Did Week 1 go as well as I had hoped? Am I optimistic about the Miami Dolphins’ chances in Week 2 against the 49ers? Are the Dolphins going to go 0-17? I say: No, no and gosh I hope not. Here are five things I think I think about the Dolphins after their disappointing Week 1 loss to the Raiders.
The future showed up early.
OK, so we know this is a young team. As Marek pointed out a few weeks ago, the average age of the Dolphins 53-man roster (as of 8/31) is 25.3 years, easily the youngest in the league. You’d expect a massive
learning curve with all that youth – yet, by and large, the rookies held their own. Caleb Douglas caught 5 of 7 targets for 94 yards and proved to be physical, polished and an accomplished run blocker. Jacob Rodriguez’s 14 tackles were the most from a Dolphins rookie since Zach Thomas’ 16 in 1996. (Here, go take a look.) Chris Johnson had 11 tackles and 2 passes defensed. Rookie Michael Taaffe and second-year safety Dante Trader each had picks. (Trader was PFF’s top-rated Dolphin, with a 91.8 defensive grade that was two points higher than Jordyn Brooks’.) Was it perfect? It was not. But if this is the baseline for what we can expect going forward, it’s hard not to be excited.
Our trench play has to get better.
Simply put, we were manhandled on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Offensively, we struggled to establish the run – Achane finished the game with only 11 carries for 36 yards – and Malik Willis was sacked 5 times. Defensively, we could not get any pressure on Raiders QB Kirk Cousins, who is 85 years old and needs a walker to cross the street. It wasn’t just the zero (!) sacks – Chop Robinson finished the game with exactly 1 tackle. By comparison, Riley Patterson had 2 tackles for the game, and he’s the kicker. The kicker! Maybe we should put him on the defensive line!
To be fair, Robinson might have suffered a concussion during the game. Regardless, Jeff Hafley’s defenses have historically been good at stopping the run and forcing opponents into uncomfortable down-and-distance situations. Against the Raiders, Cousins and company had little trouble moving the ball.
Malik Willis was better than the box score.
With all the money Willis received in the offseason to be our starting quarterback, it’s easy to forget that he entered the season with only 155 career passes under his belt. While he had some impressive game tape from his time in Green Bay, much of that was against defenses that had prepared all week for Jordan Love. The big question entering Week 1 was what Willis would look like with an offense built around him.
All in all, I think he acquitted himself reasonably well. He made some strong, NFL-caliber throws, especially downfield near the sidelines. He also showed good processing and was able to make things happen with his legs (including a TD run). There were problem too: He held the ball for longer than 3 seconds on average, which was a major reason behind his five sacks. He also missed some easy throws and seemed to press on the interception. Still, there’s a lot to build on.
The coaches need to prove themselves as much as the players.
I have a lot of faith in Coach Hafley – already I think we’ve shown more heart and discipline than the team did at any point with Mike McDaniel, and the fact that we actually won a challenge makes me feel we’re playing with house money. Offensively, I’m not sure we were prepared with the right game plan for the Raiders, one of the easiest teams we’ll face this year. We had runs and deep balls, but not much in between to keep the pass rush at bay. And our special teams were anything but special – it felt like the Raiders were starting each drive at midfield throughout the game. To be sure, it was only one game, and when you’re starting so many first- and second-year players, it’s not always going to look pretty. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on.
This team is better than the score might suggest.
Although any loss is disappointing – and especially to a team that is decidedly beatable – we weren’t outclassed despite our youth. Look at how many plays the team left on the field:
- For as impressive a debut as he had, Caleb Douglas had opportunities for an even bigger afternoon.
- Malik Willis narrowly missed several explosive plays.
- There were scramble-drill opportunities that never connected because Willis and his receivers weren’t on the same page.
- A tipped pass late could have been a touchdown.
- Several defensive busts were one assignment away from becoming stops.
The Dolphins were often a step late, a yard short or a read away from turning negative plays into game-changing ones. You don’t get consolation prizes for losing, but on a rebuilding team, there’s a lot to work with here.
The good news? Many of the Dolphins’ mistakes looked like inexperience rather than a lack of talent, which means they should be correctable in time. The bad news? The 49ers won’t be nearly as forgiving as the Raiders. Let’s see how much this young team learned from Week 1.
