10 takeaways from Miami’s 3rd preseason game
The Miami Dolphins’ offense, despite a choppy start, eventually imposed its will on the Philadelphia Eagles. Among its 10 first-half possessions the offense had three touchdowns, a field goal, three punts, a fumble and two interceptions.
The Dolphins’ defense, which made mistakes early, was opportunistic using blitzes and the pass rush to produce two interceptions. It was on the field for nine first-half possessions and gave up three touchdowns, grabbed two picks and forced three punts. The final possession ended as time expired in the half.
Quarterback Jay Cutler had a dynamic 72-yard pass to wide receiver DeVante Parker, running back Jay Ajayi (nine carries, 53 yards) ran as hard as he did last season, and the first-team offense showed it has the potential to put points on the board in a variety of ways, including scoring two red zone touchdowns.
Questions remain about the effectiveness of the run defense, the secondary and offensive line. Cutler suffered a strip-sack early and narrowly evaded another sack by getting rid of the ball. The secondary was also riddled a few times by Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
Here’s what else we learned about the Dolphins in Week 3 of the preseason:
Cutler, in roughly one and half quarters, went to a lot of receivers: Cutler ended 5 of 8 for 105 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He hit all three starting wide receivers — Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills — and starting tight end Julius Thomas, the latter on a 1-yard back shoulder touchdown pass. Cutler seems to be getting to know his receivers.
Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips remains firmly in the mix: Phillips didn’t start, that honor went to rookie Davon Godchaux, but Phillips was on the field for the second series. He even pulled down an interception that led to a 2-yard touchdown run by Ajayi. Phillips, who had an interception last season, found a way to make some noise as a reserve, and that’s a good thing.
Pass rush looks promising: Defensive end Cameron Wake narrowly missed a sack in the first quarter, defensive end Andre Branch got a sack, and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh applied good pressure. The Dolphins, under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Matt Burke, seem to like the zone blitz. Wake dropped back into coverage at least once on a zone blitz. Look for that during the regular season.
Punt returner Jakeem Grant is showing improvement: Grant was 3 for 3 handling punts in the first half. He successfully handled a fair catch in the first quarter at the Dolphins’ 10-yard line. That’s a good sign because last season wide receiver Jarvis Landry was often brought in for such occasions because Grant’s ball-handling was suspect.
The Cutler-Parker combination still looks good: This duo has been good in practice, too. Cutler hit Parker on a 72-yard pass to set up Ajayi’s 2-yard touchdown run. Cutler seems to know he can throw the ball up in Parker’s vicinity and the 2015 first-round pick will find a way to haul it in.
Big-play defense might be a thing: Phillips had an interception after defensive end William Hayes deflected a pass in the first quarter. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons had an interception in the second quarter. This defense might not be as fundamentally sound as coaches would like, but it’s capable of making plays.
Center Mike Pouncey (hip) seems good: The three-time Pro Bowl selection played the first three series of the game and seemed to do OK anchoring the offensive line. If he’s OK, the Dolphins have reason to believe limiting Pouncey’s practice participation has been a wise strategy.
Turnovers are an issue: The Dolphins had three turnovers in 10 first-half possessions. That must be corrected. The Dolphins scored two touchdowns off turnovers but gave up a touchdown when backup quarterback Matt Moore threw a pick 6 (he also threw an interception in the end zone).
The secondary seems shaky: This was a bit distressing considering the Dolphins return three starters (four in the five-defensive backs nickel package). There was an apparent coverage bust that allowed the Eagles a 50-yard touchdown pass, and overall Wentz (6 of 10, 129 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) seemed to have no problems finding open receivers.
The run defense needs work: Philadelphia seemed to get what it wanted on the ground. The Eagles had 13 carries for 60 yards (4.6 yards per carry) in the first half. That’s not good for a run defense that ranked 30th in the NFL last season.