Miami's defense against the run was once its pride and joy. In September, it was among the top five in the NFL, and started the season holding opponents -- even three teams who enjoy top ten rushing games -- under their rushing average for eight straight weeks.

Then it hit a rough patch.

Along with their quaterback, half a running tandem and the Wildcat trigger man, and a nose tackle -- not to mention assorted secondary and special teams players -- the Dolphins lost their edge against the run.

The Bucs, of all teams, got a leg up first, and then the Panthers hit the ground for 182 yards as the Dolphins suffered the loss of NT Jason Ferguson, the anchor of their 3-4 rushing defense.

It was as bad as the lowly Bills taking advantage before the Fins seemingly found their footing again against the admittedly pass-happy Patriots. Then, last week in Jacksonville, they managed a stand anew: Maurice Jones-Drew, the 5th-leading rusher in the league, only gained 59 yards against Miami.

The Dolphins crawled back up to 13th, but they ain't seen nothin' yet. With the entire season riding on the outcome of the game, they face the most dangerous threat in the NFL on Sunday, the Titans' Chris Johnson.

It is time to sacrifice some chickens, light candles, and drink for health reasons: Johnson has 1,626 yards on the season.

One thousand, six hundred and twenty-six.

That's 347 more yards than the next guy, Steven Jackson; 426 more than Adrian Peterson; 459 more than Thomas Jones; nearly 500 more yards than Jones-Drew; and about 83 more yards than Evil Kneivel could gain driving a motorcycle out of the backfield.

Johnson, fresh in just his second year, is averaging 85% of what Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams were grinding out per game as a pair. 

He is faster than everyone on the field every Sunday, averages six yards per carry, and has over 20 runs of 20 yards or more.

He's not a question, he's chasing records. The question is which Dolphins will show up? The ones who contained Thomas Jones in game five, the ones who limited MJD last week, or the ones who were found in between, letting Tampa Bay run wild and giving up 122 yards to DeAngelo Williams? 

It simply has to be the former, or the Dolphins will surely lose. It might need to be more than the former, because Johnson is also averaging over 9 yards per reception, and there isn't anyone on earth who wants to see a 4.24 guy in a footrace with this Dolphins secondary.

For weeks now, we've heard how tough this Dolphins team is, physically and mentally. How it is their identity. How they gut it out. How they don't give up. But if they can't get tough this weekend against Chris Johnson, that failure may define them instead -- and it will say they're much like everyone else, and not nearly as close to "back" as we'd like to believe.

Janie Campbell is a Florida sports fan who'd rather be forced to watch "The Hills" than see Chris Johnson in a race with the Dolphins safeties. And that's saying something. Her work has appeared in irreverent sports sites around the Internet.