Kelly: Dolphins defense facing season’s toughest challenge | Opinion
Just about everything that could go wrong has for the Miami Dolphins.
The team is built poorly, and the players aren’t playing up to their potential, which makes the game day margin for error nonexistent.
The Dolphins (1-6) need a scorched-earth restart if this franchise doesn’t deliver a winning season, which would be the case unless they win eight of the next 10 games..
And Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t played well enough for Miami to continue building around him, especially without Tyreek Hill.
Now that we’ve thrown our stones, and you’ve heard what you want to hear about South Florida’s NFL franchise, let’s properly discuss the most problematic issue, which will likely be highlighted in Sunday’s 1 p.m. road game against the Atlanta Falcons (3-3).
The Falcons feature Bijan Robinson, who is quickly making a name for himself as one of the NFL’s most dangerous tailbacks.
Robinson (152 yards per game) has accounted for 914 total yards and four touchdowns this season, which puts him second in the NFL behind San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey for offensive yards produced heading into Week 8.
“Great contact balance, lateral quickness. He does everything great. It’s going to be one of those games where we have to swarm,” said pass rusher Bradley Chubb when asked about Robinson, who was named a 2024 Pro Bowler after rushing for 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns. “No arm tackles. Not one guy putting a hit on him and everybody else standing around, like we’ve seen on film.”
Chubb’s referring to his own unit, which has consistently been rated one of the bottom three defenses all season.
Miami’s defense is giving up the highest passer rating allowed (113.9), has allowed the NFL’s highest completion percentage (74.6), the most rushing yards per game (159.3) and only two teams have fewer interceptions (one).
Basically, Anthony Weaver’s unit has been a hot mess this season.
Every week, he blames the problem on something and says his unit is getting closer to tightening the screws, but the results aren’t showing.
“There have been spots throughout the year where we’ve played good run defense. We’ve just been susceptible to giving up the big one. Unfortunately we didn’t remedy that,” Weaver said, referring to rushing for a season-low 104 yards last week.
But 46 of those yards came on one big run from Browns rookie tailback Quinshon Judkins, who finished the game with three rushing touchdowns.
“Until that happens our run numbers are going to be what they were,” Weaver said, referring to the 159.3 rushing yards allowed per game, which is 46.8 yards more than the NFL average. “We have to fix the one or two that are going for 20 or 30 [yards]. That’s what’s killing us right now.”
Weaver claims that when a run gets through the defensive line it’s because of a breakdown of technique and fundamentals, and usually from the rookie defensive linemen who are experiencing their growing pains.
“We’re really close to coming over the hump, but it’s a lot of little things we have to really hone and tap into,” said Kenneth Grant, the Dolphins’ 2025 first-round pick. “We can have a great game, but the little things are the things that can beat you and lead to losing.”
If a runner gets to the edges it’s because of poor run fits by the inside linebacker and a lost edge from the edge rusher. Weaver confessed that Chop Robinson’s snaps are down because he has been inconsistent when it comes to stopping the run.
Once the oppositions’ playmaker gets to the second level “we have to get the ball on the ground,” referring to the tackling issues Miami had like rookie safety Dante Trader Jr’s missed tackle against the Los Angeles Chargers.
There’s also been a carousel safeties roaming the secondary because of various reasons, like the need for Minkah Fitzpatrick to play nickel cornerback because of injuries.
“Ultimately, it falls on me, and I’ve got to get that corrected,” said Weaver, whose unit was the fourth ranked defense in 2024.
Pretty soon, if the problem doesn’t get fixed Weaver might be asked to fall on a sword, paying the ultimate price for his unit’s struggles.
