The Miami Dolphins Defense Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves

Many of Miami’s games have come down to the wire. The only games where they lost by more than two scores were against the Indianapolis Colts in Week One, and most recently, Week Seven against the Cleveland Browns, where the Dolphins fell 31-6. There were chances where the Dolphins could have pulled off a win, and towards the end, there were instances where Tagovailoa and the offense could not deliver in the end.

That is a fair criticism of Tagovailoa this season. Having said that, in the instances where he did deliver, the defense could not hold up their end of the bargain. Following a 45-yard Jaylen Waddle touchdown, the Dolphins went up 24-20 against the Carolina Panthers, who needed a touchdown to regain the lead. In typical Miami fashion, the Panthers converted a crucial fourth down to extend the drive and went right down the field to regain the lead with a touchdown.

Yes, Tagovailoa missed Waddle on an easy throw on the next possession that killed their drive, but the Dolphins should not have been in that instance after a huge momentum-swinging play.

In the following week against the Los Angeles Chargers, the defense was put in another scenario where one defensive stop ended the game. This time, Tagovailoa led a touchdown drive and put the Dolphins up by one point with 46 seconds left.

Los Angeles only had one timeout left and had to get in field goal range with a decimated offensive line. Instead of finishing the job, another meme was created by Miami. Jaelan Phillips wrapped up Justin Herbert and appeared dead to rights. What seemed to be a game-altering sack turned into a Ladd McConkey 42-yard reception and put the dagger in the Dolphins for good.

Given what has transpired, in a perfect world where Tagovailoa delivered the goods in games prior, would this defense have sealed the deal? The thought of Miami stopping Drake Maye and Josh Allen when all that would have been required is a field goal to win the game is honestly laughable.

Passing The Ball Against This Defense Is Bailing Out The Dolphins

Any offense that goes up against the Dolphins should not even think about passing the ball more than 20 times a game. The run defense is so porous that no matter what the running back and offensive line situation is, Miami has no answers in stopping any run game.

Kimani Vidal has currently rushed for 317 yards in his career, with 124 of those yards coming against the Dolphins, where he averaged 6.9 yards per carry. Adrian Peterson must be sweating knowing his history-making 296-yard rushing game has a chance of being broken, with Bijan Robinson and Derrick Henry next on the schedule for Miami.

It would not be shocking in the slightest if the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens had a touchdown drive where not one pass is attempted. Heck, the Ravens should just run the wildcat offense with Henry and give Lamar Jackson the day off.

Just by watching any drive where the Dolphins’ defense is on the field, you can see why they’re ranked dead last in rushing defense. The most flabbergasting thing about that is Miami was ranked top five three seasons in a row when it came to rushing yards allowed.

To go from being a team that stonewalls the run to letting running backs have career days should be highlighted when it comes to what’s wrong with the Dolphins. Hopefully, the pass defense rankings do not fool anyone. Why would any team even think about risking their quarterback’s health if it’s a guaranteed eight yards each run?

End Of My Miami Dolphins Rant

Every criticism being echoed regarding the Dolphins’ offense and coaching is valid. Nevertheless, the defense should be getting the same heat the other side of the ball constantly receives.

As is currently being seen with the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott is playing MVP-level football. Only so much can be done when your defense cannot stop a nosebleed. The perfect example is last season when Joe Burrow led the league in passing yards, completions, and touchdowns. A season that great was wasted because the defense could not stop a cold.

This is not to excuse the quarterback situation in Miami, where Tagovailoa is playing the worst football of his career, but it’s a team sport. The fact of the matter is that the defense is playing at an equally, if not worse, level than the offense, and that cannot go unnoticed.