MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins have the youngest roster in the NFL. But at 1-7, they're tired of using youth as an excuse.
“We want to win,” rookie receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. said after Sunday's 19-9 loss to Detroit. “It’s super frustrating when you just keep going out there and getting so close and then everyone wants to keep making excuses saying, ‘Young guys, young guys.' We’re football players, we’re in the pros now. The rookie stuff
is out of the window. The young player's out of the window. We've got to start winning more.”
The Dolphins' youth certainly has been a factor in their inability to close out games and play clean football.
Miami blew a 10-point halftime advantage against the Patriots in Week 8 — a game in which veteran linebacker Jordyn Brooks thought the Dolphins failed to maintain their composure after building a lead against New England.
Brooks said he felt the team responded better on Sunday after entering halftime trailing just 6-3 against one of the NFL's most talented rosters.
“That was the big emphasis in halftime this game was: ‘Stay calm. We’ve got to finish,'” Brooks said. “And I thought that we did that, but we came up short again.”
The Dolphins held Detroit's No.-1 ranked offense to nothing but field goals until the third quarter. But Miami committed 11 penalties for 87 yards and went 0 for 3 in the red zone, causing the game to end like so many others have this season, with the Dolphins coming close but falling short of a victory.
Outside of a 22-point loss to San Francisco in Week 2, the Dolphins haven't lost a game by more than two scores this season, and they had been in four straight one-score matchups before Sunday.
“I’ve never had a season like this, never,” rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said. “I’ve never lost as much of anything in my life. ... We’re playing good football, we’re just not playing good enough to win. I think that’s kind of the biggest story, we’ve got to find a way to win. We’re young, but we can’t use that as an excuse. We’ve got to find a way to win games."
Offensive struggles and self-inflicted wounds spoiled what was an otherwise solid defensive performance. Led by pass rushers Chop Robinson and Josh Uche, the Dolphins recorded three first-half sacks against Jared Goff and kept the Lions out of the end zone until Jahmyr Gibbs' 8-yard rushing score late in the third quarter.
Malik Willis completed 13 of 25 passes for 128 yards and an interception, but the quarterback was under constant pressure as the Dolphins' offensive line could not hold up against edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions' front. Miami's offensive line committed five holding penalties. Willis has been dealing with a nagging groin injury the past couple of weeks, and it appeared to hinder his ability and willingness to use his legs.
Rookie receivers. Caleb Douglas' chemistry with Willis has improved over the past few games. The third-round draft pick caught six passes for 70 yards on Sunday, including a leaping 20-yard grab in the second quarter. Coleman handled kickoffs with running back Jaylen Wright inactive and caught a would-be 51-yard reception that was negated by a penalty.
Special teams. Punter Bradley Pinion tossed a 46-yard pass to Kaytron Allen on a successful fake punt in the fourth quarter, and the Dolphins have improved in punt coverage. But it was another game of special teams miscues during a season that has seen plenty of them. Pinion's opening kickoff fell short of the landing zone. Zane Gonzalez — whom Miami signed to its practice squad last month amid struggles from Riley Patterson, who was released — missed a kick for the second straight week. The Dolphins also allowed a fake punt in the second quarter.
Willis said his groin felt “a little tight” during the game, and coach Jeff Hafley said Monday he would have an update on the quarterback's status on Wednesday.
3 — The number of Dolphins rookies who have recorded at least one interception this season, which is a first in franchise history. Cornerback Chris Johnson intercepted Goff on Sunday for his first career pick, safety Michael Taaffe has two interceptions on the season and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had a pick in Week 3.
The Dolphins travel to face Indianapolis next Sunday.
___
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
