Biggest Takeaways from Miami Dolphins' Week 15 Loss

Is it Black Monday yet?

It feels like the Miami Dolphins are just counting the days, and their 30-14 lost to the San Diego Chargers in Week 15 brought them one day closer to the ultimate conclusion to the season. With the playoffs and a winning record out of reach, the last two games are pointless for the Dolphins, but that doesn't mean this team can afford to mail it in for the rest of the season.

There are still a lot of jobs on the line, from the coaches to the front office to the entire roster. If the Dolphins are doing it right, no one should be safe.

That being said, that doesn't mean the Dolphins haven't already decided that some of their players are sticking around in 2016. Those decisions will all come in time, but for now, let's take a look back at some of the biggest takeaways from Sunday's game. 

This Team Is Counting the Days to Black Monday

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

As of the publication of the slideshow, there are officially 13 days remaining before the day known in NFL circles as Black Monday. That's the first Monday after the last Sunday of the season, the day after the season has come to a conclusion—a merciful conclusion, at that, if you're a Dolphins fan.

There are sweeping changes on the horizon: to the roster, the front office and the coaching staff. There have to be, if the Dolphins want to return to relevance anytime soon. There have to be, but will there be? 

The Dolphins don't seem to ever want to go all the way on hitting the reset button. Year after year, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross takes half-measures in trying to get the Dolphins over the hump rather than make changes from top to bottom in hopes of rebuilding the franchise.

This year, it seems likely that trend will continue, with vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum avoiding the ax while general manager Dennis Hickey, interim head coach Dan Campbell and others take the fall. That means one of the men in the front office who are overseeing the 2015 Dolphins will have a chance to continue to make decisions for the 2016 Dolphins.

Salary-Cap Casualties Are Coming

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As we speak, the Dolphins have more money accounted in 2016 than any other NFL team, and they currently sit more than $5 million above the salary cap, according to Spotrac. That means, whether the Dolphins want to engage in their yearly pursuit of the free-agent prize pony or not, they are going to have to make some provisions to get under the salary cap.

That means thinking about the long-term future of some important players. Defensive end Cameron Wake has been one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL over the past six years (70 sacks since 2009 are the fifth-most by any player in that stretch), but after rupturing an Achilles tendon, his future is uncertain. At 35 years old, it's not a safe bet that he will be the same player he was for all those years.

Cornerback Brent Grimes, on the other hand, has already shown that he's not the player he once was in allowing almost 66 percent completions, six touchdowns and a 101.6 passer rating into his coverage this year, according to Pro Football Focus. Wake's cap hit in 2016 is $9.8 million; Grimes' is $9.5 million.

Tight and Jordan Cameron is set for a $9.5 million cap hit in 2016; the Dolphins can save $7.5 million if they release him. After putting up just 30 receptions, 346 yards and two touchdowns through his first 14 games with the Dolphins, it's safe to say Cameron isn't going to be worth that kind of money next year. 

They could also cut Quinton Coples, who is due $7.7 million, none of which would count against the cap if they cut him. There are plenty of other small moves the Dolphins could make, from defensive end Dion Jordan to wide receiver Greg Jennings, and the Dolphins can afford to ignore none of those options if they want to get into a healthy situation with the salary cap. 

Lamar Miller Is the Black Sheep of the Dolphins Offense

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Another week must mean another game in which Dolphins running back Lamar Miller was a forgotten man in the offense. On Sunday against the Chargers, he had nine carries for 12 yards and two receptions for 12 more yards. It's hard to continue to put the ball in his hands when he's putting up numbers like that.

That being said, Miller hasn't received his fair share of opportunities even when he has been producing at an acceptable level. No one would blame Miller for looking for work elsewhere this offseason—somewhere his talents will be highlighted.

Consider this: In 2015, when Miller has 13 carries or more, the Dolphins are a perfect 5-0. In games where he has 12 carries or fewer, the Dolphins are a winless 0-9. 

It's clear that this coaching staff and front office don't view him as an important piece of the puzzle. Even with changes coming to the coaching staff and front office, don't expect any changes to Miller's future with the Dolphins.

Tumultuous Season Reaching a Low Point

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Week 15 might have been the low point for the Dolphins' 2015 season. That's saying a lot for a team that fired its head coach 11 weeks ago.

When Dan Campbell took over the Dolphins, the team was two games below .500. Fast-forward to this week, and Miami is now four games below .500. But the embarrassment of making a 3-10 Chargers team look like a 10-3 team is a new low for the Dolphins.

We've been calling the Dolphins mediocre all year, but it's time to accept that this is a bad football team. The Dolphins' five wins this year are against teams that are a combined 27-43.

The Dolphins had a nice two-game pop after Campbell took over, but since then, they have lost back-to-back games three times and were thoroughly outclassed in most of those losses. That's especially true for Sunday, where the Dolphins achieved only half as many first downs on offense as the Chargers and just barely half as many total yards of offense.

A new season can't come soon enough for the Dolphins.

Adding Injury to Insult

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

So, it's already been a bad season for the Dolphins and their fans, but if there was one way it could get worse, it was a slew of injuries.

That's exactly what happened to the Dolphins Sunday. Big names like left tackle Branden Albert, linebackers Chris McCain and Koa Misi and center Mike Pouncey were all claimed by the injury bug. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Albert should be fine, but Pouncey might be done for the year. 

The last two games of the season could be important one for the evaluation of the roster going forward, but that assessment process becomes much more difficult for everyone when the best players are not on the field.