Dolphins Keys: Clean Up Against Colts
Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
We know how important it is for the Miami Dolphins to pound the ground on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Indy is allowing over 150 rushing yards per game — 31st in the NFL — and the Dolphins are a run-first offense until Tua Tagovailoa comes back. We know this, and Mike McDaniel knows this.
But it’s not going to be just Raheem Morris, Jaylen Wright, and (maybe) De’Von Achane that will win the game against the Colts. It’s a juicy matchup, but they’ll have to get the better end of plenty of plays where the ball is out of their running back’s hands.
So, let’s take a look at the other things Miami needs to do to overcome Indianapolis on Sunday:
Stop the Sloppiness
There are things Miami can’t control. They couldn’t control that Tua Tagovailoa is out, for example, or injuries to Mostert, Terron Armstead, Kendall Fuller, and Jaelan Phillips. The frustrating things that go wrong are the things the Dolphins can control, and they’ve been inexplicably awful at those.
You can control your own execution on special teams, for example. It’s a miracle that special teams errors didn’t sink Miami against the New England Patriots two weeks ago. The Dolphins had a blocked punt and a fumbled field goal attempt. They’ve averaged the second-most yards allowed on punt returns (16.0) in the NFL. These miscues aren’t helping their cause.
Neither is their tackling. The Dolphins have missed 33 tackles over their last three games, per PFF, with David Long, Jr. (5), Zach Sieler (4), Jordan Poyer, Jordyn Brooks, Kader Kohou, Marcus Maye, and Jevon Holland (3 each) being the biggest offenders. That needs to be cleaned up, as well.
Chop Up Anthony Richardson
The Dolphins lost Phillips and are still without Bradley Chubb, and their pass rush is going to line up against one of the NFL’s most mobile quarterbacks in Anthony Richardson. The No. 4 overall pick in 2023 is returning after a two-week absence where he left the statuesque Joe Flacco in charge.
It’s going to be a big change of pace for Miami’s pass rush to face Richardson instead of Flacco. Richardson has taken just four sacks in four games this season, while Flacco took six in three games. Emmanuel Ogbah (2.0 sacks in 2024) will factor into those plans, but if the Dolphins want to really put pressure on Richardson, 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson will need to step up.
Ogbah and Phillips took up the bulk of the pass rushing-snaps for the first four games of the season, as Robinson had one game with over 50% of the defensive snaps (53% in Week 2’s blowout loss). With Phillips out, Robinson saw 67% of the snaps against New England and registered a career-high three tackles and his first QB hit. Hey, it’s a start.
After a bye week to collect his breath and work on some details, Robinson will hopefully hit a new level against Indy. A breakout game can make a huge difference against a young QB like Richardson.
Let Snoop Evolve
As much as the Dolphins need to rely on the run, Week 7 will also be a good opportunity for Tyler Huntley to show what he’s learned over the bye week. The Dolphins might be 1-1 with “Snoop” at the helm, but he’s just been 32-for-53 with 290 yards, zero touchdowns, and a pick. It’s not been an inspiring effort, despite his touchdown run in Week 4.
The run has to set up the pass, and Huntley has just had two weeks to absorb the playbook and build chemistry with Tyreek Hill and a receiving corps that’s been adrift without Tua. While the Dolphins hope to have their field general back in Week 8, that’s far from a guarantee, and for the sake of winning on Sunday, and potentially beyond, Huntley needs to show he can shoulder some of the load.
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