Kelly: Dolphins offense seemingly prefer efficiency over explosiveness | Opinion
What’s better when it comes to offensive execution, explosive or efficient?
What would you rather? To be viewed as dangerous, or methodical?
That seems to be the season-long evolution of the Miami Dolphins offense with Tua Tagovailoa at the helm, and it has created quite the debate the past month as many have wondered where the big plays have gone?
Sunday’s 34-19 win against the Las Vegas Raiders was a perfect illustration of how the Dolphins offense has evolved this season when led by Tagovailoa, who was sidelined four games earlier this year because of the concussion he suffered in week two.
Punter Jake Bailey didn’t make a single punt the entire game.
Miami had seven possessions the entire game, and six of them resulted in scores. The only one that didn’t began 41 seconds before the half.
And Tagovailoa’s unit scored points on two 14-play drives, a 16-play drive, and 10-play drives.
“We’ve adjusted to how defenses have adjusted to us,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said about the offense’s evolution, which is somewhat a throwback to the Chad Pennington era of the franchise, back in 2008, which happens to be the last season Miami won the AFC East. “The whole orchestration of your offense is, it shouldn’t matter who you go against, and what they decide to do.”
Why is that?
Because if teams decide to double cover Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, which has been the case plenty this season, then somebody on the field is open, and generally can deliver a respectable play if they can make one man miss.
So far this season that’s been De’Von Achane in plenty of instances, which explains why the second-year tailback leads the team with 46 receptions, which he’s turned into 349 yards and three touchdown catches.
And as of late, it has turned into tight end Jonnu Smith, who delivered a career-best 101 yards and two touchdown day off six catches on Sunday against the Raiders.
“That is our brand of football,” Smith said, referring to Miami’s throw-to-the-open-man approach. “That is who we are offensively.”
And that’s why McDaniel’s offensive looks different this season.
After two seasons of bombing the NFL, and as a result leading the league in big-play production, the Dolphins have spent most of this season putting together scoring drives that feature double-digit plays.
Miami has been one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses on third downs, converting 42.6 percent. And that percentage is even higher in games that Tagovailoa has started and finished.
Tagovailoa, who leads the NFL in competition percentage (73.4), has had games where he has completed passes to eight or more offensive players.
Against the Raiders he spread his 28 competitions for 288 yards and three touchdowns around to nine different targets.
“I think what’s been different with the quarterback play is now not trying to force things down the field if it’s not there. Taking the check downs, allowing our runners in space to get first downs,” said Tagovailoa, who has a 101.6 passer rating. “Hopefully they can break a tackle and you can use that also as essentially a run play if you look at it in that sense. And we like our matchups with our guys in space.”
Tagovailoa is playing a poised brand of football, a style that reminiscent of Pennington. He’s making the right decisions on most snaps, throwing to the open man. He’s making pivotal plays that turn red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. He’s moving the sticks, converting on this downs.
This is what franchise quarterbacks look like.
But the NFL’s elite possess that Freddy Krueger effect. When teams see them entering the field in a game’s closing minutes it’s like they’re entering a “Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Tagovailoa doesn’t have that fear factor yet, and as efficient as he’s playing, this type of play is cool against the bottom dwellers like the Raiders.
But it will never do against the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, the three teams Miami will likely have to go through to reach an AFC championship in coming years.
To turn up the volume on his play Tagovailoa will need to re-introduce the big play into Miami’s offense, reminding teams why Hill and Waddle are the most expensive receiving duo in the NFL. Miami will have the blend both styles.
If Miami learns to take care of the football, and continues to produce points on most offensive drives, the big plays might eventually return, and if it does that would allow the Dolphins to take the 2024 offense to yet another level.
This story was originally published November 17, 2024 at 6:32 PM.
