The Dolphins’ red-zone offense was historically bad Sunday. We crunch the numbers.
Odds and ends from the Dolphins’ coordinators availability Tuesday:
▪ The Dolphins dropped from fourth to 16th in red-zone efficiency after an historically bad day inside the 20 by Miami’s offense.
The Dolphins went 0 for 6 in the red zone against the Jets, which was the team’s most red-zone trips without a touchdown since at least 1999.
Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea said “a lot of factors were involved in that area,” but listed two in particular: Injuries and bad execution on the ground.
The Dolphins lost DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson during the game to concussions, leaving Miami with no receivers who had caught a pass for the team before this year.
“Obviously, we had some issues with our personnel during the game,” O’Shea said. “I thought that guys did a pretty good job of trying to adjust and playing positions that they had not been used to playing. That’s a credit to them and their preparation. We were able to move the ball, but in the red zone, a combination of factors. My hat goes off to those guys. It wasn’t all on the quarterback.”
As for the running game, as strange as might seem, the Dolphins might have missed Kalen Ballage. While he certainly wasn’t good before his season-ending injury, he does lead the team with three rushing touchdowns.
Without him Sunday, the Dolphins had minus-5 yards on their five designed running plays .
“I think one of the most important things to red-zone success is running the ball,” O’Shea said. “At least that’s our philosophy. That was one of the biggest differences in this game, we had some negative runs in the red zone. Once you have a negative run, it gets you behind the down and distance and now you’re not a manageable third down. When we say a four-point play, we like those four-point plays to be third down and 5 or less. We were in third down and too long, and a lot of that has to do with your lack of success on early downs.”
▪ Dolphins defensive coordinator Patrick Graham declined to give his thoughts on the pass interference call that wasn’t, then was, assessed to Nik Needham on the Jets’ game-winning drive.
Needham broke up a third-down pass intended for Vyncint Smith, but upon review, officials determined Needham made contact before the ball arrived.
That enraged Dolphins coach Brian Flores and his players, but Graham said, in the moment, his focus was on getting ready for the next play.
“It’s a competitive play,” Graham said. “We’re trying to make a play on the ball. Whatever the refs do, they do. Whether they review it or whatever. He’s trying to play football the way we ask him to. I’ll leave it to them on that.”
Needham was on the wrong side of two replay reversals. Along with the pass interference call, the officials awarded Demaryius Thomas a touchdown that was ruled incomplete on the field. Needham was understandably upset in the locker room after the game.
“Any time, and this is just my opinion, and I don’t know anything, but the experiences you have in the past help you grow as a person, in whatever profession you’re in, for the next challenge,” Graham said. “I don’t know specifically, but I do know this, any human being that I’ve been around that wants to be the best and wants to be good in what they do, you take the past, you learn from those experiences and you apply it to that week.”
▪ Graham said the Dolphins will prepare for both Daniel Jones and Eli Manning as they game plan for this Sunday’s game against the Giants. Jones is reportedly dealing with a high ankle sprain, and Manning was effective (15 of 30, 203 yards, two touchdowns) in his place Monday night against the Eagles.
“I don’t know play wise, how different it looked, but Eli looked really comfortable, seeing everything, put them in the right play, make the right throw,” Graham said. “First touchdown, little slant or a hitch threw it to the outside shoulder to lead [Darius Slayton] away from the defender.”
▪ Why did the Dolphins bench Michael Deiter and defensive lineman Taco Charlton on Sunday? Still not totally clear.
Deiter, the rookie left guard who started the first 12 games of his young career, needs to work on his consistency, O’Shea said.
As for Charlton, who was a healthy scratch despite being the team leader in sacks (five)?
“Taco had a solid week of practice last week,” Graham said. “Decisions like that are based on game plan. Whatever we think of the game play this week, that’s how it’s going to work out. Whether it’s him or other players, we’re going to do what’s best for him or the defense.”
