The Miami Dolphins have a stern test in week 1 taking on the Patriots in New England. The 4 keys to success in beating the Patriots will pretty much be the same 4 keys to success for every game the Fins play this season.
The Offensive Line – Many people feel the play of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the biggest key to success for Miami this year, but I feel confident that Tua will play well as long the O-line protects him. Even Tom Brady becomes a mere mortal when under pressure, so keeping Tua upright and giving him the time he will need to throw deep to speedsters Jaylen Waddle and Albert Wilson (and Will Fuller, too, once he returns from his week 1 suspension) will be paramount in importance.
The offensive line also needs to open holes for the running backs, which will be needed to keep the offense balanced. A solid running game is also needed to make play-options a viable part of the Fins play calling.
Left tackle Austin Jackson is likely to miss week 1 due to a positive Covid test, so recently acquired Greg Little could start in his place. 2nd round pick Liam Eichenberg could also get the start. The rest of the O-line will consist of two 2nd year players, Solomon Kindley & Robert Hunt, starting at the guard positions, 3rd year player Michael Deiter at center (his 1st year playing center) and veteran Jesse Davis starting at right tackle. Continued improvement of the young players and building an overall cohesiveness will be key for Miami and I envision the O-line getting better every week.
Stopping the run – Over the past several seasons Miami has had a big problem stopping the run. They started to show improvement in the 2nd half of the 2020 season once rookie defensive tackle Raekwon Davis started receiving more playing time. Improvement for both Davis and the run defense overall must continue in 2021. Linebacker Elandon Roberts, returning from injury, and free agent acquisition defensive tackle Adam Butler will also be keys to improving the run defense. The Fins offense scoring early in games will also help as it could force opponents into more of a pass first approach.
Stopping the run in week 1 takes on even more importance as the Patriots have one of the best offensive lines in the league and are likely to be a run first team utilizing RBs Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, J.J. Taylor and James White.
The health of the wide receivers – Injuries can occur to any player or position group on any team and there isn’t much you can do to prevent them. The concern for the Dolphins is that many of their WRs (DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Jaylen Waddle, Fuller & Wilson) have a history of being injured. And all of them, except for Waddle, missed significant time during training camp due to various sprains & strains. For Tua to be successful, the wide receiver group needs to stay healthy. Fortunately, everyone is healthy going into week 1. Hopefully we can say the same after the game.
Chunk Yardage – One of the reasons Miami signed Will Fuller as a free agent and utilized the 6th overall pick in the draft on Jaylen Waddle is for their ability to make big plays. They are both lightning fast and run well after the catch. The same can be said of WR Albert Wilson, who is returning after sitting out 2020 for Covid reasons.
If you want to be successful week in & week out and have a realistic opportunity to defeat the upper echelon teams in the NFL, you need an offense that can generate chunk yardage plays. Plays that are 20-40+ yards with many of them resulting in touchdowns. The Dolphins offense in prior seasons has been far too dependent on long drives using the dink & dunk approach.
When you think of the elite offensive teams in the NFL (Chiefs, Bucs, Packers, Bills), you automatically think of the big plays generated by the likes of Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Mike Evans, Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs. Just imagine the Fins lining up speedsters Waddle, Fuller & Wilson and saying to opposing defenses “Go ahead. Try and cover all of us.” Not to mention also having to cover DeVante Parker and tight-end Mike Gesicki.
So, there you go. Good O-line play, stop the run, stay healthy and get chunky. The Fins have the talent to achieve these 4 keys to success, now they just need to go out and do it, starting in week 1.
