: Original report