The Miami Dolphins are currently sitting at 1-2. 2 games below what myself and most fans predicted them to be. On top of that, their starting and franchise QB is on IR for at least another three weeks. Their backup is hurt. Their next options lie between Tim Boyle and Snoop Huntley, who are both solid backup quarterbacks, but not at the level Tua Tagovailoa plays at. They are the only NFL team to not hold a lead through three weeks. And finally, they have the NFL’s worst offense, just a year after putting up 70 in Week 3 against the Broncos, versus just three points against the Seahawks. They need changes. Without them, their season is doomed.
The Dolphins Can Save Their Season
A QB Change
Miami cannot start Skylar Thompson and expect to win games. The third-year seventh-round pick out of K-State has won just one game in an 11-6 victory over what many would consider to be an atrocious New York Jets team with Joe Flacco starting as their QB. In a career spanning 10 games, he is 99-183 (54.1%), 941 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions. Throw in two lost fumbles, and it’s a far cry from what Tua was providing this team on a week-to-week basis last year. Thompson is dealing with an injury and it’s definitely possible he does not play this week. Even if he was healthy, Thompson is not the best QB to start on this team. Quite frankly, he should be at the bottom of the depth chart. He struggles to pass the ball and is terrible with pressure in his face, which occurs quite frequently when you don’t throw the ball rapidly in the Dolphins offense. The depth chart going into Titan week should be Huntley, Boyle, and then Thompson. Huntley proved he could hold down the house when Lamar Jackson was hurt, and Boyle has made his career off being a backup. Thompson simply does not have the skills to be a quarterback the Dolphins can rely on to win shootouts. Huntley is young and has the best skillset for this Dolphins offense, and gives Miami their best chance at succeeding on MNF.
A First-Half Defense
The Dolphins’ defense has been overlooked this season as a result of their offensive struggles. They’ve consistently given the Dolphins the ball back in great places to try and make comebacks in Weeks 1-3, which the offense ultimately could not capitalize on. If you really look at the stats, you’ll notice the defense has allowed 58 points in the first half, to just seven in the second half. Miami should be happy with how the defense rises and adjusts in the second half, but if they came out playing like that, it would lessen the need for this to be a statistic. It seems like it takes the backers about two quarters to get settled in, and then we see a true defense. Some of this can be accumulated to growing pains with Weaver as a new DC, but some of it has to be corrected before they put the offense in too much of a hole, especially with how much of a struggle it is for the team to score points already.
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle
As every Dolphins fan on the internet would say, please get Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill involved. Together they combine for just 26 catches, 370 yards, and a touchdown, one of just three this season for this lackluster offense. When you’re paying Hill $80M+ and Waddle another $80M+, you’d expect them to be more involved. Instead, it seems for about (or more than) half of the plays, one or the other, or both, is sitting on the bench. For an offense in which I detailed struggles at the WR3 position, it makes little to no sense. They’ve been given wacky route combinations, haven’t been able to run the same style of motion, and have just generally looked stagnant throughout the season. Even when they are open, they’re not getting the ball, which has proven to be a huge issue for the Dolphins as they continually struggle to score points. When they’re running wild, so is this offense, and that’s the way they can truly be confident to win games.
Conclusion
Miami is in trouble. Whether the coaching staff realizes it or not, this is a make-or-break stretch for the Dolphins, as they need to win games to be able to have a chance at a playoff spot when Tagovailoa returns. This is the best way they can do that, and if they choose to listen, maybe we’ll see a revitalized Dolphins squad on Monday Night vs the Tennessee Titans.
Main Image: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
