Miami Dolphins Had A More Balanced Attack In Preseason Wk. 2

After a rocky opening to preseason in week 1, the Miami Dolphins looked much better in week 2. That’s not to say that there aren’t some things to clean up, but this is preseason and that’s why they practice. Maybe it was just the preseason and maybe it was against the “low expectations” for the Houston Texans but every NFL team has the opportunity to play just as badly as the next. With that said how did week 2 look so much better?

Other than Tua Tagovailoa’s opening drive INT, the offense looked like it was firing on all cylinders after that. Miami seemed to have the perfect balance of run plays vs passing plays and hopefully, that’s how the season plays out. Mike McDaniel spoke about abandoning the run last season as something he regrets and appears to have shifted the offense to a more balanced attack.

More Miami Dolphins: AFC East Predictions for 2023

Tua bounced back immediately after that interception which should give Miami Dolphins fans a reason to be positive. Poise is one of Tagovailoas’s strong characteristics as he often shakes off his mistakes. Skylar Thompson ended up with plenty of work this week and threw 3 TDs but also had a fumble, which Miami recovered.

Running the football was the real standout here. Salvon Ahmed ran like he was trying to keep his job, and he may have earned it with 99 yards on 12 carries. All four running backs for the Miami Dolphins averaged over 4ypc. Before going down with a should injury, rookie De’Von Archane was proving the hype train to have plenty of speed after breaking a 20-yard run.

It was an early night for Miami’s top receivers but more of the right receivers got better looks this week. There’s an open spot for the #3 WR for the Dolphins and there’s plenty of competition for it. Braxton Berrios, Erik Ezukanma, and Cedrick Wilson all need to make themselves seen and presence felt in this offense and all 3 were involved in backup roles.

The one downside that stands out for the Miami Dolphins is again lack of plays out of their tight ends. Miami can march up and down the field all they want but if there’s no big target in the red zone or large target over the middle of the field to move the chains, they’ll struggle to keep up. As fast as the Dolphins are, they won’t score every touchdown on a breakaway. Someone out of the TE room needs to step up or it’ll be a long season in Miami.