Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Slow starts a recurring roadblock
Dolphins notorious for falling behind in the first half of games under Gase
DAVIE — The Miami Dolphins, plagued with injuries to starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill since Adam Gase took the head coaching job in 2016, are notorious for starting slowly and falling behind in the first half of games.
In Thursday’s blowout loss to the Houston Texans, the Dolphins continued their league-long streaks of 11 games in a row without a point and 18 straight games without a touchdown on opening drives.
The statistics also show the Dolphins are often on the losing end of games when failing to score in the first quarter altogether or trailing after either the first quarter or the first half.
“I’m all for it,” Gase said last week about getting off to faster starts. “That’s what you’re trying to do every game. If we make plays then we’ll score points.”
The Dolphins should first consider not giving up a score to opposing teams to begin games.
In the 40 games Miami has played under Gase, the Dolphins have trailed nearly half the time after their first defensive series.
Of the 19 times (47.5 percent) it has occurred, the opposing team has scored a touchdown 12 times.
The Dolphins are 7-12 overall when trailing after the first series — 4-8 when they give up a touchdown on their first drive and 3-4 when they give up a field goal.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke said the most difficult part about defending an opposing team’s first drive is offensive coordinators starting games using different personnel groupings and plays that
may not have made it on film in previous games.
“I’m not saying you’re getting the offense’s best shot, but I just think you’re getting some stuff that you haven’t seen because that’s where a lot of coordinators will put in what they’ve sort of whipped up for that week,” Burke said.
Of the 19 times opposing teams have opened with a score, the Dolphins have only scored on their first drive just three times since 2016.
The Dolphins have only scored eight times — just four touchdowns and four field goals — on their first offensive drives in 40 games. That’s 20 percent overall.
It’s a small sample size, but Miami has a 6-2 record when it scores first.
Three of those touchdowns came in 2016, while the last was by former Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry in Week 7 of 2017. The last opening drive score was a field goal in Week 14 of 2017.
Overall, Dolphins offensive drives have ended with 27 punts, three interceptions, one fumble, one missed field goal and their first turnover on downs against the Texans on Thursday.
“We obviously need to start faster — that needs to be a point of emphasis for us and not wait until the second, third, fourth quarter to have the scoring start,” said offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who does not call the Dolphins’ offensive plays.
“It’s really just executing earlier in games, and figuring out what [the defense is] doing as fast as possible and get our guys in good situations.”
The trend has continued this season as the Dolphins have allowed two touchdowns and two field goals to begin four games this season, while they have punted on their first drive in their first seven games.
The Dolphins, in recent weeks, have tried to start games with their best unit on the field, beginning on offense after winning the coin toss in Week 5 and Week 7.
They also won the overtime toss in Week 6, and reached the 1-yard line before running back Kenyan Drake fumbled in an eventual win against the Chicago Bears.
A football team’s execution on the first drive of a game may not be wholly indicative of its overall performance, but it could translate into helpful leads or dreadful deficits after the first quarter and at halftime.
The Dolphins are 9-15 when trailing after the first quarter, but 9-1 when they have the lead.
At halftime, the Dolphins are 8-20 when behind, and 12-1 when holding a lead.
The lone loss with a halftime lead came against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5 this season, which saw the Dolphins take a 17-0 lead in the third quarter.
Overall, the Dolphins are 20-20 in 40 games under Gase with 23 played without Tannehill as the starting quarterback.
After a 3-0 start, the Dolphins have fallen to 4-4 this season with a second half that features five teams with losing records.
If the Dolphins hope to reach the playoffs for the second time under Gase, faster starts would be ideal.
“We have to do a better job preparing them to be ready to play from the first whistle,” Burke said.