You know, I understand that this season is about growth, development, and resetting the outlook. But is it too much to ask to get one game of complimentary football from this team? Yet another frustrating loss when one side of the ball shows up, but the other does not. Here’s what I saw.
THE DEFENSE SHOWED UP
I can really call them, can’t I? The Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins had two of the league’s worst defenses coming into this game. I figured there would be a shootout, or at least a higher-scoring affair. Yet the game featured
fewer than 500 total yards of offense and only 28 total points. The Lions averaged 29 PPG coming into this contest, scoring less than 20 points only once, and that was against the league’s best defense, the Vikings. They averaged 6 yards per play before this game. Yet, the Miami Dolphins defense limited the Lions to 19 points and 4.6 yards per play. The Lions gained over 100 fewer yards than their per-game average for the season. For the 1st time all season, the pass defense allowed less than a 70% completion percentage. Goff was limited to 6.8 YPA, and he did not throw a TD. He was sacked 3 times. Rookie Chris Johnson got an INT. Not only that, but the run defense showed up again. The Lions gained 102 yards, but 25% of it came on 2 misdirection plays. Jahmyr Gibbs has been the league’s most dominant weapon thus far this season, and he eventually found the end zone. But he was limited to 74 yards on 20 carries and no catches on 1 target. That’s a 3.7 YPC average, and that’s WITH 2 runs of 10+ yards. This was a terrible matchup for the Dolphins, but they stepped up in a big way.
MALIK WILLIS IS HURT
The offense picked a bad time to be absent. The Lions had allowed 300+ yards in every game but one so far, and that was to the offensively challenged Vikings. They were fairly decent in run defense, although I suspected that was due to lack of volume. They score so much that teams abandon the run. The Dolphins had 21 rushing attempts, which is a little below their standard. Gordon ran fairly well when he got an opening. However, the story is that Willis had 2 scrambles for 7 yards. The stat itself isn’t as striking as watching them happen. Willis is a dynamic runner, and we have seen him make big plays with his legs this season. But in the past 2 games, he has been reluctant to run. He has been on the injury report the past few weeks with a groin injury, but was listed as a full participant. It was obvious that the injury, or maybe something else, is hampering him. He ran slowly and lumbering, not at all like what we have seen from him. That doesn’t excuse the INT, which was a bad decision. But it can explain why he can’t escape pressure like he normally does, and why he ran the way I would have out there. I know fans hate excuses, but anyone who has ever dealt with a groin injury understands. You may feel fine walking around. But the moment you have to run and put forth effort, it’s very painful, and you can’t do it. It can affect everything, including throwing mechanics. Even with that, Willis had good moments. I don’t want to make this about whether he is good enough, but as long as he is limited, the offense will be limited. I honestly wouldn’t mind if they sat him for a while until he is healthy. In the past 2 games, he played at a higher level, and I believe that if he were 100% on Sunday, the Dolphins could have won. Well… there were other issues too.
THIS AND THAT
- Dirty laundry as far as the eye could see. Officiating in the league has been bad this season and too often, the guy sin stripes have been too visible. This game was no exception as there were a combined 20 accepted penalties. This isn’t a “blame the refs” post though. The Dolphins were just bad in this regard. There was a huge pass play to Kevin Coleman Jr. that came back due to a holding penalty. Several drives had crushing penalties that put the offense way behind the sticks. This team doesn’t have the talent to overcome problems like excessive penalties. To invoke the old Flores trope, those issues are the “takes no talent” stuff that should be improving. If I was Hafley, I would have those guys puking their guts out running gassers back and forth to the TNT wall for those penalties. It needs to stop.
- THERE YOU ARE! You were hiding all along, and we thought you had disappeared. But you came back. I’m, of course, talking about the offensive line we have come to know and hate over the years. Willis was sacked 3 times – I saw 2 of them – and those, I would argue, are due to his inability to escape like he wants to. But he was under assault all game long. He had several where he was flushed from the pocket and couldn’t find an open pass catcher. Austin Jackson was particularly atrocious, and Slowik’s decision to have him go one-on-one with a premier pass rusher defies logic. That hurt the game plan and may have killed any trade value he had. Paul seemed to have a decent day, but everyone else struggled, and it was pretty rough to watch.
- Will Kacmarek had a rough game. He nullified the huge pass play to Coleman. Then he had a terrible sequence in the 2nd half where he had a false start on 2nd down, then dropped a 3rd-down pass that would have converted. The Dolphins converted the fake punt play right after that, so they stayed on the field. But that was a bad stretch. He was known as a limited but reliable receiver in college. Can’t have those big drops with limited opportunities.
- Both Douglas and Coleman look like keepers. Douglas is the big-time playmaker, but Coleman has stepped it up. He only had one target, but it was a huge play. Well, it should have been a huge play. Bell remains quiet, and concerns about his ability to create separation are growing. I remain firm in the belief that he is a big slot player. But right now, he isn’t stepping up like his rookie counterparts.
- Bradley Pinion had the best pass of the game for the Dolphins on the fake punt play. But the shanked punt gave the Lions great field position that led to points. The defense forced a FG, but it was a 40-yard FG. Imagine if the punt had been 45 yards instead of 25. If the same play sequence occurs, the Lions may be forced to kick a 60-yarder instead. Or perhaps they go for it on 4th-and-10. Or maybe they punt.
- Not that it mattered, because the Dolphins took the ball, marched down the field, and attempted a FGto tie the game at halftime. Gonzalez doinked the kick off the upright. Now, that 6-point swing didn’t necessarily affect the outcome. But look at that sequence of events. A shanked punt led to field position and 3 points from Detroit, giving them a 6-3 lead. What if they don’t get those points because the Dolphins’ defense steps up after a better punt? What if Gonzalez hits that FG and the Dolphins get a 3-point lead going into the half?
- Again, it’s little mistakes like the poor punt, missed FG, and penalties that can affect the margins, and the Dolphins have to win the margins to have a chance. I can be lenient with rookies like Kacmarek. But Gonzalez and Pinion are literally the oldest players on the Dolphins’ field. That is simply unacceptable performance for those players. Gonzalez has had his 3rd call-up from the practice squad, and the team will have to decide whether to add him to the 53-man roster or let him walk. At this point, I would try out some young kickers and let them have a chance. Who cares if they miss or if they suck? It’s about seeing what kind of gems the team can unearth. Maybe they find a stud kicker. Maybe not. But Gonzalez ain’t it, and neither is Pinion. The Dolphins are 1-7. There is no use hanging on to old specialists that are underperforming.
- The pass rush had its moments early, but disappeared late in the game. They need to keep up the pressure for a full 60 minutes.
- Kaytron Allen had his first NFL carry and first NFL reception on Sunday. He dropped his run for a yard loss, but he had the play of the day on the fake punt. I think he should get more touches this season.
- Jaylen Wright was a potentially healthy scratch. He missed some practice time because of a quad issue but tested it out during the pre-game. Some who saw his warm-up said he looked fine and could have played. I think he could be on the trade block, and with not much happening on the Jonathan Taylor front, teams may look for a much cheaper option if they need running back depth.
- If Jackson still has a market, they need to make the move. It’s time to move on. I get the idea of keeping him to help evaluate Willis or whatever. But it ain’t working. Caedan Wallace… you’re up.
I SAID WHAT I SAID
As I mentioned at the beginning, this game was frustrating because one side of the ball can’t play well enough to compliment the other. Perhaps the Dolphins can finally put it together against a reeling Colts team that has given up on the season and started trading off players.
