Upon Further Review: More Takeaways from Dolphins' Week 6 Loss

The Dolphins are lined up to stop a quarterback sneak on this play, with practically everyone besides KJ Britt and Minkah Fitzpatrick walked up to the line. The interior defensive line dives off the snap, taking them out of the play. 

That leaves Britt, Douglas, Ashtyn Davis, and Matthew Judon as the players involved in this fit. Davis tries to duck inside instead of setting an edge, Judon gets collapsed, Douglas retreats to his left in what I can only guess is an attempt to set an edge. 

Then, Britt gets caught up trying to go underneath, and boom, you have a hole big enough for a school bus. 

This next one is extra frustrating because the concept is defended well at the point of attack. The Chargers run power with split-flow action, and Britt does a nice job blowing up the puller. 

However, Judon can’t shed his block on the edge, so he ends up going for a one-handed tackle. Vidal breaks that, and Davis doesn’t come down from his safety perch with any urgency, allowing Vidal to juke him and pick up more yards. 

The Chargers show heavy personnel again and are in an I-formation. Chop Robinson tries to jump inside and gets washed down the line, but that’s not the biggest issue. 

From an assignment point of view, I’m not sure who’s supposed to end up filling behind Jordyn Brooks. This isn’t an ideal fit from Brooks — he should’ve taken the block more head-on instead of trying to slip. 

But Britt doesn’t flow, and nobody steps down from the secondary because there’s nobody over there. 

These runs accounted for 84 of Vidal’s 124 rushing yards on Sunday. That leaves him with 40 yards on 15 carries the rest of the way. See the frustration now? 

Dolphins' Underwhelming Pass Rush 

The other half of Miami’s defense didn’t have a banner day on Sunday, either. The Dolphins generated just 12 total pressures and sacked Justin Herbert once.

This is especially brutal because the Chargers’ OL was starting multiple backups and one third-stringer upfront. That’s really just the tip of the iceberg, though, because Miami had plenty of chances to generate sacks. 

Instead of breaking down each play, here’s a thread of every quick presser or free runner the Dolphins generated. Do you notice a theme? 

If you guessed: there’s no negative plays — congratulations, you win the prize. Many of these are incompletions, which isn’t a bad outcome for the defense by any means. But if you generate this many free runners and quick pressures, generating an actual negative play would go a long way. 

Pressures are great, but if they don’t produce something meaningful, then they are ultimately a wash. Of course, the most egregious of these is Jaelan Phillips failing to wrap up at the end of the game. 

Herbert deserves a ton of credit, but Phillips has to wrap up. Also, this is a brutal tackling angle from Dante Trader Jr., allowing Ladd McConkey to get upfield. 

The Dolphins are 21st in total pressures created and 18th in sacks, but are fifth in blitzes per dropback. It’s an untenable way to play defense. 

Miami’s Running Game Is Good Enough

If you’ve read this column all year, you know I’m a big proponent of Miami’s running game. It’s a tad inconsistent for sure, but overall, when the Dolphins commit to it, they can generate solid gains. 

The Dolphins are sixth in EPA per designed rush, excluding scrambles, and it’s not hard to see why. 

Watch the blocking on De’Von Achane’s 49-yard touchdown. This is a pin-pull concept, a former staple of the Dolphins’ run game that they haven’t used much this season. 

The pin comes from Larry Borom and Julian Hill, while Aaron Brewer and Cole Strange pull into space. It’s well-blocked, and Achane erases the safeties’ angle with his speed. 

Achane’s next carry was also explosive, and Tua Tagovailoa deserves some of the praise. Watch him “can” the first play at the line before sending Hill in motion. Hill’s motion gives Miami better numbers to the frontside. 

This is also an excellent cut back from Achane, who correctly reads that the offensive line has caved the line out outside. 

This is another run that is aided by motion. Getting Alec Ingold and Hill across the formation gives the Dolphins four blockers on three defenders. Again, it’s blocked up well on the right side, and Achane jets through the gap for a big play. 

The Dolphins’ running game is definitely flawed. The head coach gets too cute or strays away from it sometimes, and the team is relying on inconsistent blockers like Strange, Borom, Hill, and Jonah Savaiinaea. 

But this unit has promise, and it’s clear it’s capable of generating the type of balance Miami wants to have on offense. I’ll continue to bang the drum for Miami becoming a run-heavy team, but I’m not expecting any changes.