Miami Dolphins: Time To Mash That Panic Button

Two losses in a row and it’s time for the Miami Dolphins to look hard in the mirror. They started off the season as hot as they could be both figurative and literally. Now they’ve lost back-to-back games and something seems a little off. For the first time this season, they’re looking like the Dolphins of old, so why is it going so wrong?

First, ever since their bye week in week 11, they’ve been out of rhythm. Even when Tua was out for a minor stretch earlier this year, he came back shaky but still played a clean enough game to win. The 49ers game had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at them to keep Tua on his toes so that’s excusable. Against the Chargers, some major blown calls by the refs (see: roughing the passer on Jaelen Phillips) but they were out of sync the whole time. The offense had a ton of miscues, Tua is forcing passes to receivers and the run game has been virtually nonexistent.

More NFL: Packers Should Move On From Rodgers

Defensively the Miami Dolphins look just as lost. While both sides of the football are making plays, they at times look out of position, especially on defense. You have to call into question their leadership and communication. They’re not getting to the quarterback, they’re not creating turnovers like they did on their streak, and they’re allowing too many big plays. Bend but don’t break only works if the offense is firing on all cylinders which it wasn’t. Allowing FGs is fine as long as the offense can score at will as they have been. The problem is when the offense isn’t on point, opponents putting up points Miami can’t overcome becomes more of a problem. At no point against the Chargers were the Miami Dolphins ever in a position to lead the football game.

And it’s not getting any easier for the Miami Dolphins the rest of the way out either. They’ll face 3 division opponents to close out the year plus the Green Bay Packers. However, the way they’ve played the past two games, they might now win another game all season. They’re coming into their playoff push and seem to be stuck in neutral. If they can’t fix it fast, Dolfans will be mashing that panic button in a hurry.