How the Dolphins did four things that good teams must do, and the fallout
With a jaw-dropping aerial display, the Dolphins’ opening win at the Chargers was nothing short of exhilarating.
Their Week 2 week in New England could better be described as comforting.
Comforting because even with the Patriots’ defense generally eliminating the Tua Tagovailoa-toTyreek Hill fireworks, the Dolphins did everything else that good teams must do to beat a formidable opponent on the road.
Against a stout defense, they ran the ball effectively (30 times for 145 yards, a 4.8 average). They blocked capably, creating holes for Raheem Mostert and allowing only one sack of their quarterback.
They stopped the run after being gashed in the opener, permitting the Patriots to plod for just 88 yards on 25 carries (3.5 average). And they applied pressure on quarterback Mac Jones without needing to blitz every team employee.
Exploring the Dolphins’ improvement in all four of those areas in the wake of their 24-17 win that left Miami at 2-0 and atop the AFC East:
▪ The running game — underutilized at times last season and merely average against the Chargers (20 attempts for 70 yards) — was at its best against New England.
With 18 carries for 121 yards (a 6.7 average) — including a key 43-yard touchdown — Raheem Mostert is now averaging 5.6 yards on 28 carries this season, which is sixth best among all NFL running backs (minimum 15 carries) through two weeks.
Mostert’s 5.4 career average would lead all active NFL running backs if he had enough carries to qualify. His big game Sunday was crucial on a night that the Patriots limited Hill to five receptions for 40 yards (including a touchdown).
“One hundred yards is hard to come by, especially in a passing league,” Mostert said.
Mostert’s early season effectiveness — off a strong 2022 in which he ran for 891 yards on 4.9 per carry — so far has validated the Dolphins’ decision not to aggressively pursue July free agent Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook, who has 17 carries for 40 yards (2.4 per carry) and a fumble in two games for the Jets.
The Dolphins were supremely balanced — 30 passes, 30 runs — on Sunday, in part because New England tried to take away the big play by often playing safeties deep.
“If they’re overplaying the pass game, you have to threaten them with the run,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “And I told them early that they are telling you something when they’re [emphasizing pass] coverage first. Generally, defenses aren’t that way.”
The Dolphins had big plays on some inside zone runs, including the long Mostert touchdown. “When you have a team like the Patriots, all they do is set that edge,” Mostert said. “It’s kind of tough to get on the outside anyway.”
▪ Even without their best offensive lineman (Terron Armstead) for the first two weeks of the season, the Dolphins have kept Tagovailoa clean. The sack yielded by Austin Jackson on Sunday was the only sack permitted by the Dolphins in two weeks.
Through two games, only Las Vegas has permitted fewer sacks. Tagovailoa’s quick release has a lot to do with that, but the sometimes-maligned offensive line has exceeded all expectations so far.
Kendall Lamm has been very good at left tackle (he has “done a tremendous job,” Tagovailoa said), and right guard Robert Hunt and center Connor Williams created a big hole on Mostert’s long TD run.
Isaiah Wynn has been extremely competent in his first NFL experience at left guard. And the Dolphins are averaging 4.3 yards per rush through two games, which is 12th in the league.
“We needed [to win] the line of scrimmage,” McDaniel said.
As Lamm said, “the Patriots always have a phenomenal run defense, and they have always been a top-five or top-10 defense in the league… [But] we did what we were supposed to do.”
▪ The Dolphins’ defense, which was torched for 234 rushing yards against the Chargers, stiffened, holding Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson — who averaged a robust 5.0 yards per carry last season — to 3.3 on Sunday (15 for 50).
“Stopping the run was a huge focus last week,” said Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb, who forced a fumble and had a sack on Sunday. “We took it personally because we know that wasn’t us [against the Chargers].”
The Dolphins had eight tackles for loss — twice as many as they produced against the Chargers.
“We knew going into the game that if we could control them up front, we could have them on our terms,” defensive tackle Raekwon Davis said.
▪ The Dolphins’ pass rush, which sacked the Chargers’ Justin Herbert only on blitzes, put enough pressure on Mac Jones to have an impact. And they did it without injured Jaelan Phillips, arguably their best pass rusher.
David Long Jr., Andrew Van Ginkel, Chubb and Christian Wilkins all had sacks.
Entering Monday night’s games, the Dolphins’ seven sacks were the sixth most in the league.
“Once we start gelling together, and playing as one, it’s going to be scary out there,” Long said. “I think you got a glimpse of it.”
Van Ginkel — who played primarily inside linebacker in the opener — moved back outside (in Phillips’ spot) and played 65 of Miami’s 74 defensive snaps, filling the boxscore with six tackles, three quarterback hits, one sack, one pass defended and one tackle for loss.
“Coach [Vic] Fangio saw the versatility in me, and he knew that I could play multiple roles,” Van Ginkel said. “In two weeks I’ve played two different roles already.”
Long, who logged just 17 snaps on defense in the opener, played 62 of Miami’s 74 defensive snaps and had eight tackles, a sack and two quarterback hits.
So the Dolphins — who proved they can win a shootout against the Chargers - on Sunday also reaffirmed that they can achieve other prerequisites for a team that harbors hopes of playing into mid-January and beyond.
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 11:50 AM.
