Old problems return in blowout loss
Just when we thought the Miami Dolphins had left the team’s demons of the past in the past, the New England Patriots’ 38-7 blowout win gave life to all of Miami’s old problems.
The Dolphins (3-1) struggled to run the ball Sunday before abandoning the run game, just like last season.
Miami could not stop the Patriots’ rushing attack, and got pushed around at the line of scrimmage, much like last season.
Coach Adam Gase’s offense struggled on third downs, and defensive coordinator Matt Burke’s unit gave up plays on third downs and when New England was in the red zone, similar to last season.
Every time Miami faces New England, the Patriots put together a blueprint on how to attack the Dolphins’ weaknesses. It will be interesting to see if Gase’s team can patch the leaks and adapt going forward.
Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins performed against the Patriots:
Passing Game: F
Miami’s offense couldn’t get anything going because New England shut down the Dolphins play-action passing attack, and took away the quarterback read-option. As a result, Ryan Tannehill was left running plays from shotgun and struggled, completing 11-of-20 passes for 100 yards before he exited the game in the fourth quarter. Tannehill was sacked twice, hit another three times, lost a fumbled snap, and threw one interception, which produced a 47.9 passer rating. Tannehill’s protection fell apart when starting center Daniel Kilgore suffered his triceps injury and was replaced by Travis Swanson.
Running Game: F
The Dolphins were held to less than 60 rushing yards for the second consecutive game. New England crowded the line of scrimmage and forced the Dolphins to abandon the run game — only seven carries in the first half — until late in the game. Kenyan Drake gained 3 yards on three carries and caught one pass for 13 yards. If the Dolphins want a more potent offense, they need Drake to be more involved. Frank Gore gained 41 yards on 11 carries, and scored a 6-yard touchdown on a end-zone reception he pulled down in the game’s final three minutes. Defending the pass: D
If it wasn’t for the pair of interceptions Bobby McCain and Minkah Fitzpatrick pulled down against Tom Brady, the future Hall of Famer would have put together a textbook performance on how to expose the Dolphins defense. Miami’s struggles containing tailback James White (eight receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown) kept Miami’s front seven pressing, and led to a ton of breakdowns. The Patriots also caught Miami in a few pick-plays that led to receivers running downfield wide open.
Defending the Run: F
The Patriots owned the line of scrimmage, consistently getting their tailbacks to the second level of Miami’s defense. Rookie tailback Sony Michel gained a career-high 112 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on 25 carries. But he wasn’t the only Patriots tailback having success against the Dolphins. The Patriots gained 175 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns on 40 carries.
Special teams: D
After two sensational games Dolphins punter Matt Haack came back down to earth. He struggled with many of his punts against the Patriots, which led to unfavorable field position. Haack averaged 35.4 net yards per punt. Miami also struggled to get anything going on the return game, and even special teams ace Walt Aikens drew a penalty when he failed to return from the sideline in a timely manner on punt coverage.
Coaching: F
Bill Belichick is a first ballot Hall of Famer, so it’s not a surprise when he out-coaches an opponent, but Gase didn’t present Belichick and the Patriots any challenges. Miami struggled in all phases of the game, was the less physical team, and all of the Dolphins’ big plays from the previous three games came up empty. At some point, the Dolphins need to develop an identity and stick to it, but that’s hard to do with all the injuries the Dolphins have had to overcome.
Stock up: Minkah Fitzpatrick
After struggling a tad in his first start Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins’ 2018 firstround pick appeared to settle in during his second start at safety for Reshad Jones. Fitzpatrick, who played both free safety and nickel cornerback against the Patriots, erased Patriots slot receiver Chris Hogan from the game (one reception for 25 yards. Fitzpatrick contributed 10 tackles, broke up two passes and pulled down his first interception.
Stock down: Raekwon McMillan
The Dolphins have been patient with McMillan, the team’s 2017 secondround pick, because he missed all of his rookie season with a knee injury. But the former Ohio State standout has gotten off to a slow start because he’s diagnosing plays slowly. McMillan contributed six tackles against the Patriots, which isn’t much when you factor in how much damage New England’s tailbacks did to Miami’s defense in their 40 carries and eight receptions.