Still a few positives despite the negatives

A fourth-quarter collapse is never an easy pill to swallow, especially when it produces a team’s second straight loss and extinguishes most of the hope and hype that came with a 3-0 start.

But the Miami Dolphins showed plenty of promise early in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Miami’s injury-decimated defense stifled one of the NFL’s highest-scoring offenses for three quarters before running out of gas, and the special teams unit showed exactly why they should be feared on a weekly basis.

The problem is Miami’s offense continues to struggle, and that’s a direct reflection of poor personnel decisions (Where are the quality backups on Miami’s offensive line?), average quarterback play by Ryan Tannehill, and inconsistent play-calling from coach Adam Gase.

Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins (3-2) performed in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals:

Passing Game: F

Tannehill played his worst game of the season against the Bengals, and Miami’s injury depletedoffensive line and tight end unit is to blame because his protection fell apart when Laremy Tunsil left the game because of a concussion. Tannehill completed 20-of-35 passes for 185 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions (57.4 passer rating). But his two turnovers turned into 14 fourth-quarter points for the Bengals. The Dolphins desperately need a healthy DeVante Parker because Miami’s receivers have struggled to get open the past two weeks, and a tight end who is an adequate blocker.

Running Game: A

It seems the Dolphins finally found a comfortable way to utilize both Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore. Gore gained 63 yards on 12 carries, handling most of Miami’s first-down runs, which keep the offense on schedule courtesy of his 5.3 yards-per-carry average. Drake, who gained 46 rushing yards on six carries, handled the third downs. He caught seven of the 11 passes thrown his way for 69 yards and one touchdown. If Miami keeps utilizing its two backs in this manner, the running game, which averaged 5.8 yards per carry against the Bengals might provide this offense a level of consistency it has lacked. Defending the pass: B+

Andy Dalton had a respectable performance (completing 20-of-30 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown) because he slipped out of nearly a half dozen sacks. A.J. Green caught six passes for 112 yards, but most of his damage was done as a slot receiver because the Bengals moved him inside to get their Pro Bowl talent away from Xavien Howard. Kiko Alonso pulled down Miami’s only interception, picking off a red-zone pass Reshad Jones tipped. Jones, who had missed the previous two games because of a shoulder injury, was impactful in his return (eight tackles, one for loss, and two passes broken up).

Defending the run: B

Miami’s defensive front played admirably without Cameron Wake and Andre Branch, who are both sidelined by knee injuries. Charles Harris, Jonathan Woodard, Cameron Malveaux and Vincent Taylor showed they can get the job done in elevated roles. The Dolphins held Joe Mixon to 93 rushing yards on 22 attempts, but Dalton’s 10 yards on four carries got Cincinnati to

103 rushing yards. If one or two of those Dalton escapes turned into sacks, the defense might had its most dominant performance of the season. Sunday was the third time this season a team rushed for more than 100 yards against the Dolphins defense.

Special teams: B+

Jakeem Grant contributed 174 yards on three punt returns and three kickoff returns. His 71-yard touchdown on a punt return was his second special teams score of the season. Rookie kicker Jason Sanders made his third field goal of the season, putting a 42-yarder through the uprights. Linebacker Martell Spaight’s unsportsmanlike penalty for taunting a Bengals player on the sideline following a 58-yard Matt Haack punt cost the Dolphins 15 yards on a drive Cincinnati used to score its first touchdown of the game. That’s the type of mistake that costs a player his job.

Coaching: D

The Dolphins went into Sunday’s game extremely shorthanded, and actually put together a respectable effort before the fourthquarter collapse, which started when Tunsil suffered his concussion and Sam Young replaced him as Miami’s left tackle. The biggest mistake was not making Zach Sterrup, the legitimate backup left tackle, active for the game. Miami needed Sterrup more than rookie tailback Kalen Ballage. That’s on Gase, who clearly didn’t prepare for the worst-case scenario properly because nobody but Tunsil and Sterrup could have handled playing left tackle against the Bengals.

Stock up: Jerome Baker

No need to bring up Baker’s size deficiencies these days because the Dolphins’ 2018 third-round pick has been proving that he can handle being an NFL starter. Baker recorded six tackles and two sacks against the Bengals, and his coverage of Cincinnati’s tight ends and tailbacks was tight. His awareness in zone helped Miami contain Cincinnati’s potent offense, which only produced 13 points.

Stock down: Sam Young

Young did a decent job as Miami’s starting right tackle for the second half of last season, but the one position he’s proven over the years that he can’t play in the NFL is left tackle. Yet, that’s exactly where Young was at towards the end of Sunday’s game because of Tunsil’s concussion. His struggles created a domino effect that made the entire offensive line topple in the fourth quarter, and Tannehill gift wrapped two touchdowns to the Bengals defense on an interception returned for a touchdown and a stripped sack returned for a touchdown.

Omar Kelly