No fan truly expected the Miami Dolphins to have won all three games to open the season. Many expected them to beat the Raiders, who are surprisingly 3-0. The Dolphins have a long way to go, and while they showed a turn for the better in Week 3, there is one area that is surprisingly good.
Miami's run defense is anchoring the entire team, and they are doing it without Kenneth Grant. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Dolphins have relied on a combination of Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers, and even Keith Cooper Jr. to fill in for Grant.
There are still problems they have to deal with, for example, with too many quarterbacks running freely, but after playing three premium running backs, the statistics are surprising.
Miami Dolphins run defense can only get better after Kenneth Grant returns
Grant is on injured reserve and will be eligible to come off IR following next week's game against the Vikings in Minnesota. It's not clear if he will return for Week 5, but the Dolphins are holding their own without him.
Ashton Jeanty's Week 1 performance was the only running back to reach 100 yards. His 102-yard effort on 23 carries stands as the best outing for any running back against Miami. It was their first game, so it makes sense. Since then, the Dolphins have been stout up front.
Christian McCaffrey is considered to be one of the best running backs in the NFL, top three, at least. In week two, he scored two touchdowns, but he ran the ball 10 times for just 23 yards, making the most of the shorter yardage situations to score. The 49ers offense couldn't find a groove in their rushing attack. Brock Burdy was more effective when he ran out of the pocket, rushing for 30 yards on three rushes.
Kenneth Walker entered Week 3 as the league's number one rusher. The Dolphins held him to 70 yards on 18 attempts. Yes, he scored a touchdown on the ground and another on a shovel pass, but Miami kept the Chiefs and Walker under wraps for the better part of the game. A significant reason why the game was close late in the 4th quarter.
So what changed? Should we believe the absence of Grant proves that the better options are Biggers and Phillips? One of the reasons has nothing to do with the trio of tackles that are clogging the interior, but instead with a rookie linebacker and his veteran partner who are making plays.
Jacob Rodriguez is giving fans thoughts of a Defensive Rookie of the Year nod. He is playing that well. Jordyn Brooks is the venerable tackling machine who continues to put up big numbers. The improvement at linebacker is hard to miss.
When Grant gets back, the defensive front should get better, but there are still questions. Grant's rookie season wasn't as good as anyone expected. It wasn't a slow start to the season; he didn't get better as the season went on.
Grant had inconsistent games all year. There were games when he nailed four or five total tackles and a span of four games where he contributed just one. How he integrates into this system will be interesting, but if he can make positive strides this year, the Dolphins will be better for it.
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