Lions, Packers, and Bears, oh my! Throw in some Jaguars and Chargers, and the Dolphins find themselves walking a tough stretch of yellow brick road where they’ll be in potential dogfights for four of the next five games prior to their home game against the Bills.

With the ability to go into the bye week with some momentum, the Dolphins find themselves in a prime position. Benefitting from an extra week to prepare for the Packers and the luxury of playing in front of their home fans, the ‘Fins are in a spot where they need a win on Sunday to keep pace with the Bills and Patriots who lead the division.

After playing two divisional opponents in the opening quarter of the season, the Dolphins embark on a stretch of games that feature three NFC North teams as well as the San Diego Chargers, each of which pose major match up issues for Miami.

That stretch begins this Sunday against what many feel is the best quarterback in football, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Regardless of the opponent, the Dolphins have the table set for them nicely this week; well rested, healthy, and at home, they can’t ask for better circumstances to go out and show their home crowd that they’ve improved to start the second quarter of the season.

While the Dolphins are feeling confident, they know they have their work cut out for them with Green Bay visiting Sun Life Stadium. And while football is the ultimate team game, the Dolphins coaches know they are facing a player in Aaron Rodgers who stands out among the lot.

“There are some guys in this league that are truly special, and this quarterback rates up there with the best of them,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said of Rodgers. “He’s really amazing to watch. Some guys you’d just love to watch on tape, you just put the tape on and observe. You wish you didn’t have to try to defend him because he’s magical with what he does with the ball and the decision making and the speed that he gets the ball out with, his accuracy, his ability to extend plays, it’s really uncanny, coupled with the fact that he’s got a rifle of an arm.”

The Packers undoubtedly feature one of the most explosive offenses in the league but the Dolphins defense has gotten stronger over the bye week with the returns of defensive tackle Randy Starks, middle linebacker Koa Misi, and safety Reshad Jones. The Fins will have their hands full and will need their offense to be ready to compete in a shoot out if they are going to walk off the field with a victory on Sunday.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill thinks his offense is up to that task and are prepared to handle that type of game if it comes down to that. “I think we have the playmakers across the board to do it,” Tannehill said when asked if they had the offense to withstand the type of game. “I think we started the momentum going the right way a couple weeks ago in London (versus Oakland).”

“As an offense, it’s our job to score more points than the other team no matter how many points that is,” Tannehill explained. “If defense plays great and we have a shutout, then we’ve got to get three. If the defense has a bad day and it takes 40, then that’s our job no matter what the other side is doing.”

While the Packers defense features an elite pass rush in Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, and Nick Perry and an above average secondary with Tramon Williams and Sam Shields, Green Bay is susceptible to giving up yardage on the ground, as evidenced by the 163 yards rushing per game they have allowed. The recipe for beating the Packers is establishing a strong run game, protecting the football, and using it to maintain balance in their attack. The Dolphins have a good chance to run the football against the Packers, especially when factoring in the return of Mike Pouncey on the offensive line and Knowshon Moreno to the backfield, but need to remain committed to it as that has been an issue for them in their previous losses.

The Dolphins can make a statement with a victory on Sunday but really it’s just the beginning. The following week they have to travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears before facing the San Diego Chargers, before they try to exact some revenge against the Buffalo Bills.

We’re going to find out what kind of team the Miami Dolphins are over the next five weeks and that will likely define their season, and if they’ll be looking for a new head coach and quarterback next season.