High marks after big win
Sometimes teams undergo an identity crisis early and come out the other side a better football team.
That seems to be the metamorphosis the Miami Dolphins (2-3) are undergoing in the first half of the 2020 season, because the Dolphins have been competitive in every game so far. But coach Brian Flores’ team seems to be establishing an identity on offense and defense and might be figuring out howto win games.
Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins performed in Sunday’ s impressive 43-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
PassingGame: A
Ryan Fitzpatrick, whocompleted 22-of28 passes against the 49ers, joinedDan Marino as the only Dolphins quarterbacks to throwfor 350 or more yards and three touchdowns in a game. Fitzpatrick has a knack for spreading the football around eachweek and feeding the hot hand, which has made it a challenge to defend Miami’s offense. That somewhat explainswhy the Dolphins are averaging 27.2 points per game, which ranks Miami 12th in scoring after five games.
RunningGame: C+
The Dolphins averaged a season-low2.8 yards per carry against the 49ers. While Miami’s struggles running the football are troubling, it is clear thatDolphins coaches are searching for solutions and stillworking to find a run-game identity. UtilizingLynn Bowden Jr. in theWildcat is a creative strategy and needs to be explored more. The Dolphins must also find away to getMattBreida, whogained 28 yards on nine carries against his former team, more involved in the offense. On a positive note, the Dolphins are averaging 104.2 rushing yards per game, which is respectable. Defending thePass: A
The Dolphins secondary exploited Jimmy Garoppolo somuch in the first half (three sacks and two interceptions) the 49ers replaced him in the second half with C.J. Beathard, whocompleted 9-of-18 passes for 94 yards and threwone touchdown. The return ofByron Jones provided the Dolphins’ defense a boost, andNikNeedham had a respectable game as Miami’s nickel cornerback. But more improvement is still needed fromthis unit, because the 49ers didn’t exactly have the best receiver arsenal in the NFL. The Dolphins secondary needs to continue to tighten the screws on its coverage, chipping away as the opposition’s passer rating (95.9, which ranks Miami 17th). Defending theRun: CThe 49ers didn’t have much to threaten the Dolphins with on offense outside of its rungame, andMiamistill struggled stopping SanFrancisco, evenwhile holding a massive lead. The 49ers averaged 6.9 yards per attempt against Miami, gaining 131 rushing yards and scoring one rushing touchdown on 19 carries. The Dolphins desperately need to get better play fromtheir interior linemen because toomanyofMiami’s opponents are resetting the line of scrimmage and forcing their will on the Dolphins defensive front. SpecialTeams: B
Jason Sanders is off to the hottest start in franchise history, making all 14 of his field-goal attempts, which includes the five he made against the 49ers. Sanders, whomade a 50-yard field goal on Sunday, is having a seasonworthy of Pro Bowl consideration. MattHaack botched one of his two punts against the 49ers, and JakeemGrant gained 15 yards on one kickoff, and 9 yards on three punt returns. At this point, it is hard to justifywhy teams should fear kicking it to Grant.
Coaching: A
It is obvious that offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and defensive coordinator
Josh Boyer have used the firstmonth of the season to gain a better understanding of the talent on their units, because the personnel is being utilized better inOctober than theywere in September. But the Dolphins aren’t just scoring points and creating turnovers. They are overcoming injuries to key starters like left tackle Austin Jackson and defensive end Shaq Lawson, and the replacements have shown little to no drop off. Miami’s coaches have done a good job carving out manageable roles for just about everyone on the team. StockUp
PrestonWilliams had a phenomenal training camp, but got off to a slowstart this season for various reasons. He finally startedwarming up against the 49ers, feasting on San Francisco’s injury-depleted secondary, catching four passes for a career-high 106 yards and one touchdown. Williams, whohas pulled in 10 receptions
for 195 yards and two touchdowns, needs to refine his route running, but he has the skill-set to be an elite receiver. He just needs to develop better chemistry with Fitzpatrick and gain a better mastery of Gailey’s offense.
StockDown
Thiswas supposed to be the season Grant established himself as more than a gimmick player and return specialist. But at this point, Grant has struggling to impress in those specific roles. Grant hasn’t flashed as a returner at all this season, and on offense he’s been inconsistent. OnSunday he lost 12 rushing yards on a botched end around. If Grant doesn’t pick up his production in the second half of this season, it’s doubtful he’ll stick around tomake the $4.1 million he’s scheduled to earn in 2021.
That’s a steep price to pay for a fourth or fifth receiver.