A test to measure the 2020 Miami Dolphins. Are they contending or pretending? | Opinion
Eventually during an NFL season, we find out what a team is. What it’s about.
That time is approaching for the Miami Dolphins -- perhaps starting on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Dolphins (1-2) have spent the first month of this season being exactly what they were a year ago: A team that can beat losing or mediocre teams, but one that gets poor results against most good opponents.
That’s why under coach Brian Flores, this team is 4-6 against teams with a .500 or worse record. And 2-7 against winning teams.
In fairness, last season was a disaster authored by the Dolphins on purpose in that they tanked. So those performances against middling opponents (3-6) and then winning opponents (2-5) have to be put in context.
The problem is the 2020 Dolphins aren’t tanking. But they have so far picked up where the 2019 edition left off. Worse, actually.
These Dolphins are winless against the two opponents they have played that have winning records. And their victory last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars was obviously against a team that was at .500 at the time and now has a losing record.
So where do we go from here?
We go to knowledge town. Because starting with the Seahawks on Sunday, the Dolphins face three teams — the Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams — with Super Bowl aspirations in the next five games.
And, yes, those other two games are against the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers so those match the Dolphins against teams with a combined 2-5 record.
So we’re going to learn something soon.
If the Dolphins view themselves better than just a middling team, or even better than last season’s group, they must get better results than simply beating the bad teams and losing to the good ones.
We all know this.
The Dolphins know this. That’s the reason some Miami players are counting Sunday’s game as an early season measure of what their team is.
“That’s a challenge for us, but that’s an exciting challenge,” cornerback Byron Jones said Thursday as he continued trending toward a recovery from minor groin and Achilles ailments. “You’re really going against one of the best in the league at this point. It’s really a good measuring stick as to where our secondary and where our defense is going to be going forward.”
Not just the secondary. Not just the defense.
The Seahawks will provide a great frame of reference for the offense, defense and coaching staff. So, yeah, pretty much the whole team.
This is where I make the point to you the Seahawks have a great offense and not-quite-so-good defense. At least that’s what the statistics say.
The Seahawks average 37 points per game now, which is No. 2 in the NFL behind only Green Bay’s 40.7. And they have quarterback Russell Wilson and he’s great and his receivers are good and all that.
“They have a really good receiving corps,” Jones said. “It’s really a combination of the receiving corps and also the quarterback, and how he can get the ball to those receivers. As we’ve seen in the past three games, they are taking deep shots.
“They’re getting big explosive plays, so as a secondary and really as a defense, our job is to eliminate and really minimize those deep shots and those big plays. They have fast guys, they have strong guys, they have savvy vets. It’s really impressive to watch Russell and how he can pinpoint those deep balls. That’s something we have to take care of going into the game.”
The Seattle offense is so proficient so far, even Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick this week admitted it’s on his mind.
The Seattle defense, meanwhile, seems like a mess. They’re giving up 28.7 points per game, or one touchdown more per game than the Dolphins. The Seahawks have the worst pass defense in the NFL, yielding a whopping 430.7 yards per game.
That’s, like, really terrible.
But even in its apparent atrociousness the Seahawks offer the Dolphins a measuring stick.
Because Seattle has gotten roasted through the air this year by Atlanta’s Matt Ryan (450 yards), New England’s Cam Newton (397 yards), and Dallass Dak Prescott (472 yards). And all those guys are top-tier quarterbacks.
For all of Atlanta’s defensive problems, Ryan is and has been outstanding since the Dolphins passed on him in the 2008 draft. Newton and Ryan both took teams to a Super Bowl and both have been league MVPs. And Prescott has been to two Pro Bowls, leads the league in completions and passing yards and does Campbell Soup commercials.
So all three guys ... very good.
That’s what the Seattle pass defense has faced so far.
Can the Miami offense be as good against that defense with Fitzpatrick and DeVante Parker as, say, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones were?
Measuring stick game.
