Biggest Takeaways from Miami Dolphins' Week 2 Loss
The Miami Dolphins cannot expect to make the playoffs in 2015 if they continue to play the way they played on Sunday in their 23-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That's the biggest, broad-brush takeaway from a Dolphins perspective.
Unless the Dolphins go into a phone booth, get into a blue uniform and come out wearing red capes in Weeks 3 through 17, this team could be headed for the same fate it's suffered for three years under head coach Joe Philbin: mediocrity.
That's a fate that owner Stephen Ross has already deemed unacceptable in 2015. There's still plenty of time for the Dolphins to rewrite their fate, but barring dramatic differences in the next 14 games of the regular season, the Dolphins might just miss the playoffs for a seventh straight year.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the Dolphins' first loss of the season.
The Dolphins Continue to Abandon the Running Game
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The Dolphins have been known to abandon the run in the past under Joe Philbin, but they've never gotten away from it this much this early in the season.
The Dolphins have not rushed for more than 75 yards in a game yet this season. They've failed to rush for 75 yards in back-to-back games four other times under Philbin, and with a Week 3 matchup against a stingy Buffalo Bills defensive line (average of 60 rushing yards allowed per game), this could be the first time Philbin's offense suffers a three-game streak of fewer than 75 rushing yards.
The Dolphins have straight-up abandoned the run, with just 34 rush attempts through two games (17 per game), which ranks 29th in the NFL.
Who could blame them? After all, they're averaging only 3.4 yards per carry (26th in the NFL), and with a running game that ineffective, it's hard to have any level of confidence in their ability to move the ball on the ground.
Slow Starts Could Haunt the Dolphins in 2015
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For the second straight week, the Dolphins came out as flat as a sheet of paper underneath a steamroller at the start of the game.
The Dolphins ran just five plays in the first quarter on offense in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins and just seven plays in Week 2 against the Jaguars. On the flip side, the Dolphins defense yielded a score on the opening drive in each game.
The Dolphins had a better response this week than last week—they scored a field goal on their first drive against the Jaguars after failing to score any first-quarter points against the Redskins. Still, they faced a deficit of at least 10 points in the second quarter of each game.
The first 15 offensive plays are scripted and built to beat the opposing defense. If those plays aren't working, that is an indictment of the Dolphins' preparation. If the Dolphins could build some momentum in the first quarter, who knows if the outcomes of these games could have been different, but they can't afford more slow starts if they want to turn their season around.
The Defensive Line Got Dominated Up Front
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The defensive line was supposed to be the strength of the defense, and with talented linemen such as Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon and Ndamukong Suh, it might still be.
That being said, through two games, the Dolphins defensive line has appeared out of sync and has been pushed off the ball. There are some specific and troubling reasons for the struggles of some of the linemen (namely Suh), but this is a problem across the entire front.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wake and Suh combined for one quarterback pressure. Vernon had three (two hurries and one hit), but he also had the game's most costly penalty: a 15-yard late hit that put the Jaguars in field-goal range at the end of the game.
Given the Dolphins' lack of pass rush, it's not a huge surprise that Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles got in rhythm by completing 18 of his 33 passes for 273 yards, two touchdowns and a 102.2 passer rating.
None of the cornerbacks covered themselves in glory on Sunday (Brent Grimes allowed five receptions on nine targets, Brice McCain allowed four receptions on seven targets and a touchdown), but the pass rush was supposed to strengthen the coverage.
If the Dolphins had trouble against the Jaguars offense, they'll probably see more trouble down the line.
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The Dolphins Have Subordination Issues
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If the Dolphins are going to turn things around this season, they need everyone to buy in.
As it turns out, the one guy who reportedly isn't buying in right now is the one guy the Dolphins bought into most heavily this offseason: defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
For the second straight week, Suh was a nonentity in the game, but some of that might have been Suh's own doing. According to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Suh "strayed from [defensive coordinator] Kevin Coyle's script," which created "confusion on the defense."
The Dolphins have problems on the coaching staff, but those problems may run deeper than it originally seemed. If the Dolphins' most influential players aren't listening to the coaches, this is an epidemic that could threaten the season.
Joe Philbin Is on the Hot Seat
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The Dolphins should have won in both Week 1 and Week 2 by double-digit margins.
The fact that they are 1-1 is both fortunate (hey, at least they're not 0-2) and unfortunate (what happened to playoff aspirations?), but headed into 2015, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross made one thing clear: It was playoffs or bust.
"I'm expecting it," he said when asked in July if he hoped this year is the payoff after years of spending on free agents and stadium upgrades. As for whether he is getting antsy for winning results given said spending, Ross offered another three-word answer: "You're goddamn right."
And now, those results are already threatened just two weeks into the regular season.
Another 8-8 season will not cut it. Heck, another 9-7 or even 10-6 season won't cut it if neither of those records would result in the Dolphins making the playoffs. It's truly postseason or bust for Philbin.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.
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