A failure to finish
The Miami Dolphins squandered an opportunity to upset one of the hottest teams in the
NFL when their defense allowed a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to vanish, and the offense sputtered during critical stretches of Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts (6-5).
It was a loss that will likely haunt this team the rest of the season considering it takes Miami out of the driver’s seat when it comes to controlling its own fate regarding its push for the final AFC wild-card spot.
Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins (5-6) performed in Sunday’s loss to the Colts:
Passing Game: B
Ryan Tannehill was steady in his return from the capsule injury in his shoulder that sidelined him the previous five games. He completed 17-of-25 passes, throwing for 204 yards and two touchdowns, which produced a 119.4 passer rating. Leonte Carroo’s 74-yard touchdown reception significantly boosted Tannehill’s stats, but he made an excellent throw while being hit. However, the Dolphins continued to struggle on third downs, converting only 4-of-11 attempts on that critical down, and Miami’s offense short-circuited on one of the team’s two trips inside the red zone.
Running Game: B
The Dolphins’ run game was fairly efficient against the Colts, who feature one of the NFL’s stingiest run defenses. Miami gained 113 rushing yards on 25 attempts, and Kenyan Drake scored one of his two touchdowns on a 14-yard run up the middle of Indianapolis’ defense. It was good to see that Tannehill, who gained 14 yards on three carries, wasn’t scared to run even though he was coming back from his capsule injury. That indicates that Miami might continue to emphasize plays that utilize Tannehill’s athleticism.
Defending the pass: D
Even though Xavien Howard pulled down two interceptions during the turnover frenzy that happened toward the end of the first half, the Dolphins secondary got shredded by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck completed 30-of-37 passes for 343 yards and threw three touchdown passes. All three of his touchdowns were caught by tight ends, which indicates that Miami’s linebackers and safeties dropped the ball when it came to executing their red-zone assignments. Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins 2018 first-round pick, played his worst game of the season against Indianapolis, getting beaten fairly regularly.
Defending the run: D
Before suffering a concussion in the fourth quarter, running back Marlon Mack gained 85 yards on 15 carries (5.7 per attempt), and most of them where runs he went right up the middle of Miami’s defense, showing why the Dolphins possess the NFL’s fourth-worst run defense (allowing 139.8 rushing yards per game and 4.8 yards per rush). It’s clear that the Dolphins need better defensive tackles to keep their linebackers clean because when Kiko Alonso, Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker are forced to take on blockers they struggle.
Special teams: B
Even though Darren Rizzi’s unit has been depleted by injuries this season, they still played well enough to win that phase of the game. Alonso blocked a punt, which led to a Jason Sanders field goal. Miami’s pressure contributed to Adam Vinatieri missing a 48-yard field goal late in the third, and Matt Haack’s booming punts helped Miami win the field-position battle. But Senorise Perry’s decision to field the final kickoff instead of letting it go out of bounds led to the Dolphins starting their final critical offensive possession on the 6-yard line.
Coaching: D
The Dolphins squandered the team’s second fourth-quarter lead of the season because of bad playcalling from coach Adam Gase, who took the ball out of Tannehill’s hands on two critical thirddown throws, and defensive coordinator Matt Burke, who failed to apply pressure on Luck, turning Miami’s linebackers and defensive backs into sitting ducks all game. Burke’s play calls lacked creativity against a quarterback who can carve his opponents up if he’s not pressured.
Stock up: Smythe
Tight end Durham Smythe, the Dolphins 2018 fourth-round pick, started his first NFL game against the Colts and contributed two receptions for 27 yards. Smythe got blasted on one of those catches but still caught the ball, which indicates that there might be more to this blocking tight end. At this point, the Dolphins need to find one tight end who can help the team on a consistent basis because Nick O’Leary has vanished the past few weeks and fellow rookie Mike Gesicki has struggled to handle the physical aspects of his job.
Stock down: Stills
Receiver Kenny Stills has been invisible most of the season with the exception of the four touchdowns he’s scored. He caught one pass for 6 yards against the Colts, and has eight catches for 108 yards and one touchdown in the past six games despite Miami’s receiver unit being decimated by injuries. Stills couldn’t bring in a critical third-down throw on the second-to-last possession, and he was flagged for pass interference on the DeVante Parker slip screen that gained nothing on the final possession.