Miami Dolphins Biggest Questions After Week 1
Unless the Bills and Jets on Monday Night Football ends in a tie, the Miami Dolphins will end week 1 in second place of the AFC East. A conference win vs a division win would be the tie-breaker. Yet the Miami Dolphins looked like contenders after their 36-34 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Even though it was a great win, there are still questions that need answers after week 1:
Can the offensive line stay successful?
One of the biggest question marks of the Dolphins offense was “Can the offensive line keep Tua healthy all season?” If Sunday was any indication on their success, the answer is yes. Despite a few minor hiccups, the OLine would surrender zero sacks on the day against a defense that features Joey Bosa and Kahlil Mack. Miami will need consistency along the line in a division full of tough defenses so this was a good start for what was considered an iffy line.
Will Mike McDaniel keep his word on not abandoning the run?
At the end of the 2022-2023 season, HC Mike McDaniel offered up a little regret on how quickly he abandoned the run throughout the season. At the same time, he also vowed to make that change in 2023, but that did not come to be in Sunday’s matchup. Miami passed the ball on almost 70% of their plays which was a common theme from last season. Will it switch when the matchups change or should fans except the play calling so long as it leads to wins?
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Who will step up as the #3 WR?
When Tyreek Hill tallies 200+ yards and Jaylen Waddle rattles off 78 more, do you really need a third WR? That type of productivity looks great on a stat sheet. However, when it comes to division rivals, neither has blown the competition out of the water. Miami needs a WR who can explosive games should defenses find a way to limit Hill and Waddle. It might be a tough task, but it has happened which led to the Dolphins stalling out. A third weapon would put Miami in the mix for one of the best offenses in 2023, well, more so than they already are.
Will Jason Sanders shake off his misses?
Jason Sanders is a great piece of the Miami Dolphins scoring system but he needs to be better. All kickers miss at some point but Sanders could’ve cost Miami the game. If the Chargers drive down field, even with a stop on defense, a FG would’ve ended the game instead of sending it to overtime. In a playoff spot, every point counts and that XP has to be tacked on after a 4th quarter lead change.
Can the run defense recover?
One of the strengths of the Miami Dolphins last year was their run defense. You wouldn’t know that after Sunday’s win. Despite coming up big with a 4th quarter stop that would end the game and secure the win, the run defense was a shell of its former self. Austin Ekeler rushed for over 100 yards with 117 and Josh Kelley wasn’t far behind with 91. Unless Miami can buckle down and start getting tackles for loss, it’s going to be all on the offense to win these games.
Despite all these question marks, the Miami Dolphins made a statement on Sunday against a team that had their number a season ago. If the rest of the season plays out like it did against the Chargers, no one will be questioning if the Dolphins should have taken Justin Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa again.
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
