Miami Dolphins Week 5 Observations
2. Tackling is still a huge issue
An issue that has plagued Miami all season continues to burden them on the defensive side of the ball. As well as the defense had played up to this point, they have showed poor tackling ability, especially in the open field, and has cost them hoards of extra yards and even touchdowns. The Dolphins still have their reliable hitters in Jevon Holland and Zach Sieler, but their linebackers and cornerbacks should be doing tackling drills all week.
3. Holland didn’t step up in Howard’s absence
Jevon Holland is a star in the making, and is very likely to become the best player on the Dolphins’ defense when Xavien Howard is longer. But he didn’t do much to solidify either of those notions against the Jets.
Howard was out with injuries to his groins, a big blow to a defensive backfield that was already stretched thin. Given the Pro Bowler’s ability to change games will his ball-hawking skills, his presence would obviously be missed. But Holland did next to nothing to step up and fill the void, as the Dolphins were thirsty for a big defensive play all game, which never came. Holland finished with 3 total tackles and no statistics in the passing game.