After four consecutive losses, questions are beginning to mount for Malik Willis and the Miami Dolphins' offense. The unit currently ranks 32nd in points scored, 30th in yards, and 32nd in first downs. While there have been some sparks in the running game (19th in the league), the passing attack has failed to meet even the lowest of expectations (163.5 yards per game, 30th in the league).
Now, the quarterback usually gets the bulk of the blame, and surely, Willis knows that. His play has been underwhelming and not nearly reminiscent of the flashes he showed in Green Bay that piqued the Dolphins' interest. Still, any argument that doesn't take into account his circumstances is one made in bad faith.
Two things can be, and seemingly are, true at once: Malik Willis needs to improve drastically, and his wideouts need to shoulder more of the offensive burden going forward. As fate would have it, the Cincinnati Bengals are on deck, and they present the most vulnerable passing defense Miami has faced this season.
Week 5 has the makings of a get-right game for a Miami Dolphins offense that desperately needs it
After facing the Raiders (95.3 passer rating allowed, 13th), 49ers (94.8, 12th), Chiefs (84.0, fourth), and Vikings (74.2, first), the team is catching a much-needed break with the Bengals (103.3, 21st).
Diving deeper, the Bengals have the second-worst coverage grade in the NFL, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. What happens when a stoppable force meets a movable object? I suppose we're going to find out on Sunday when the Dolphins' receivers try their hand against the Bengals' defenders.
In all seriousness, it's been tough sledding for Miami's rookie wideouts. While Chris Bell exudes considerable confidence, his game-of-millimeters blunder that cost him a 68-yard touchdown — which would've been his first — when a virtually invisible part of his cleat touched out of bounds in Week 4 is a tough pill to swallow.
Kevin Coleman Jr. has been targeted 10 times this season and has just two receptions. That 20-percent conversion rate is dead last among the 97 receivers who've had at least 10 targets. Bell's 35.7-percent catch rate ranks 95th. The advanced metrics on Miami's offense are, unfortunately, a house of horrors.
Perhaps the biggest travesty of all is that after teasing big-play ability as well as a knack for getting open, Caleb Douglas' Week 2 injury has knocked him out of the last two games and will seemingly keep him out of this contest as well. The football gods strike this franchise mercilessly (see: Achane, De'Von).
In other words, Miami needs this one. Not necessarily a victory, which will certainly be hard to come by against the Bengals' potent offense, but rather a sign of life that would keep things from derailing further. There comes a point in the season when players' best efforts begin to wane as they fail to see fruit from their labor. As Dolphins fans, we're experts on the subject.
The hope is that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley have assembled a team made of the right stuff: resilient players who will continue to fight when the going gets tough. History, though, shows that even the best of players have their limits. The Dolphins' offense desperately needs to take flight in Week 5.
Against the Cincinnati defense, they just might.
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