Dolphins film study: 5 areas Miami needs to improve in its return from the bye week
The Dolphins’ bye week offered a chance for rest but also self-evaluation for a team that has realistic Super Bowl aspirations this season.
And if Miami players and coaches scanned the NFL landscape over the weekend, they saw a lot to be grateful for — such as a high-functioning offense — as well as some things they could use, such as reliable kicking.
If the Dolphins want to continue their playoff push, they will need to not only sustain many of the things they do well but make the proper adjustment to fix things they have struggled with in the first half of the season.
Here are five areas the Dolphins need to improve in their return from the bye week.
Field-goal kicking
After struggling throughout the 2021 season, kicker Jason Sanders looked like he was back to his Pro Bowl form in training camp and the preseason, sending several long-range kicks between the uprights. That has failed to materialize in the regular season, though. Sanders has made 13 of 17 field-goal attempts this season; the Dolphins have the fifth-worst field-goal percentage in the league. Three of those tries have come from 50 or more yards but Sanders also missed a 29-yard field goal against the Chicago Bears, as well as three extra-point attempts this season. There has been nothing linking each of the misses —some have been wide right, left and one has even been blocked; Sanders said a “technical” issue has been the reason for some of his struggles. Regardless, it’s something Sanders and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman have acknowledged needs to improve.
Third-down defense
It’s the one metric coordinator Josh Boyer has publicly acknowledged he is making a point of emphasis on, even as the Dolphins’ defense ranks in the bottom half of the NFL in other major statistical categories. Miami ranks 26th in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 44.4 percent of their opportunities. This is an especially troublesome figure since the average third-down distance to first downs for opponents has been 7.4 yards, according to TruMedia, tied for the fourth-longest distance in the NFL.
Fourth-down offense
Mostly everything has been going right for the Dolphins’ offense. They have a prolific passing offense that can be matched by only a few teams in the NFL. In recent weeks, they’ve found a punishing ground game to supplement their success in the air. Tua Tagovailoa is having as good a season as any quarterback and the Dolphins have found a starting offensive line combination that is gelling.
But one area that could use improvement is fourth-down execution; the Dolphins are tied for 24th in fourth-down conversion percentage, gaining a first down on 42.9 percent of their opportunities. And it’s not as if Miami is striking out on long, desperation fourth-down attempts; they’ve failed in many short-yardage situations. Since Tagovailoa’s return in Week 7, the Dolphins haven’t converted with yards of 1, 1, 6 and 3 needed to get a first down.
Red-zone defense
Last season, the Dolphins’ defense was one of the best situational units in the NFL, getting off the field on third down consistently and limiting opposing offenses to field goals when they reached the red zone. But this season, Miami has struggled in both categories. The defense is allowing opposing offenses to convert 67.6 percent of their red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. Mistakes become more pronounced in the red zone, so for a unit that has operated without many key players, quality communication is vital. So is good strategy and adjustments, and Boyer showed he was capable of that in the Dolphins’ Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills, going from a blitz-heavy mindset to a zone-heavy approach to keep Josh Allen out of the end zone.
Pass rush
There continues to be a disparity between the amount of pressure the Dolphins get on opposing quarterbacks relative to their blitz rate. The Dolphins have the fifth-highest blitz rate, sending five or more pass rushers on 34.4 percent of dropbacks. However, when Miami sends extra pass rushers, its pressure rate (34.6 percent) ranks bottom-10 in the NFL.
Conversely, when the Dolphins don’t blitz, their pressure rate (31.7 percent) ranks in the top half of the league. As Boyer explained, a lot goes into having pass-rush success, from what the defensive front does to the coverage of the secondary, to whether it’s an obvious passing situation.
Though defense end Emmanuel Ogbah sustained a season-ending triceps injury in the team’s win over the Cleveland Browns, stifling some of the depth up front, the Dolphins had success getting to quarterback Jacoby Brissett — and didn’t have to blitz much. Miami blitzed on 21.4 percent of Cleveland’s dropbacks, its third-lowest rate this season, but recorded a pressure rate of 46.5 percent, a season-high. The Dolphins’ three sacks were their most since a Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Advanced metrics continue to suggest the Dolphins are one of the better pass-rush teams, even if the raw numbers don’t show it. Edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips both rank top-10 in ESPN’s pass rush win rate, defined as how often defenders beat their blocks within 2.5 seconds. As a team, Miami ranks sixth in pass rush win rate. As the secondary continues to adjust to injuries and make midseason adjustments, a talented and versatile defensive front may need to carry more of the load going forward.
