What Dolphins were to blame for defensive, blocking problems? What data says. And notes
Who was to blame for the Dolphins’ defensive deficiencies and blocking breakdowns in Thursday’s 30-17 loss to Green Bay?
Here’s who, according to Pro Football Focus:
▪ Defensively, PFF rated linebacker Tyrel Dodson, safety Jevon Holland, outside linebacker Chop Robinson and cornerbacks Cam Smith and Storm Duck as the worst five among the players who played at least 10 snaps.
Solely in the area of defending the run, Dodson graded out by far the worst of Miami’s front seven players against a Packers running game that churned out 114 yards on 4.6 per carry.
Dodson, who had three of the Dolphins’ 23 missed tackles, was filling in for injured Anthony Walker Jr., who in early November replaced struggling David Long Jr., who was subsequently cut and now plays for Detroit.
Last season, PFF rated Long the best inside linebacker in football against the run, though he was poor in pass coverage in his 1 ½ seasons with the Dolphins.
So the drop-off from the 2023 version of Long to the current version of Dodson — specifically against the run — was steep. Which raises the question: Knowing Walker’s history of injuries, why did they cut Long instead of Channing Tindall, who hasn’t played a defensive snap all season?
Dodson also allowed all four passes in his coverage area to be caught, for 36 yards.
Duck, who was rated by PFF as Miami’s worst defender Thursday night, allowed all five passes in his coverage area to be caught for 71 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Love finished with 274 yards passing (21 for 28), two touchdown passes and a 129.2 passer rating.
On the flip side, Calais Campbell, Zach Sieler and Jordyn Brooks were rated the Dolphins’ best defensive players on Thursday.
▪ The Dolphins allowed five sacks, and PFF blamed two of them on tackles Terron Armstead and Patrick Paul. Also, right tackle Kendall Lamm allowed four pressures in 40 pass blocking snaps before leaving with back and elbow injuries.
Right guard Liam Eichenberg yielded three pressures, and center Aaron Brewer and left guard Rob Jones permitted two pressures apiece.
Even though he allowed a sack, PFF rated Armstead as the Dolphins’ best pass blocker on Thursday.
On a night that Miami ran for just 39 yards (2.8 per carry), PFF gave poor run-blocking grades to Lamm, Brewer, Eichenberg and Jones, with Jones ranked the worst run-blocker of every Dolphin who played an offensive snap Thursday.
POSITION NOTES
▪ Running back: De’Von Achane ran for just 14 yards on seven carries and now has averaged 3.2 yards or less per carry in three of his past four games. He’s averaging 4.1 per carry overall, compared with a remarkable 7.8 last year.
Raheem Mostert ran five times for 19 yards (3.8 average) but has just 10 rushing attempts in the past four games. He has two touchdowns this season after scoring 21 last year.
Achane (who caught eight passes for 56 yards and a touchdown) played 49 of 71 offensive snaps, while Mostert played 25 and Alec Ingold 18. Jaylen Wright and Jeff Wilson each played one offensive snap.
▪ Wide receiver: Malik Washington again played the most of the backup receivers (27 offensive snaps), compared with 14 for Odell Beckham Jr. and 9 for River Cracraft.
Though Tyreek Hill (83 yards in receptions Thursday) and Jaylen Waddle (53) came alive in the second half, they rank just 23rd and 31st, respectively, in NFL receiving yardage this season.
▪ Tight end: Jonnu Smith’s 25 receptions for 300 yards over the past three games are the most ever by a Dolphins tight end in a three-game stretch. His 10 catches for 113 yards on Thursday were both career highs.
Smith, who committed two of the Dolphins’ 10 penalties against Green Bay, played 51 of Miami’s 71 offensive snaps. Julian Hill played 24 and Durham Smythe 14.
▪ Offensive line: Paul — a natural left tackle who was needed for 17 snaps at right tackle because of Lamm’s injuries — allowed a sack and a pressure.
Lamm’s status for the Dec. 8 home game against the Jets is undetermined. McDaniel said of his back and elbow injuries: “There’s nothing indicating it’s super severe. What that means for this [next] game, I’ll have to find more stuff out.”
▪ Cornerback: Cam Smith, who was needed when Kohou left with a back injury, allowed both passes in his coverage area to be caught for 29 yards before departing with a dislocated shoulder.
McDaniel said Kohou’s injury does not appear serious, but more tests will be taken. Kohou sustained his injury while colliding with a Packers player after trying to dive for a pass that was deflected. He was checked for a concussion, but was cleared for any head injury.
Also, McDaniel said Friday that he’s hopeful that starting cornerback Kendall Fuller will be able to play on Dec. 8 against the Jets. Fuller has missed the past three games with a concussion.
On Thursday, cornerback Jalen Ramsey played all 54 defensive snaps, but Kohou was limited to 9 because of injury. Duck, who had his worst game in his brief career, played 50 snaps, while Siran Neal logged 15 defensive snaps and Smith 12.
▪ Outside linebacker: Chop Robinson had no sacks and just one pressure in 16 pass rushing snaps — a disappointment after he produced 4.5 sacks and 22 pressures over his previous three games.
Miami mustered no sacks and nine pressures against Jordan Love.
Emmanuel Ogbah, credited for two pressures, played 46 defensive snaps, while Robinson played 31 and Quinton Bell 20. Rookie outside linebacker Mo Kamara played only on special teams.
▪ Safety: Even with Holland and Jordan Poyer playing all 54 defensive snaps, Miami gave nine defensive snaps to Elijah Campbell. Rookie safety Patrick McMorris played only special teams in his regular season NFL debut.
This story was originally published November 29, 2024 at 12:36 PM.
