Miami Dolphins: Ugly Win Leads To First Place To Start Season
The first game of the season is in the books for the Miami Dolphins. Beating the New England Patriots on their home field is a huge way to start the season. While they barely snuck a win in, they were the lone division winner today. It wasn’t always pretty but it’s better than a loss.
Keys to the win:
Tua Tagovailoa
When a quarterback limited mistakes and stepped up into some big plays. Despite an interception, hit fit throws into tight windows and took shots downfield. Even his interception was too close and Mike Gesicki attempted to make a play with lead to a tipped INT. That’s just how plays break sometimes. If Gesicki makes that catch Tua looks like a hero. Things don’t always have a fair bounce.
Miles Gaskin
While Gaskin might not have the day worth bragging about, he made a lot of important plays that kept the drives going. Sometimes all-purpose yards far outweigh bloated stat sheets. By gaining 5 yards per carry and 6 per reception he was able to move chains and bail out Tagovailoa who had the defense in his face too often.
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Parker and Waddle
While it’s clear the Dolphins’ offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, their receiving unit made plays where it counts. Devante Parker especially kept drives moving in difficult situations with 4 catches for 81 yards. Jalen Waddle was as advertised with 4 catches for 61 yards and a TD. Clearly, New England was looking to make Tua throw to his primary targets by locking down everyone else. By forcing it to your top receivers, you’re often met by top defenders. Both receivers and Tagovailoa were on point.
Where To Clean Up
Coverage of Tight Ends
If there was one thing that almost doomed the Dolphins, it’s their coverage of the short game. The defense kept things honest but was burned primarily by the short game. The two newest tight ends for New England kept Mac Jones alive on most drives. If Miami can’t seem to cover tight ends, they sure won’t be able to keep up with the likes of the powerful offenses like the Chiefs.
Offensive Line
While Tua was able to get the ball out of his hand quick enough, the line got blown up on a lot of plays. While it will take some time for this unit to gel, in order for guys like Fuller to be successful on deep routes, this offense will need to give Tua time. Plays downfield take time and if they keep a clean pocket they’ll never happen.
Time of Possession
Miami had a fast-paced offense but they didn’t keep the defense off the field long enough. Too many times drives would stall and the defense would have to trot back out. If a team gets out ahead quickly, it could be tough for the Dolphins to climb back in it.
Despite an ugly loss, the Miami Dolphins are alone atop the division after one week. There was plenty to excite fans, but also plenty to clean up.
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
