The Miami Dolphins are a long way away from the team they were when they dropped 70 points on the Denver Broncos back in 2023. Back then, they were viewed as an explosive offense with the perfect point guard and a mastermind as head coach.
Now, just two seasons later, the reputations surrounding the team are completely different. No one believes in them, or fears the offense, and many people think it’s time to move on from head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Of course, the 0-2 Dolphins can change those narratives, and they started to on Sunday by putting up 27 points and 358 yards of offense. Unfortunately, Miami still lost the game, and there’s clearly more work to be done. As the team tries to get back on track, ESPN reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques believes the key to doing that offensively will be restoring the run game.
Dolphins need to improve run game for offense to really be elite again
Louis-Jacques made this point in ESPN’s recent power rankings, where team reporters named the biggest quarterback takeaway for each team. For the 28th-ranked Miami, Louis-Jacques argued that Tagovailoa can succeed only with a sound run game.
Tagovailoa was bad in Week 1and markedly improved in Week 2, but the one constant in both games was Miami's lack of a rushing attack. The Dolphins have averaged 69.5 rushing yards per game this season, the fourth fewest in the NFL. Considering Tagovailoa is not a threat to run, defenses can key in on the Dolphins' passing game and drop seven or more defenders into coverage -- the Patriots did that on 97% of his dropbacks. If Miami's run game can get going, its offense will be less predictable, which won't force Tagovailoa to create outside of structure.
No matter how advanced and fancy the game gets, it will always be about the basics. In order to win, teams have to be able to stop the run and run the ball. That’s been the case as long as football has been a sport. Right now, the Dolphins can’t do either, and that’s why they’re currently 0-2.
Oddly enough, the Dolphins are fourth in the league in yards per carry with 5.2, but are fourth-worst in rushing yards per game with just 69.5. That means the offense has had success on the ground, but isnt sticking to it. Miami still has the talent to be one of the league’s most explosive offense, the Dolphins just need to consistently establish the run, and everything will fall into place.