5 Biggest Takeaways from Miami Dolphins' Week 1 Win

For the third straight year, the Miami Dolphins are off to a perfect 1-0 start to the season after Week 1.

That being said, the Dolphins' 17-10 win over the Washington Redskins was far from perfect.

The Dolphins are a superior team to the Redskins and should have outclassed them on their own turf. Why, then, did it take a fourth-quarter punt-return touchdown by wide receiver Jarvis Landry to give the Dolphins their first lead of the game?

There are several reasons for that, all of which are highlighted among the biggest takeaways from the game.

Lamar Miller Must Get More Involved on Offense

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Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin has expressed an interest in getting Lamar Miller more involved on offense, but actions speak louder than words.

On Sunday, Philbin gave Miller just three carries in the first half and six carries in the first 52 minutes of the game before finally giving him the ball to help grind out the clock and clinch the victory.

Miller finished the game with 13 carries for 53 yards and one catch for 22 yards. That's a typical stat line for Miller, who didn't get more than 19 carries in a single game in 2014. 

It would be one thing if the passing game was firing on all cylinders, but despite an efficient performance from quarterback Ryan Tannehill (22-of-34 passing, 226 yards, one touchdown, 93.5 passer rating), the Dolphins scored just 17 points and possessed the ball for 22:06 of game clock. 

The Dolphins Still Have Offensive Line Troubles

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The Dolphins' rebuild on the offensive line has lasted nearly two calendar years, but it appears there is still some work left to do. 

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was under pressure on just nine of his 37 dropbacks, but he was sacked three times and hit twice more, according to Pro Football Focus. Most troubling was the protection on the interior of the offensive line. Rookie guard Jamil Douglas allowed a hurry and a hit, and veteran Dallas Thomas yielded two sacks and a hurry. 

Perhaps the line is taking some time to jell; Thomas has never been a fixture at guard the way he was on Sunday and will be all season, and Douglas is a rookie who is still learning the ropes in the NFL. That being said, the offensive line is on the clock and will need to keep it together if it wants to avoid being the Dolphins' Achilles' heel for a third straight year.

DeVante Parker May Take Some Time to Get Up to Speed

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Well, so much for rookie wide receiver DeVante Parker catching his first and second touchdown passes. Coming out of Week 1, he is still waiting for his first NFL target.

The Dolphins drafted the 6'3", 218-pound wide receiver in the first round because their offense was in desperate need of a big-bodied boundary threat to help open up their passing game with more vertical routes and jump-ball options in the red zone.

Foot surgery slowed Parker's offseason, though, and kept him off the field for most of training camp and the preseason before he finally worked his way back to practice in time for the final exhibition game.

No one is labeling Parker a bust, but the transition to the NFL has already been bumpy for him and may not get smoother right away. 

The Vaunted Defensive Line Has Some Problems of Its Own

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The Dolphins dropped a lot of coin to add defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in an effort to improve their run defense on the line. The immediate return on that investment has not yet come to fruition, as the Redskins did a great job of neutralizing Suh with low blocks and by running away from him. 

The Redskins ran the ball 37 times for 161 yards (4.4 yards per carry). It's only one week, but those numbers are not much different from their per-game averages in 2014 (28 carries, 121 yards, 4.3 yards per carry). 

Running back Alfred Morris is one of the Redskins' better offensive players, but with so much talent on the defensive line, the Dolphins should be able to shut down even the best running backs in the league. Sunday was not a good start and helps explain why the Dolphins so thoroughly lost the time-of-possession battle (37:54 to 22:06).

Run defense is a team effort. Suh will have to be aware that teams will try to single him out, but the linebackers must also do a better job of taking the right angles to the ball-carrier and making the tackle. 

A Win Is a Win

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Yes, there are a lot of nitpicks to make about the Dolphins' 17-10 win over the Redskins.

But a win is a win.

The Dolphins travel again next week for another road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars before returning to Miami for a two-game homestand including their home opener in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills and a Week 4 tilt against the New York Jets.

Their bye is in Week 5, which means the Dolphins have a real chance of entering the bye at a perfect 4-0. That being said, the Jets and Bills are both coming off huge Week 1 wins, so nothing will be handed to them. 

In short, the Dolphins can't expect to play the way they played against the Redskins and still come out with wins every week.