How much did injuries play into the Miami Dolphins offensive collapse?
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins had the number one offense in the NFL in 2023 and Tua Tagovailoa threw for more than 4,000 yards and was the first Pro Bowl QB for the Dolphins since Dan Marino. Still the offense sputtered when it was needed the most.
Time and time again, season after season, no matter what NFL team name you want to call out, there is a "next man up" mentality when it comes to injuries. For the Dolphins, decimation across the defense is hard to ignore. When the next man up to the next man up goes down, you know you are in trouble.
Against the Chiefs in round one of the playoffs, the defense held their own for three quarters. They did it without Andrew Van Ginkel, Jevon Holland, Bradley Chubb, Jerome Baker, Xavien Howard, Cameron Goode, and Jaelan Phillips. It was Miami's offense that sputtered.
The Dolphins put up 40 plus points against the Washington Commanders way back in December but only put up 30 points one time in their last six games.
At various times the Dolphins missed Raheem Mostert, Jaylen Waddle, and Tyreek Hill. They missed Robert Hunt and Connor Williams. The last half of the season wasn't good for the Dolphins highly effective offense.
How much did injuries play in the final weeks of the season and the first and only game of the postseason? Where was the next man up? Offensively, it is hard to say. Without Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins still put up 30 points, against the Jets but could only muster 62 points over their last four games including the playoffs. The question is why?