Miami Dolphins: Unimpressive start to a promising season
By Sean Denison
In the realm of sports, particularly in the NFL, a popular saying has always been, “a win is a win.” This phrase, ubiquitous across the world of sports, puts the emphasis on the team’s achieved victory, rather than the team’s actual performance. But does this ring true after the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 17-10 on Sunday?
A win is a win—you’re damn right it is. But the Dolphins did not deserve to win this game. The defensive line was nothing like advertised, the offense was only able to score one measly touchdown, and the high-priced franchise quarterback looked average while being sacked three times and missing several open receivers.
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This is not what we expected to see out of a team that has oozed confidence since the start of training camp—especially after looking so good in the preseason. But, as Dolphins fans have grown accustomed to being let down year after year, this couldn’t have come to you as a surprise, right? Apparently, judging Sunday’s performance, this appears to be every fan’s worst nightmare: “The same ol’ Dolphins.”
Against an inferior opponent, Miami’s defense—and strength of the team—was routinely punched in the mouth, falling victim to a mediocre offensive line. In the first half, the Redskins had over 100 yards rushing and the Dolphins only got to first-time starting quarterback Kirk Cousins once. Was this the same defense that was said to be one of the best in the entire league? Was this the same defense that showed glimpses of dominance during training camp and preseason? Well, it didn’t look like it.
Poor tackling continues to be an issue for the Miami Dolphins. With the exemption of Reshad Jones (team leading 12 tackles), the Dolphins, once again, seemed to have difficulty wrapping up and bringing down ball carriers. On too many occasions, the Dolphins defenders gave Redskins players the opportunity to muscle their way for extra yardage. Also in the first half, the defense collapsed on, what seemed to be, every third down and let the Redskins attain two time-consuming drives that stretched the length of the field.
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On the other side of the ball, the offense was hyped up after a panoply of new toys were added to Tannehill’s arsenal: Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills, Jordan Cameron, and rookie DeVante Parker, were all brought in due to the fact that they fit Bill Lazor’s offense and Tannehill’s strengths as a passer. However, they couldn’t seem to get anything going for the duration of the game. Tannehill surrendered several opportunities that had the potential to be big plays, misfiring on a would-be touchdown pass to Dion Sims and a crucial first down throw to Kenny Stills deep inside Redskins territory.
Another area that couldn’t get going in the first half was the running game. The Dolphins—finding themselves down early—committed solely to the passing game, running the ball only a few times the entire first half. This, like last year, was a major problem for this offense. Too often last season, Miami was one-dimensional offensively. In fact, Lamar Miller never had more than 20 carries in a game. (And keep in mind, Miller averaged over five yards a carry and was one of only 13 backs to rush over 1,000 yards.) Is this going to be a continuing theme on offense?
Now, they say there are two sides to every story; they also say you can always find the good in the bad. And such is the case in this game. Jarvis Landry’s 69-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter provided the spark that the Dolphins needed, and ultimately thrust the dagger in the Redskins’ hearts.
The defense, despite giving up over 100 rushing yards in the first half, completely shutout the Redskins in the second half on the ground, through the air, and on the scoreboard. Expressing the importance of causing turnovers to his defense this offseason, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle had to be pleased with what he saw. The defense had two interceptions on the day: one of them coming as no surprise as pro bowl cornerback Brent Grimes picked off Cousins after reading the receivers route like a book, and the other being a jaw dropping, one-handed, highlight-reel of an interception by Brice McCain that negated a potential scoring drive by the Skins.
On the scorer’s sheet, it’ll show that Miami only produced one sack. But in fact, reality tells a slightly different tale. Cameron Wake was denied two sacks due to penalties, one of which was an offensive holding call. In truth, throughout the game, the Dolphins defense did a good job when backed into the red-zone and on third-down conversions in the second half.
The offense, however, seemed to struggle all game. Despite ending the half on a good-looking 80-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to Rishard Mathews, the Dolphins offense failed to reach the endzone in the second half. In fact, the Dolphins’ first drive of the second half ended the same way the Dolphins started the game: sadly comical. On third down, after compiling a nice drive down to the Redskins 22-yard line, the ensuing play will surely become a nice collection to many NFL blooper reels: Tannehill got sacked and lost control of the football as it fell and wobbled in and out of the hands of several Redskins and Dolphins players, traveling almost 30 yards downfield. And sadly, resulting in a recovery by the Redskins.
A bright spot on offense, however, was when Miami successfully ran the football in the second half, highlighted by Lamar Miller’s game-deciding eight-yard run for a first down with less than one minute remaining. Hopefully Miami can continue this blueprint the remainder of the season. The running game is vital in this offense and must be used in order for this offense to reach its potential.
As Miami prepares for yet another inferior opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, they must get all the kinks out and fix their problems on both sides of the ball. Remember, despite winning the game due to turnovers, the Dolphins got outplayed last year in Jacksonville and were lucky to come away with a victory. However, this could be the exact type of game and opponent that can help the Dolphins regain their confidence after an unimpressive start to the season.