The Numbers Behind Miami’s Week 7 Loss
Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
So much for the bye week curing all ills. The Miami Dolphins had an extra week to prepare for the Indianapolis Colts, to get Tyler Huntley up to speed with the playbook, and to work on their execution. It all culminated in a 16-10 loss to the Colts to send them down to a 2-4 record — 1-3 since Tua Tagovailoa’s Week 2 injury.
If Tua is able to come back next week, it’s basically Miami’s only hope, as the playoff field is moving well ahead of the Phins.
It’s depressing, but we’ve got numbers to look at, so let’s check out the most interesting pulls we could get out of Sunday’s action.
60% – That’s the percentage of Miami’s penalties this year that have come pre-snap. It’s bad enough that their offense has dealt with so much adversity when it comes to injuries. This tendency only continues to put the struggling offense in worse situations that they simply aren’t able to overcome consistently.
13 – A number that used to be synonymous with greatness in South Florida now is the total amount of 20+ yard plays the Dolphins have achieved this season, ranking dead last in the NFL.
96 – That’s the season-high yardage total for tight end Jonnu Smith, as he caught each of the seven targets thrown his way. He’s turned into much more than a safety valve for Huntley.
0 – For the first time in Tyreek Hill’s Miami career, he was not targeted a single time in the first half. He got two for the full game. Mike McDaniel needs to find ways to get the ball in his playmakers’ hands, as Hill and Jayden Waddle have been virtually non-existent since Week 1.
25 – With Indianapolis being one of the worst teams in the NFL at stopping the run, McDaniel continued to alter his playcalling and established the run in the first half. His backs combined for 115 yards on 25 carries through the first 30 minutes.
15 – After the success in the first half, the Dolphins had just 15 rushing attempts in the second half. Those runs combined for 73 yards (4.87 per attempt), so it’s not like it even stopped working. McDaniel seemed to stubbornly go back to the passing game and might just be unable to adjust his game-planning for too long.
4.7; 72.8 – With his sole reception for 8 yards, Hill finished the game 4.7 receptions and 72.8 yards from his career averages of catches and yards per game.
19 – While the return of Tua is looming, potentially providing some relief, the Dolphins need to become more creative and find a way to get more than 19 combined yards between both Hill and Waddle, regardless of who is at QB.
9.3 – Since 1990, only 9.3% of teams that started the season 2-4 have made the playoffs — with exactly 0 of them winning the Super Bowl. Even if Miami gets back on track sooner or later, they’re in real trouble and everyone should be feeling the pressure.
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