It’s week 11 of the NFL season, and the 3-7 Washington Commanders will be facing the 3-7 Miami Dolphins in Spain (!) this Sunday at 9:30 am ET. The Dolphins season has been the opposite of the Commanders: starting the season weakly with an 0-3 record, but bouncing back with 2 wins in their last 3 games (including a win against the Buffalo Bills). The Dolphins seem to be getting better as the season goes on, despite having fired their GM Chris Grier on Halloween and begun a purging of Front Office
staff.
On offense, the Dolphins are led by HC Mike McDaniel. McDaniel is a Shanahan disciple who runs a similar outside zone run scheme and play-action based West Coast Offense passing attack. However, the Dolphins offense is built on speed and getting the ball out quickly, with most passes going to the first read or a checkdown. QB Tua Tagovailoa consistently has one of the NFL’s quickest times to throw, allowing him to get the ball out quickly and compensate for a rather weak offensive line. Such an offense relies on fast offensive playmakers, and the Dolphins are headlined by 4.3 speed with both WR Jaylen Waddle and RB De’Von Achane, even after WR Tyreek Hill was ruled out for the season after a serious multi-ligament knee injury. Although Tua has managed the 12th highest completion percentage and 17th most passing yards in the NFL, he has also had the most interceptions in the NFL this season.
On defense, the Dolphins are coached by DC Anthony Weaver, former DL coach for the Ravens. Weaver led the Dolphins defense to the 4th-lowest yards allowed in 2024 despite significant personnel issues. This has been a tougher year for the Dolphins defensively, as they are ranked 19th in passing yards allowed and 30th in rushing yards allowed in the NFL this season (so their Achilles heel has definitely been in run defense).
I asked Kevin Nogle of The Phinsider five questions to better understand the state of the Dolphins and what to look for in this game.
1) The Dolphins managed to shock the football world by beating the Bills last week. How’d they manage the upset?
Honestly, I think they finally remembered that they are supposed to be playing football. This year, they have been completely out of sync for much of the first half of the season, and in Week 10, they looked like a team that wanted to compete. It is too late to think this team will turn around and become a threat the rest of the year, but they at least looked like a team that could play spoiler down the stretch.
The biggest change that we have seen in recent weeks is the team’s use of Daniel Brunskill as a sixth offensive lineman. He has been lined up at tight end and at fullback, giving the team a better threat in the running game and better protection of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. They have figured out a way to shore up the trenches and it has benefitted the rest of the team.
2) What do you think of Mike McDaniel as a head coach and will he be around next year in Miami under a different front office?
I think he is a talented coach with a great offensive mind who has struggled making adjustments to his offense and handling the role as head coach at the same time. I think he is learning and growing as a coach, and we are starting to see it show up on the field now. He had so much success early that, when the league caught up to him last year, he did not make the changes needed to keep defenses on their toes, and then it continued into this year. I think he will continue to grow and become a highly successful head coach in the league – I just do not know if it will be in Miami. I think it all comes down to these final eight weeks of the season. If the Dolphins look like they have turned the corner and are competitive, he returns – likely with Champ Kelly removing the “interim” tag from his general manager title and the Dolphins continue with some sense of stability. Owner Stephen Ross seems to really like McDaniel, so he will give him the benefit of the doubt.
But, if the team struggles down the stretch or they appear to quit on McDaniel, Miami cleans house and starts all over with a new coaching staff and front office.
Another factor in all of this is Tagovailoa and his contract. Miami is not likely to get out from his deal in 2026, and it does not look like there are not any sure-fire first-round quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft, so keeping McDaniel and Tagovailoa together for another year could simply be that there are not any better options.
If I had to guess, I think Ross runs it back with the McDaniel-Kelly pairing for at least a year.
3) The Dolphins defense started the season allowing 30+ points in their first three games, but has held teams to 13 or fewer points in two of their most recent three games. Why did they start the season so rough and what accounts for their recent turnaround? Is it sustainable?
A large part of it is probably the growth of younger players. Due to injuries and roster moves, Miami is relying on young players to make an impact. Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant is 22, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is 21, linebacker Chop Robinson is 22, defensive back Dante Trader, Jr. is 22, and defensive back Jason Marshall, Jr., is 23, and they are all starters or key members of the rotation. They were struggling early, especially Grant who was already being declared a first-round bust by some, but they are starting to piece it together and the defense is responding. Since Week 6, Miami has turned into an elite rush defense, a huge turnaround for a team that allowed at least 150 rushing yards in four of their first five games including 197 yards allowed to the New York Jets and 239 yards to the Carolina Panthers.
There will still be the mistakes that come from relying on younger players, but the game seems to be slowing down for them, they are cutting down on the self-inflicted penalties, and understanding defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s system better. The veterans, like defensive tackle Zach Sieler, linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick are getting everyone in sync and the results are starting to show up on the field.
4) Who is one Dolphins player on offense and one player on defense that Washington fans probably don’t know much about, but should?
Is it strange to go with a reserve offensive lineman for this answer? Brunskill has become such a big part of the team’s turnaround – even if he is only playing one-third of the game. In the last three games, Brunskill has worked as the eligible sixth offensive lineman for 22 snaps, 11 snaps, and 18 snaps. He is not on the field for every play, but when he is in the game, good things are happening.
As for a skill player, it is probably Ollie Gordon II, the team’s rookie running back. He has only played about a quarter of the available snaps this year, but he has added a dynamic to the Dolphins’ offense that was lacking – physicality. He is on the injury report with an ankle injury, but if he is available, Miami’s struggles in recent years converting on short yardage disappear. His longest run is only 16 yards and he in only averaging 2.9 yards per rush, but the fact that Miami can line someone up in the backfield and run smash-mouth, power football is not something we have seen in the McDaniel era, where speed and pre-snap confusion dominate the system.
For the defense, it might be cornerback JuJu Brents, who until last week, I do not think Dolphins fans even knew about him. He was forced into the game due to injuries, and Miami suddenly had a shutdown corner on the field. He was targeted five times in the game, allowing just 12 yards. He had played nine defensive snaps prior to Week 10, then started and played 52 snaps. For a player who did not make the Indianapolis Colts’ roster and seemed like an afterthought waiver claim at the start of the season, Brents burst onto the scene last week. Was it a one-off performance or have the Dolphins stumbled onto a key player for the rest of the year?
5) How should Washington go about gameplanning this matchup on both sides of the ball?
On defense, keep your linebackers and safeties in the middle of the field. Miami’s passing game is designed to attack the middle of the field with Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane running slants or crossing routes to catch the ball in stride and turn up field. If you can keep the middle of the field clogged up, it causes issues. Now that the team has figured out how to stick to the running game, it is a little harder to do because everyone creeps toward the line of scrimmage, allowing the receivers to get behind the defense. Stay disciplined and Miami will struggle.
On offense, test the cornerbacks early. Again, they are getting better, but they are young and will make mistakes. Stay away from Fitzpatrick who will split time at cornerback and safety, but attack early to see how they respond. Linebacker Bradley Chubb is the best pass rusher on the team right now, so focus on protecting from him and make Chop Robinson prove he can create pressure.If you slow the pass rush and can give quarterback Marcus Mariota time, the receivers can work themselves open against Miami’s secondary.
A companion article to this with my answers to Kevin’s questions will be linked here as soon as it’s available.
Thanks again to Kevin Nogle for taking time out of his day to answer our questions about the Dolphins.
