Dolphins defense ‘learning and gelling’ after bouncing back from Buffalo debacle
Tyreek Hill breaking loose for two explosive plays of more than 60 yards and jumping into the stands again after touchdowns on Sunday afternoon was a sign the Miami offense was back to form.
But Hill was just as excited about the performance the unit he lines up opposite every day in practice put together in Sunday’s 31-16 win over the New York Giants.
“The intensity [from our defense] this week was definitely there,” Hill said. “We have two of the coldest white boys in the league with [Andrew Van Ginkel] and that [expletive] Zach Sieler. It feels good as an offensive player because that means I’m gonna get more opportunities.”
While the Dolphins offense has grabbed headlines throughout the first five weeks of this season, their defense has been a work in progress in veteran coordinator Vic Fangio’s first campaign in Miami.
But a week after a dismal performance at Buffalo last week during which the defense allowed 48 points and 414 yards of total offense, the Dolphins’ defense delivered its most impressive outing against the Giants.
“It was good, us flying to the ball and getting off the field,” cornerback Xavien Howard said. “We just have to keep going and keep striving to be ready for the next week.”
Howard said familiarity with Giants coach Brian Daboll, Buffalo’s former offensive coordinator, gave the Dolphins some familiarity with New York’s offensive scheme.
“We just had to stick together and keep getting better and learning from the mistakes we made last week,” Howard said. “The head coach was in Buffalo, and so we expected more plays that Buffalo ran on us that were successful so we just prepared for that.”
Led by Sieler’s two sacks and three tackles for loss, the Dolphins recorded seven sacks overall, knocked out starting quarterback Daniel Jones in the fourth quarter and held New York without an offensive touchdown.
“It was a great day,” Sieler said. “They made some plays but we got it together and really rushed them and took the lead so it made it easier. We’re learning and gelling together.”
Miami’s defense is still not at full strength with key starters such as Jalen Ramsey and Jaelan Phillips still out with injuries.
And while the Giants offense hasn’t been nearly as explosive as the Bills, Dolphins players were encouraged to see they did not allow any lingering effects from such a poor outing in Buffalo to carry over to their next game.
“We talked about it all week that we needed a bounce back,” said Van Ginkel, who also had a sack and three tackles. “When you give up 48 points that leaves a sour taste in your mouth so we came together as a defense and we told each other we needed to play as one and do our jobs. When you can put pressure on the quarterback and DBs playing aggressive and shut down receivers that’s what it’s all about. Coach Fangio did a good job putting us in positions to succeed.”
The Dolphins held the Giants to only 3.9 yards per play and to a pair of field goals in two trips to the red zone.
Miami has been particularly good at home so far, allowing only one offensive touchdown in two games.
“It’s a growing process,” Sieler said. “Coach Fangio is awesome. He’s so smart with football and it’s just about us adapting to him and him to us and growing together. Hopefully each week we keep building off that.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2023 at 5:50 PM.
