Green Bay Packers vs Miami Dolphins: 5 matchups to watch

4. Xavien Howard vs Davante Adams

At the start of the season, cornerback Xavien Howard was one of the biggest surprises to start the year. He was giving the Dolphins a legitimate lockdown corner that forced opposing quarterbacks to look elsewhere. He has cooled off somewhat, but he still presents a good matchup against star wideout Davante Adams. He’s 6’1″ and 192 pounds which are good size measurements for a cornerback.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, Howard doesn’t always shadow opposing number one wideouts like Stephon Gilmore and Jalen Ramsey. This allows the Packers to move Adams around to get him good matchups, and there is a number of them behind Howard. In addition, Marquez Valdes-Scantling presents a significant matchup problem with his elite speed. Howard is strong and physical, but he is not the fastest corner on the field.

This game could ultimately come down to who wins this battle. If Adams loses and Rodgers is forced to look elsewhere, the team could be in trouble with other players struggling to get open in their matchups. If Adams wins the battle, he gives Rodgers that safety valve that he can go to whenever he needs him.