Upon Further Review: More Takeaways from Dolphins' Week 3 Loss

That’s a massive man bearing down on Tua in practically less than a second. This checkdown to Achane is another good example. Watch Tyreek Hill get into open space at the bottom of the screen. 

That’s a throw the Dolphins would love to make, but Tua feels quick pressure after Jonah Savaiinaea loses right off the snap. There’s a chance he could’ve tried to get the ball off in time, but I don’t blame him for feeling that pressure and taking the completion, especially in the red zone. 

While the offensive line was a problem last night, Tua was left some plays on the field, too. This play-action concept is something Miami has tried to incorporate this season, but it might just not be in the cards. 

Watch Hill and the Bills’ cornerback at the top of the screen. 

When Tua gets outside, he should see that the cornerback’s hips are facing the middle of the field. With Hill running an out route, there’s no chance he can recover and make a play. The ball needs to be out, but Tua holds it and almost throws an INT on the sideline. 

Tua has turned down these out-breaking routes with advantageous leverage a bunch this season, and it’s further limiting Miami’s ability to threaten defenses downfield even a little bit. 

The other issue with Tua is pocket management. It’s not that it’s bad per se, but it’s been wildly inconsistent. This rep is an excellent example. 

Miami’s protection holds up, but Tua gets panicked for no reason and bails out of the pocket. This didn’t end up hurting the Dolphins, but Tua’s footwork has been all over the place. He’s working far too quickly at times, allowing his feet and eyes to become out of sync. 

That’s why he missed Malik Washington on a wide-open throw early in the game. His eyes were ready to throw, but his feet weren’t, so he missed it. It’s been a similar issue on some of the deeper routes he’s sailed this year, too. 

There are some gripes to be had with the receiving corps as well. Hill and Waddle struggled with press last night, and Tanner Conner’s lack of attention to detail on the INT was part of the reason Terrel Bernard could just sit on the route. 

Frankly, given how limited Miami’s passing game was last night, I’m amazed the team scored 21 points at all. 

This is not a sustainable way to attack defenses. There’s a lot of blame to go around, but the Dolphins won’t turn their season around if their best offensive play continues to be checkdowns to De’Von Achane. 

Miami’s Running Game Has Juice 

On the flip side, the Dolphins finally got a chance to run the ball against the Bills, and they mostly took advantage of it. Miami averaged 5.3 yards per carry and converted eight first downs on the ground. 

There are a lot of inconsistencies to iron out, but the groundwork of a competent and — most importantly — diverse running game is present. 

This run by Achane early in the game was incredibly important, as it kept the Dolphins out of third and long on the opening drive. 

The Bills get immediate penetration upfront, but Achane’s speed covers up for the mishap. It’s not ideal, but this is the benefit of someone with Achane’s skill set being the lead back. 

The diversity is provided by Ollie Gordon II, who had several nice carries against Buffalo. The play below was especially impressive. 

Watch Gordon make the Dolphins blocking correct by breaking a tackle. The left side of the line (Patrick Paul, Savaiinaea) does an excellent job collapsing the line, and Julian Hill gets a good insert block. 

However, Alec Ingold completely whiffs on his cut block, forcing Gordon to break a tackle behind the line. In previous years, this was a TFL, but Gordon’s physicality turns it into a play that capitalizes on mostly good blocking. That’s a huge deal. 

Of course, you also have plays that are well blocked up. This one featured excellent blocks from the right side of the line (Larry Borom, Brunskill), springing Achane for a big run. 

If the Dolphins can iron out some of the blocking inconsistencies and lean on the running game a bit more from a playcalling perspective, this can be the team’s identity. There are so many “just misses” on tape, a play where a lineman just misses his mark in space or one where a back doesn’t quite press the hole perfectly. 

This unit is close, and with the passing game falling behind, it would behoove the Dolphins to lean more heavily into the running game. 

Miami’s Defense Doesn’t Do Anything Well, But Showed Life

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse with the Dolphins’ issues on the defensive side of the ball, but it’s hard to talk about much else when they’ve yet to string together more than two good drives this season. 

The biggest issue for the Dolphins is their inability to create pressure despite blitzing at an abnormally high rate. The Dolphins have blitzed on the most dropbacks in the league this season (41), but are tied for 24th in total pressures. 

That’s the worst stat you could possibly pull for any defense. This play highlights that at work, and it came in a critical spot. 

The Bills are facing second-and-15 with 2:50 left in the game. The Dolphins still have a timeout and the two-minute warning. A stop on the next two downs would have given the offense a chance to tie the game. 

Miami dials up a simulated pressure, sending Willie Gay Jr. off Allen’s right side, and dropping Bradley Chubb into coverage to Allen’s left. The pressure kinda forces Allen off his spot, but it doesn’t really get home. 

When Allen steps up, Elijah Moore is standing wide open in the middle of the field because Chubb didn’t properly pass off the underneath drag with either Rasul Douglas or a mystery player who isn’t present. It’s an easy pitch and catch, and with the rest of Miami’s defense downfield, it’s also an easy run for the first. 

These types of issues arose throughout the first half and at specific points in the second half. The other primary problem is that the Dolphins got bullied up front in the first half of this game. 

The Bills were averaging 7.5 yards per carry in the first half. Many of those runs looked something like this one. 

Watch Zach Sieler and Jordan Phillips get collapsed down the line with little fight, and then the Dolphins’ fill players whiff on two straight tackles in the hole. Buffalo is a physical running team, and the Dolphins weren’t ready to meet the challenge early. 

However, to the defense’s credit, it did settle in midway through the third quarter. After Buffalo’s opening drive went for a touchdown, the defense forced what should have been three stops. Sieler’s penalty on special teams screwed that up, and Buffalo took advantage. 

On those stops, the Dolphins’ secondary was playing a lot more tied together in zones, and the defensive line was getting push. 

I don’t know that I’d say I’m confident the defense will figure it out, but so many of its issues would be solved with simple communication and execution adjustments. 

Overall, the film from this game is much better than Week 1 and on par, if not slightly better, than Week 2. Miami is getting better, but a 0-3 hole might be too hard to dig out of.