All too often fans and experts alike talk about how a play at the end of a game won or lost the game. I never quite understood the rationale as it disregards the other 100 or so plays that happened earlier in the game that also affected the score of the game. No one play wins or loses a game. Or does it?
After watching the Dolphins lose to the Raiders 31-28 in overtime, there is little doubt in my mind that one play did indeed cost the Dolphins the game. And I don’t mean the pass interference call that wasn’t called against the Raiders when Will Fuller was grabbed in the endzone in overtime that likely would have led to a Dolphins win.
I’m talking about the bone headed play call at the end of the 1st quarter when Miami had the ball on their own 1-yard line and decided to throw a pass to Jaylen Waddle 2 yards deep in the endzone. Waddle was immediately tackled for a safety.
What were the Dolphins thinking? How about a run to pick up a few yards to get some breathing room? Or have QB Jacoby Brissett roll-out and make a short pass. Nope, let’s throw a pass into the endzone with no blockers in place to protect Waddle. That will get it done. Not!
Those 2 points could have indeed cost the Dolphins the game as the score was tied at the end of regulation, but the play was about much more than just those 2 points. The resulting punt kickoff gave the Raiders good field position, which helped lead to a field goal, so now the “worst play call I have ever seen” led to 5 points for Las Vegas.
But that wasn’t the end of the ramifications of that horrible play call. More importantly perhaps, the safety fired up the Raiders, who up to that point had been very lethargic. That safety led the now energized Raiders to run off 25 consecutive points.
Without that play call and the resulting ramifications, the game would have taken on a different look. One which could have very well resulted in a Miami win in regulation.
Let’s try not to dwell too much on that 1 play though, as there was another 150+ plays worthy of some mention. Such as:
Chunk yardage plays – Virtually all the better teams in the NFL rack up numerous chunk yardage plays. If that is true, then Miami clearly isn’t one of the better teams in the NFL, at least not through the first three weeks of the season. Against the Raiders they had two plays of 23 yards or more whereas Las Vegas had ten such plays. It’s tough to win games with that type of disparity.
Dolphins play calling – Forget the lack of chunk plays for a while. How about just some average plays out of the passing game. Brissett completed 32 of 49 passes, but for only 215 yards. That is only 6.7 yards per completion. That’s a week after he completed 24 passes for 169 yards for 7 yards per completion. For comparison purposes, Raiders’ QB Derek Carr averaged 15 yards per completion. And did I mention Brissett has yet to throw a touchdown pass? 56 completed passes in 2 weeks, but none for a touchdown.
And how do you rationalize Jaylen Waddle catching 12 passes, but for only 58 yards? That 4.8 yards per catch. How is that possible for someone with his speed and run after catch ability? Start throwing him some deeper balls not to mention some crossing patterns where he can show off his running ability after the catch.
Mike Gesicki – After the first ten quarters of the season it wasn’t unreasonable to wonder if Gesicki was still on the roster, as Miami rarely looked his way. He did end up catching 10 passes on Sunday, but most of those came late in the game when they needed to play catch up. How about instituting the catch-up mentality early in the game?
Penalties – A week after committing 9 penalties vs. Buffalo, they followed it up with 8 penalties. Yes, the Raiders also committed 8 penalties, but one of the supposed strengths of the Dolphins is their ability to minimize penalties. They were one of the least penalized teams in the league in 2020, so they to get more disciplined. 4 of their penalties this week were for unsportsman like conduct, which is inexcusable.
The Offensive Line – I know you would be disappointed if I didn’t comment about the O-line play. On a positive note, they played better than last week, as they made a couple of changes to the line. Liam Eichenberg started at right tackle with Jesse Davis moving to left guard replacing Solomon Kindley. It was a step in the right direction, but several more steps are necessary to get the lines performance up to playoff caliber.
Speaking of offensive lines, did you catch the Packers game on Sunday night? They were missing two starting Pro Bowl linemen and had two rookies starting at 2 other positions, but you never would have known it based on their performance. How can their patchwork line play so well whereas the Fins line mostly struggles despite starting a 1st round draft pick, two 2nd round picks and a 3rd round pick? That question needs to be answered by the Miami coaching staff.
Positive Notes – Yes there were some positives, starting with the 85-yard interception return by linebacker Elandon Roberts. You also have to give Brissett credit for his performance in the 4th quarter and overtime, as he made multiple plays with both his arm and his feet.
It was also nice to see Jaelan Phillips get more snaps on defense and to see him play more as a defensive end rather than as a stand-up linebacker. He seems more comfortable with his hand in the dirt. He didn’t have any sacks, but he was active, which bodes well for the future.
The Miami defense also did a great job shutting down Darren Waller, one of the best tight-ends in the league. They held him to 5 catches for 54 yards.
Next up is the Colts at Hard Rock Stadium. The Colts are 0-3, but they can’t be taken lightly as they have some talented players. Miami needs to come out aggressively as they did against the Raiders and, more importantly, they need to be much more creative with the offensive play calling.
