It was a frustrating day at Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Dolphins and their fans as a myriad of mistakes led to a 24-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Despite the domination of time of possession (35:29 to 24:31), first downs (23 to 11) and total yards (458 vs. 234), it was the litany of errors that led to the defeat.
Now matter how much you dominate the aforementioned statistics, it is near impossible to win when you commit 3 turnovers (the Vikings had 0), commit 10 penalties for 97 yards (only 2 for 20 yards for the Vikings) and allow your quarterback to be sacked 6 times (Miami had 3 sacks).
The first 2 Dolphins drives of the game were foreshadowing of what was to come. On the 1st drive QB Skylar Thompson led them on a 10 play 5:31 drive only to see them pushed out of field goal range via a 3rd down sack.
The 2nd drive had to be one of the most frustrating in the history of the Dolphins franchise. It was a 5:57 drive that should have resulted in a touchdown if it wasn’t for 5 penalties. Yes, 5 penalties on 1 drive! And to make matters worse, in addition to the 36 yards in penalties, the penalties erased plays that gained 65 yards. The drive ended with the Fins 2nd punt.
Fortunately, the Dolphins defense was dominant in the early going, as the first 4 Minnesota drives were all three & out as Miami held the Vikings to 15 total yards. On their 5th drive they finally got their first 1st down as part of a 75-yard drive that was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown pass from QB Kirk Cousins to tight-end Irv Smith that gave the Vikings a 7-3 lead.
Jaylen Waddle then gifted Minnesota 3 points shortly before halftime as he dropped a pass that would have given Miami possession near midfield on a drive that could have put the Dolphins in field goal range. Instead of catching the ball cleanly, it was tipped in the air resulting in a Vikings interception at the Dolphins 41-yard line. Shortly thereafter Minnesota kicked a 34-yard field right before the half ended.
In a half where the Dolphins dominated play and should have had a halftime lead, they found themselves down 10-3.
Waddle then made a 2nd huge mistake towards the end of the 4th quarter when he fumbled the ball after a long pass that gave the Vikings possession on their own 41-yard line. Instead of potentially going down field for a touchdown that would have put the Fins up 17-16, Miami quickly found themselves down 24-10 after Dalvin Cook scored on a 53-yard touchdown run.
Other than the Cook touchdown run, the Miami defense was superlative against the run all day giving up only 25 yards on 16 carries.
With 1:31 to go in the game QB Teddy Bridgewater tossed a 3-yard TD pass to Mike Gesicki culminating an 83-yard drive. Miami’s failed 2-point conversion attempt put the Fins down 24-16. The Dolphins’ subsequent on-side kick was recovered by the Vikings, essentially ending the game.
Other takeaways from the game were:
- A week after committing 11 penalties for 102 yards against the Jets, the Dolphins committed 10 penalties for 97 yards. Only 4 teams in the NFL have more penalties than Miami through week 6.
- Injuries continue to pile up for Miami. Thompson was very effective in the early going, but he injured his thumb in the 2nd quarter and didn’t return. Head coach Mike McDaniels said he was having trouble gripping the ball. It reminds me of the injury to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott who has missed 5 games with an injury that might be similar.
- Cornerback Nik Needham tore his Achilles tendon and is likely done for the season. With Byron Jones and Koder Kahou also not playing due to injuries, Miami was playing without 3 of its top 4 CBs.
- Miami played without its 2 starting offensive tackles as Terron Armstead was inactive due to a toe issue while Austin Jackson is still on the injured list. The loss of Armstead has been huge, as both pass protection (6 sacks vs. the Vikings) and the run game (73 yards on 20 attempts) suffered.
- LB Trey Flowers (foot) and CB Keion Crossen (knee) also left the game with injuries and didn’t return. As of yet, there has been no update from the Dolphins on any of the injuries.
- WR Tyreek Hill continues to be quarterback proof as he had 12 receptions for 177 yards. He is truly something special once he gets the ball in his hands.
- While Waddle had another good day stat wise with 6 catches for 129 yards, you can’t overlook his 2 huge errors. If not for the dropped pass and the fumble, Miami may have very well won this game despite all of the other mistakes they made as a team.
- There was a Mike Gesicki sighting on Sunday as he had 6 receptions for 69 yards with 2 touchdowns.
- Thompson finished 7-13 for 89 yards but he actually played much better with dropped passes and penalties adversely affecting much of his good work. Teddy Bridgewater was 23-34 for 329 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
- Cousins finished 20-30 for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns. Star WR Justin Jefferson had 6 catches for 107 yards.
Miami has a prime-time game in week 7 hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. The Steelers are coming off an upset win over Tampa Bay. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should be back under center for the Dolphins. Let’s hope he can stay healthy as Miami’s starting quarterback has now been injured in 4 straight games.
