The Dolphins Escape with Victory in Foxborough
The Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots 15-10 in one of the ugliest wins in recent memory, which says a lot about the state of Dolphins football. There were some good things from this victory, but there were also many repeated bad trends. Yet a win is a step in the right direction and maybe the sign of hope the Dolphins and their fans desperately needed.
Mike McDaniel
For starters, Mike McDaniel called a very good game today; he stuck to the run, didn’t do too much, and helped his team come out victorious. The game was simplified for Tyler Huntley, and McDaniel called it the game with trust in his defensive unit. Take away some penalties on big runs, a great play by Christian Gonzalez, and numerous special teams blunders, and the Dolphins win this game-handedly. This was a much-needed win for not only the Dolphins but head coach Mike McDaniel.
Negatives
This leads to my first problem, which needs to be solved by the end of the bye week. I talked about how Danny Crossman needed to improve this season, but it is safe to say he hasn’t. Missed kicks are part of our love-hate relationship with Jason Sanders, but numerous penalties, constant missed assignments, and bad coverage on kickoff returns and punts are killing the Dolphins. Danny Crossman is on the hot seat, and McDaniel needs to hold him and his entire unit accountable.
The next negative is the tackling; although the Dolphins only gave up 10 points, the Patriots are bad, very bad (New England averaged 7.9 yards per rushing attempt vs Miami). Numerous penalties, dropped passes, and the inability to block for Jacoby Brissett all shined bright today. Yet the Dolphins still had poor gap integrity and poor tackling technique, resulting in Rhamondre Stevensons‘ long touchdown and numerous 10-yard runs. The Dolphins have to get back to the fundamentals on defense, but otherwise, they have looked really well under Anthony Weaver.
Extra Notes
Jaylen Wright is special. He is a talent that needs to be utilized, and he saw many more big carries taken away via penalty. (6.6 YPC)
Julian Hill is a waste of a roster spot. (Seven penalties in five games)
Tyler Huntley was much more comfortable this week, and the Dolphins should have come into the year with him.
Alec Ingold and Jonnu Smith will be difference-makers for the rest of the season. Both have been overlooked their whole careers but played big roles in today’s victory. Ingold makes the run game better and helps hide the offensive line struggles, while Jonnu is much more than a safety valve at tight end.
The Dolphins have a chance to get healthy and need to use this bye week to fine tune the fundamentals of football. Mike McDaniel has many people to hold accountable and the Dolphins still have many problems to clean up, but getting to 500 after the bye is possible. The AFC is weak, and the Dolphins managed to save their season but let’s not look too far ahead. Tua makes this team better but does not fix the underlying issues.
To McDaniel and the Dolphins, use this next week in practice to fine tune the fundamentals, get healthy, and ultimately get this team back to 500 before Tua Tagovailoa returns and then we will see if the Dolphins can get this train back on the tracks.
Post Game Wrap Up Show: Dolphins Win In New England
The post The Dolphins Escape with Victory in Foxborough appeared first on Miami Dolphins.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings