The Miami Dolphins' loss to the Patriots on Sunday wasn't always pretty, but in the first half, Miami not only held their own, but they held a 10-point lead heading into the locker room.
Miami did what they have done all season; they shot themselves in the proverbial foot. It was bad enough to see momentum shift on Ollie Gordon's 6-yard run that ended with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but Chris Johnson's big blunder in the 2nd quarter is still mind-numbing.
Facing a fourth-and-three, Johnson had a free run at Drake Maye, with the QB's back turned toward him. Johnson managed to whiff so badly that everyone was left wondering what they had just seen. On Monday, Jeff Hafley had to answer questions about it.
Miami Dolphins Jeff Hafley says his comments to Chris Johnson will remain private
The play was worse than ugly. I reminded older fans of watching Dion Jordan make a similar half-hearted attempt at a sack. Hafley, however, stuck to his rookie's side, as he should.
"I'll just keep the conversation with Chris on that one," Hafley said.
Hafley believes that Johnson responded well after the second-quarter error, and he did. The Dolphins' CB had a good game otherwise, but that image is hard to digest.
"He knows he is capable of making those plays. It was a one-time thing, and he will make the play the next time."
Johnson's play may have left everyone scratching their heads, but the Dolphins didn't lose anything on the play. Maye completed a pass and picked up the first down before the Dolphins' defense sucked it up and forced a field goal three plays later. New England missed it.
The rookie does need to learn from it. A clear shot at the quarterback is everyone's dream scenario, and no one has touched the CB once he got around the edge. How he managed to miss is hard to imagine. As Hafley said several times, you suck it up and put it behind you.
The Dolphins face two extremely tough games in their next three, with the Lions coming to town in Week 9 and the Bills in Week 11. Miami will travel to Indianapolis for a better shot at a second win. They enter this week as 7-point underdogs to the Lions. That's not surprising.
Johnson will need to bounce back quickly, as the Lions have the kind of offense that can score points easily against lesser teams. Their rushing attack and their passing game are at the top of the league.
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