Amid offensive line injury questions, Dolphins’ new offense looking for more vs. Ravens
There were a lot of positives to take from the debut of the Dolphins’ new-look offense under head coach Mike McDaniel.
The unit averaged 5.2 yards per play and converted 43 percent of its third-down opportunities, figures the team reached in just six games last season. The Dolphins’ 307 yards were a total the offense surpassed in just seven games in 2021.
Considering the final outcome, a 20-7 season-opening win over the New England Patriots at home, it was a successful outing in the first game for an offense that was upended in the offseason in search of better results. But heading into a Week 2 road matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the Dolphins are looking for more production.
“I would say there are a lot of things that we wish we had back in the game,” said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who completed 23 of 33 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown against the Patriots. “Obviously the first play, we wish we had back. There are other plays we wish we had back, too. But, it was great to look at them and learn from them and then move on to this week against the Ravens.”
Tagovailoa specifically lamented communication issues between him and his teammates, as well as timing problems that led to errant throws. He said this week of practice could help with ironing out the issues with a new offense and teammates.
However, preparation could be upended by a pair of injuries to the team’s starting offensive tackles. Left tackle Terron Armstead (toe/vet rest) and right tackle Austin Jackson (ankle) missed Wednesday’s practice. Jackson left the Week 1 game in the early second quarter and didn’t return. Armstead was injured in the fourth quarter but returned to finish the game. Reserves Greg Little and Robert Jones both entered the game in moments in the wake of the injuries.
McDaniel was noncommittal on the availability of either player for Sunday’s game. The Ravens feature a talented and deep defensive front and sacked Joe Flacco three times in their 24-9 win over the New York Jets. The Patriots sacked Tagovailoa three times and hit him seven times.
Despite some of the pressure levied against him, Tagovailoa thought the offense did well to adjust to the midgame shuffling of the offensive line.
“It was awesome that guys stepped up,” Tagovailoa said, “and when their numbers were called, they stepped right in and it didn’t seem as if we kind of missed a step. I know that Austin is day to day and that Terron is also doing his best to get back out there.”
Having either or both of the starting tackles sidelined would also be an impediment to improving a rushing offense that totaled just 65 yards on 23 carries against the Patriots.
McDaniel said there was no common theme linking the team’s struggles, which date to training camp and preseason. However, McDaniel said he wasn’t concerned about reaching a certain rushing total each week and thought the team ran the ball well late against the Patriots when New England was expecting it.
“The whole idea of the offense, in general, is not to have a ton of rushing yards every week,” McDaniel said. “It’s to have productive offense and to take advantage of what the defense is giving you. ... I’m not as results-oriented. I saw guys finishing, guys who knew who they were going to.”
The season opener did show that the Dolphins wouldn’t be boxed into a specific approach each week. And against a Ravens defense that has a stout defensive front but injury questions in the secondary — Kyle Fuller sustained a season-ending injury against the Jets and Marcus Peters (knee) did not play in the opener — it could be another game where the Dolphins lean on their passing offense, headlined by wide receivers Tyreek Hill (eight catches, 94 yards against the Patriots) and Jaylen Waddle (four receptions, 69 yards, one touchdown).
“[It is an] opportunity for us as a team to show what kind of team we have,” Tagovailoa said. “This is our first road game against a really good team. We have a chance to go out there and do something special. It’s going to be a first of crowd noise while we’re on offense and having to deal with communicating out there. So, we’ll see how we want to go about that.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 4:46 PM.
