Not everything went perfectly for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. If we are being honest, that game probably should have gone to the New York Jets. While Miami's defense was failing them, the offensive line was giving them every chance to pull out a win.
The Jets' defensive front is a good one, and on Sunday, they proved that by holding the Dolphins' rushing attack to a horrible 44 yards. No, the Dolphins' offensive line isn't great, and they are as inconsistent as they can possibly be, but while they were doing nothing to move the defenders off the line in the run game, they were doing everything to keep Tua Tagovailoa clean.
Brian Costello of the New York Post, who covers the now-eliminated New York Jets, pointed out an amazing statistic from Week 14.
The Jets had zero QB hits. Tua attempted 47 passes.
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) December 8, 2024
That's a darn good job from an offensive line that gave up six sacks against the Green Bay Packers last week. Again, you can't talk about the offensive line without talking about the week-to-week inconsistency.
Patrick Paul was impressive stepping in for Terron Armstead in Sunday's Dolphins win
Miami will have to keep that up this week against another good front seven when they face the Houston Texans. Keeping Tua upright and out of trouble allows him to make more than a single read or checkdown. If the Dolphins are going to have any chance at making the playoffs, they need to win, and the only way to do that is to give Tua time in the pocket and keep the pressure off him.
New York tried to get pressure on Tua, but he was able to move around the defenders.
On the sideline, a dejected Terron Armstead looked as if he knew his season was over. It may not be, but the veteran left the game with a knee injury, something he has been dealing with for much of the season. With Armstead out, rookie Patrick Paul took over on the left side. He had his struggles in the run game, but he held up well against the pass rush.
The Dolphins need Paul to start learning how to move at the NFL level. It appears that he may be starting the rest of the season, depending on the Armstead treatment plan.