Seeking a quick rebound
DAVIE – The Miami Dolphins’ season is approaching a crossroads heading into Thursday night’s game against the Texans (4-3) in Houston.
This was the point where the season began to unravel last year for the Dolphins following a 4-2 start. The Dolphins lost five straight games last October and November, and by the time the team stopped the slide the season was lost.
Coach Adam Gase’s injury-depleted Dolphins have to find a way to quickly rebound from Sunday’s 32-21 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel's report card, evaluating how the Dolphins (4-3) performed against the Lions.
Passing Game: B
Brock Osweiler followed up his career day against the Chicago Bears last week with a solid (114.9 passer rating) performance against the Lions. Osweiler completed 22-of-31 passes for 239 yards and threw two touchdown passes, threading the needle into tight windows on touchdown throws to Danny Amendola and Kenny Stills. If Osweiler had better protection he might have been able to do more, but the Lions kept him under constant pressure and recorded four sacks.
Running Game: C
Frank Gore was ineffective as Miami’s leading rusher, gaining just 29 yards on 10 carries in a game where he injured his ankle. But Kenyan Drake’s 72 yards on six carries allowed the Dolphins to gain 107 rushing yards on 19 attempts, and his 54-yard touchdown run was the second rushing touchdown Miami has scored all season. The Dolphins are averaging 106.9 rushing yards per game and 4.6 yards per attempt though seven games, but Sunday was the second game Miami has lost where the team rushes for 100 or more yards.
Defending the pass: D
Matt Stafford completed 18-of-22 passes for 217 yards and threw two touchdown passes to tight end Michael Roberts on well-designed plays. That was the fifth straight game Stafford delivered a passer rating over 100.0, which shows he’s still an upperechelon quarterback (98.8 passer rating this season). The Dolphins only managed one sack and one quarterback hit against Stafford the entire game.
Defending the run: F
The Dolphins injurydecimated defensive line finally got dominated. Detroit’s offensive line paved the way for 248 rushing yards and one touchdown against Miami. The Lions averaged 7.1 yards per attempt, and consistently had runs that produced first downs. Miami’s defensive tackles struggled to protect the linebackers and the defensive ends failed to set the edge. Cameron Wake didn’t record a tackle in his first game back from his knee injury.
Special teams: B
Jakeem Grant contributed 93 yards on three kickoff returns and one punt return. Jason Sanders missed his first field goal of the season when a 46-yarder the rookie attempted late in the fourth quarter went wide left. Matt Haack had two punts downed inside Detroit’s 11-yard line, providing good field position. And all four of Miami’s kickoffs went for touchbacks.
Coaching: D
Miami’s offense continues to struggle in the first quarter, where the team has only scored 14 points this season. The slow starts consistently apply pressure on the defense, which didn’t produce a turnover in a game for the first time all season. Miami also struggled to make Stafford uncomfortable in the pocket, and couldn’t get off the field on defense. After the game, players acknowledged that the Lions caught the defensive line on some twists, which compromised the edges of Miami’s defense.
Stock Up: Osweiler
Osweiler delivered a 114.9 passer rating in his second start as Ryan Tannehill’s replacement, and threw two extremely impressive touchdown passes. So far this season, Osweiler is completing 67.5 percent of his passes and averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. He has a cumulative passer rating of 107.0.
Stock down: Davis
Jesse Davis, a player who rose up from the Dolphins’ practice squad last year to become a starter, had been one of the pleasant surprises for Miami. He’s been one of the Dolphins’ most consistent offensive linemen this year, but he had his worst performance of the season against the Lions. Davis was the primarily lineman responsible for blocking Lions defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois, who record two sacks.