Miami Dolphins fans want what they saw on NFL’s MNF

If you’re a Miami Dolphins fan and didn’t stay awake to watch the epic battle between the Rams and Chiefs you missed what Dolphins fans have been wanting.

Miami Dolphins fans want an explosive offense and on MNF the Chiefs and Rams showed they have two of the best. Miami fans would settle for far less which is still far more than what they are getting now.

Both teams scored over 50 points but not all of those points came off offensive drives. The Rams scored two touchdowns from their defense and the Chiefs added one of their own. The Chiefs also turned a short field after a turnover into points. So while it seems that the defenses on both sides had failed to show up, that really wasn’t the case.

You can’t discount the four touchdowns from Jared Goff or the six thrown by Patrick Mahomes but last nights game was a showcase of what the Dolphins do not have. In fact, the Dolphins haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in nine quarters. Miami hasn’t scored a touchdown offensively since the 3rd quarter of the Houston Texans Thursday night game. That came on a pass from Danny Amendola to Kenyan Drake.

Many will point to the fact that Brock Osweiler has been horrible but let’s not say that Ryan Tannehill was playing on a far different level. Tannehill is better both on the field and statistically but his stats were over-inflated early on by shovel passes that were taken by Albert Wilson for scores.

The fact is that the Miami Dolphins are not very “exciting” on the offensive side of the ball and last night showcased what Miami is missing. Is it play calling, personnel, or is injuries to blame? When the team was healthy at the start of the season Miami’s highest point total was 28 against the Raiders. They posted 31 against the Bears but have failed to do much since.

This really is nothing new for the Dolphins who have struggled on offense for the better part of two decades dating back to Nick Saban. Sure the team has put up 30 plus points at times but it is inconsistent.

Injuries have plagued this team in 2018 and that can not be discounted because those injuries have been to key starters and contributors as well as the teams starting quarterback but again, were the Miami Dolphins that much better at producing points when Tannehill was healthy?

What was seen last night is something Dolphins fans have been seeing each season from the Patriots. There is no quit or compromise and there is no, “let’s get it to half-time”. Say what you will but teams who sit on top of the leagues standings are teams that don’t let up off the accelerator. In New Orleans the Saints continue to pile up points late into the game with a big lead. Some will call that stupid for leaving starters in but there is a cohesiveness that develops and a mentality and identity grow in the locker room.

Miami tends to give up without actually giving up. Third and long and we can easily expect a run to set up a punt. Two minute drills? Methodical and rarely do they put forth the kind of exuberance that other teams show. Is that a lack of confidence from Adam Gase in the players being able to execute?

There are a lot of questions as to why the Dolphins under Gase haven’t been able to put up a lot of points but to prove that this is not summarily an opinion, here are the highest scoring games for the Dolphins under Gase in three seasons.

In 2016 the Dolphins offense scored 30 points against the Browns and 30 more against the Steelers. They scored 31 points twice and 34 points twice. Ryan Tannehill was healthy and the Dolphins were playing better football than their talent indicated they should. The problem with 2016 however wasn’t Tannehill’s injury. It was the fact that while they scored 30 plus points six times out of 16 games they also scored less than 20 six times as well.

In 2017 the Dolphins were shutout twice. They had one game of 31 points on offense, against the Jets, and 35-9 victory over the Broncos in a game that Gase refused to let off the pedal. Of course Jay Cutler was at the helm.

Through 10 games in 2018 the Dolphins have only one game above 30 points, a 31 point outing against the Bears.

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Quarterback play is a big reason. For all the things that Ryan Tannehill does right, he can’t finish drives. That is a problem in a league that is built and ruled to allow offenses to put up a lot of points. Take into consideration that in those same three seasons from 2016-2018 the Patriots have posted scores over 30, 25 times out of 42 games.

The NFL wants teams to score points. It is why receivers are getting open more and more and passing records are falling like flies. Yet the Dolphins are in a stagnant rotation of the same old same.

For all the talent that Miami does have, when healthy, they lack that “we got this” feel that other teams have. Did anyone think that the Chiefs on Monday night were not going to go down and tie the game late? Did anyone think that Jared Goff wasn’t going to drive down the field and lead his team back in the fourth quarter?

It is not the offensive style that is making the scores go through the roof it’s the belief in that style and system and the execution of those plays. Something in Miami isn’t connecting. It isn’t under Brock Osweiler and it wasn’t 100% under Ryan Tannehill.

There are a lot of reasons for the Dolphins inept offense and some of it is agreeably a justifiable reason. But those reasons that Miami’s offense is struggling are still in need of answers. Sooner than later would be great but it would be nice to see this shift before the 2019 season rolls around. I’m sure Adam Gase would like to see it as well.