43 degrees at MetLife Stadium in December taint so bad.
Were the Dolphins?
The Fins’ offense has figured out a formula
Sure; it’s the Jets (and a Jets team with a boatload of injuries, to boot). But being up 21-0 with 3:39 left in the 1st quarter is a pretty solid opening salvo.
Heavy sets, extra linemen masquerading as tight ends, tight ends who value blocking as much as running routes, fullbacks, et al, all in support of Dominant De’Von (Achane), plus the (albeit brief so far) emergence of Jaylen Wright, and a little sprinkle of OGII action
on top have made for a pretty prolific rushing offense as of late.
It’s almost as if a head coach who came to Miami from a run-first team in San Francisco where he served as the run game coordinator could prioritize the run game a bit.
I think Mike McDaniel got distracted by the shiny jangly keys that are Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, found a method that highlighted their abilities, and went bananas with it until it fell to pieces.
If he can remember the face of his father and continue to build the offense on a solid foundation of ground and pound backed by play action, supplemented by ‘eye candy’, and seasoned with explosive plays, that’s a scheme that can find sustained success, even if the quarterback isn’t a world beater on his own (aka current form Tua).
The pass game has gone from elite timing with receivers running free as recently as only two seasons ago to borderline chaos with multiple throws per game that should be easy turnovers. Minimizing that risk is yet another reason to keep conducting the Totin’ Train over and over until the defense just goes home.
All aboard!
The Fins’ defense has figured out a formula
Sure; it’s the Jets (and a Jets team with a first time UDFA rookie quarterback, to boot). But 6 sacks, 3 INTs, and 228 total yards given up is a pretty solid second act.
The four man rush of Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, Zach Sieler, and a rotating rookie DT, has finally found a way to generate consistent pressure. Jordyn Brooks continues to rack up tackles in the middle, while the backend, led by Rasul Douglas, Jack Jones, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, has been smothering opposing pass catchers.
It may end up being too little too late, but when considering the team’s long term prospects, it’s encouraging to note that the younger players, particularly the rookie defensive tackles Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Zeek Biggers, have begun to find their footing.
Some of the depth players got reps against the Jets, which is a very un-Dolphin like development. Ethan Bonner even had the audacity to pull down a one-handed interception to seal the game, as if he played for a team for whom things like that happen.
While it would certainly be preferable that the defense came out swinging from day one (which they most certainly did not), it’s better late than never, assuming they can all carry that growth into the future without needing another ~7 week spin up time each year. If the team could land some top tier talent at only a handful of spots on defense (linebacker and cornerback, especially when factoring in depth), they could really be cooking with peanut oil.
The Fins’ Special Teams’ formula is less helpful
Sure; it’s the Jet— wait, that doesn’t apply to this one. The Dolphins’ Special Teams was bad, even though the Jets are bad.
So.
That’s bad.
There’s nothing quite like surrendering a punt return touchdown to snuff out the previously total domination of momentum and ensuring that the game couldn’t be a complete cake walk.
The sad reality is: it doesn’t take a lot to derail a middling team. And, despite their current four game win streak, Miami is a middling team (as evidenced by a 6-7 record).
Within minutes, this game went from a massive blowout to within two scores while Miami threw incompletions and near interceptions galore.
Suddenly, it seemed like the game would be a back and forth affair. At one point, the teams traded punts five times before Miami hit a field goal. Then, they traded punts five more times.
I’m just saying: If the Special Teams unit doesn’t give up that punt return touchdown, maybe everyone doesn’t bog down for 10 drives and Miami cruises to an even easier win.
Also, Jake Bailey kicked a bunch and, despite Spero Dedes insisting on calling him ‘The Pro Bowler’ all game, he wasn’t Pro Bowl caliber.
And you know what else? They also went ahead and surrendered a fake punt conversion on a 4th and 8, just for funsies.
So, they were pretty bad.
Except for Riley Patterson. He’s still kicking it (hah!), including a field goal over 50 yards, which is historically his bugaboo.
That’s guy’s not pretty bad.
That guy’s pretty good.
Everyone be more like that guy.
Everything is hobbled without Achane
Or is it?
De’Von Achane went down with a rib injury, which has since been determined to not be a broken bone, which is supes lucky.
I love Achane and I demand you all do too but, in his stead, Jaylen Wright, who earlier in the season had been a healthy scratch on more than one occasion, carried the ball 24 times for 107 yards and 1 TD.
So I guess it’s all good man.
While it’s obvious that Achane is RB1, and nearly RB1 of the entire league, it’s extremely reassuring that Miami’s backups can excel to the level they did in his absence.
It’s not an absence any of us wants to see for more than about 10 snaps at a time, but not having the kind of drop off that Miami typically experiences when a starter goes down (looking at you O-line of the past 20-ish years) is nothing short of a miracle.
Weekly Overreaction: Miami doesn’t need to draft an early round offensive lineman
“Heresy!” you scream as you throw open your windows to scare the neighbors into agreement.
“We always draft offensive linemen in the early rounds of the draft and it always works out! Just think of them all: Jake Long, Ja’Wuan James, Laremy Tunsil, Jonathan Martin, John Jerry, Dallas Thomas, Billy Turner, Michael Deiter, and now I’m depressed and I’ve forgotten my point and I’m going to have to let these people go before the cops get here!”
I don’t have the data to back this up. I’m certain someone who pays for PFT does, but then I’d have to talk to another person and that sounds terrible. I just know that the Fins have racked up a ton of rushing yards over their four game win streak and, historically, they’ve been really bad at run blocking.
Patrick Paul is up and coming, Savi has been improving throughout his rookie season, and Aaron Brewer is solid in the middle. Austin Jackson just came back from injury but, when healthy, is a good player. That just leaves Cole Strange, the formerly backup RG who [checks notes] was a *Patriots 1st round pick in 2022.
I, uh.
I think the Fins might have a respectable offensive line.
I’m not sure what to do.
I can’t feel my hands.
I don’t feel at home in this world anymore.
Leave me.
Save yourself.
Think Miami will extend their winning streak to five games? Think they’ll rush for over 100 yards against Pittsburgh? Think anything at all? Try to fire some neurons in the comments below.
