Is the Dolphins’ Foundation Good Enough For Tua To Elevate?
Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins did almost everything you’d say they needed to do to get a win against the Indianapolis Colts. Fans have begged Mike McDaniel to pound the ball on the ground, and he obliged, feeding his running backs for most of the game and rushing 40 times for 188 yards. Their defense had to contain Anthony Richardson, and they did, holding the dual-threat, howitzer-armed QB to a 10-for-24 outing, 159 passing yards, and just 56 yards on 14 carries.
It was old-school, smash-mouth, boring football; basically the opposite of the Dolphins’ identity under McDaniel. It was not enough.
The Dolphins dropped to 2-4 on the season, coming away with a 16-10 loss. They lost yet another quarterback, with Tyler Huntley exiting the game in the third quarter with the score tied at 10, leaving Tim Boyle to lead Miami’s final four drives. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were complete non-factors, with a combined 19 yards on two catches and just four targets. They lost the turnover battle with two second-half fumbles. A game-tying field goal doinked off the upright with five minutes to go. For as much as they did right, the Dolphins couldn’t overcome their miscues and luck.
So, should Tua Tagovailoa return next week, as is looking more likely, what is he returning to? The Dolphins can’t just be good to make the playoffs. They have to be great. Their playoff odds sit at 9%, and they have tough second-half match-ups against the Buffalo Bills (Week 9), Green Bay Packers (Week 13), Houston Texans (Week 15), and San Francisco 49ers (Week 16).
Is the foundation good enough for Tua to take to the level they need to be at? Or are the Dolphins just too fatally flawed for even their star QB to climb out of this hole?
After all, looking back, it’s not like Miami was doing all that great with Tua in the lineup. They won in Week 1, yes, but it took a last-minute field goal to beat a Jacksonville Jaguars team that is now 2-5. Week 2 was decided before Tua left the game, as the Bills were up 31-10 at the time — at Hard Rock Stadium, no less. It’s not the most glowing resume.
Then again, Miami could have gotten to 3-3 (and 2-2 without Tua) very easily. If Raheem Mostert doesn’t fumble to set up Indy’s only touchdown drive, or if Jason Saunders makes that field goal and allows Miami to tie the game in the final seconds rather than settle for a Boyle not-quite Hail Mary.
Or, hey, if they could just get Hill doing the things he’s supposed to do.
Whether it’s been Huntley, Boyle, or Skylar Thompson, the one common thread of Miami’s backup QBs is that they’ve taken the ball almost completely out of the hands of Hill and Waddle. Hill has had just 14 catches for 140 yards in his past four games — just two more receptions and 10 more yards than he had in Week 1, with Tua feeding him. Waddle has been reduced to just 13 catches for 119 yards over the same time. Both receivers are scoreless since Week 1.
You can clamor for McDaniel to keep running the ball all day, but that doesn’t do any good if it can’t set up the passing threat. It’d make sense to lean on Miami’s deep backfield even after Tagovailoa returns, just to shelter their QB from risk, but even a rusty Tua should be able to give Miami more than one dimension, which should get the offense more or less to where we expected them to be.
Is that going to be good enough? It’s hard to say. The Dolphins’ defense looks decent on paper, ranking fourth in yards allowed per game and 14th in scoring, but they’re 25th by Defensive DVOA and tied for 22nd in PFF grade. Allowing 26 points in their past two games looks nice, but then again, the New England Patriots and the Colts aren’t a murderer’s row.
But however good or bad Tua’s return makes this team, it almost doesn’t matter. Even if the team is fatally flawed to the point where 11 games of Tagovailoa can’t save them, anything is better than this. At least we’re slated to get an injection of hope in South Florida, and maybe even a team that’s capable of occasionally putting up 20 points.
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