Miami Dolphins Come Up Just Short Despite Offense's Brilliance

In the Miami Dolphins’ showdown against the Denver Broncos it wasn’t the injury-riddled offense that disappointed. At the forefront of the 39-36 defeat was a defense that was abused by the Broncos’ third-string running back, C.J. Anderson, and Peyton Manning.

The Dolphins offense proved to be efficient and highly effective against a talented Broncos defense, scoring a touchdown on all five red-zone visits. Miami’s 36-point outburst was its third-highest total on the season and ups its per-game average to 25.5.

Despite having an offense that built a lead entering the fourth quarter, the Dolphins defense was in shambles and could not stop the Broncos offense. C.J. Anderson posted 167 rushing yards in his first career start, often running with ease through the middle of the Dolphins defense.

Denver simply dominated Miami’s defense every way it wanted, logging 450 total yards of offense and converting nine of its 13 third-down situations. The vaunted Dolphins pass rush was never effective, and the usually excellent defensive tackle rotation was pushed around with ease.

Once Denver found that its opponent could not stop the run, it committed to it, totaling 35 carries. Those 35 rushing attempts are 25 more than what the Broncos accomplished last week against the lowly St. Louis Rams.

To lose to a team like the Broncos on the road is nothing to be ashamed of, nor should it be considered unexpected. But losing a game where the Dolphins offense provided 36 points is hard to swallow. It’s even more difficult when considering that Miami was bullied in the trenches by one of the more finesse teams in the NFL.

Moral victories aren’t in the cards for the Dolphins, who now sit at 6-5 and need to rally down the stretch to make the playoffs. The progress by the offense, led by Joe Philbin and Bill Lazor, is exciting to see and proof that the coaches and personnel are of quality.

Miami’s offense was productive despite being without tight end Charles Clay and tackle Ja’Wuan James, who suffered a shoulder stinger in the second quarter, per Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel.

As it currently stands, Miami sits a game behind multiple teams in the playoff chase. The good news is that the combined record of the Dolphins’ remaining opponents is 23-28 prior to the Baltimore Ravens’ Monday night game against the New Orleans Saints. Outside of another matchup with the New England Patriots, Miami could be the favorite in each game.

The injuries for the Dolphins are starting to pile up, with starting cornerback Jamar Taylor suffering a “serious shoulder injury,” according to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel. That’s bad news, as Taylor was playing well, and Miami is already dealing with Will Davis and Cortland Finnegan’s absences.

Nevertheless, Miami must get more help from its defensive unit than it did against Denver. Had the defense played more effectively in any phase of the game, the Dolphins could be headed to play the New York Jets next week in a much stronger position to win the AFC wild card or even the division.

Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting and analyst for eDraft. 

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