Colts vs. Dolphins: Miami Grades, Notes and Quotes
This was the type of bowling shoe-ugly game you'd expect from two teams with eyes on next year that have to play out the string.
The Miami Dolphins dropped to 5-10 thanks to an 18-12 loss to the 7-8 Indianapolis Colts in a game that Miami had opportunities to win but couldn't take advantage.
Blame the coaching staff for this, as the Dolphins were in the red zone five times throughout the game but could only muster one touchdown out of it. Their other forays ended in field goals, an interception and a turnover on downs.
The play was bad all around, and the Colts, who would've been eliminated with a loss, have one shred of playoff life left thanks to the victory.
As for the Dolphins, just one more game until this season from Hades finally comes to a merciful end and fans can focus on draft picks.
Here's a recap of Sunday afternoon's slopfest, filled with penalties, dumb mistakes and other random acts of Dolphins.
Positional Grades for Miami
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Quarterback: C-
This was the typical Ryan Tannehill game.
The stats look halfway good, as Tannehill completed 26 of 38 passes for 329 yards. The only problem is the stat line came with no touchdowns and a red-zone interception.
There were also plenty of missed throws, including on the final drive where if he gets some air under his second-down pass to DeVante Parker, it's a touchdown to a wide-open Parker.
You can't blame him for the six sacks that came courtesy of a makeshift offensive line, but he was still too inconsistent and missed far too many opportunities to take an otherwise winnable game.
Running Back: D
I decided to be nice to the running backs and give them the benefit of the doubt. The 24 rushing attempts by Lamar Miller and Jay Ajayi were a good thing, but they couldn't seem to get anything done with them, averaging 2.25 yards per carry.
That's unacceptable, and while most of the blame for that comes from the offensive line, there were opportunities on some plays for the backs; they just couldn't capitalize.
The good news: Miller and Damien Williams played well as receivers out of the backfield, combining for 69 yards and eight catches.
Wide Receiver: B
Jarvis Landry and Parker teased us in this game, combining to pull down 11 catches for 204 yards. This will be a scary unit in the future and the one stocked position for the Dolphins.
Tight End: C-
For once, the tight ends played decently enough to avoid a flunking grade. Jordan Cameron had three catches for 34 yards, while Dion Sims had a catch for eight yards. Not great, but an improvement.
Offensive Line: ZERO
The dreaded zero grade, and this grade isn't so much on the offensive line, but on the front office for not having the proper depth.
You know it's bad when you're missing Sam Brenner, a player who bounced between Miami's 53-man roster and practice squad throughout the year before the Denver Broncos claimed him. Yet that's where the Dolphins found themselves throughout the game as Jamil Douglas, a player who's been out of position all year long, made a few key mistakes at center.
The biggest mistake came from the final Dolphins snap of the game, as Douglas snapped the ball too early, resulting in a fourth-down sack in the red zone. Does that happen with Brenner? Probably not.
Defensive Line: C
The effort was fairly uneven from the defensive line, but it has penalties to blame for that.
Despite Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst playing quarterback for the Colts, Miami's D-line could only muster two sacks. Olivier Vernon went back to being silent, but on the bright side, Ndamukong Suh continued his good play.
Linebacker: C
The Dolphins linebackers weren't as bad as you'd expect from a unit that lost Jelani Jenkins during the game and came in without the services of Koa Misi. Kelvin Sheppard played better than expected, while Neville Hewitt and Zach Vigil showed some signs of life.
Still an uneven performance, and the linebackers (along with the defensive line) allowed Frank Gore to look like the Frank Gore of old at times, but not as bad as you'd think.
Defensive Back: C
The Dolphins defensive backs were fairly decent as well. Tony Lippett showed some signs of life, opponents didn't torch Brice McCain like they usually do and Reshad Jones played with a chip on his shoulder that you'd expect from a Pro Bowl snub.
Special Teams: B+
It was a good day on punts from Matt Darr, while Andrew Franks was 2-of-2 on field goals. The Dolphins only got one chance to return a kickoff or punt, and Landry got 15 yards out of it.
Coaching: F
Dan Campbell is Joe Philbin in a muscle shirt. His settling for field goals in the red zone is a prime example of that. Now, coaching didn't lose this game (that's on the offense), but the horrid O-line development played a major part in it.
Douglas should not be playing center. He should've played left guard this year, but moving him around could have horrible consequences for Douglas, and it's one of many issues from the coaching staff that has to be addressed in the offseason.
Jarvis Landry Makes Dolphins History
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In 2015, Landry did something that no other Miami Dolphins wide receiver has done: catch 100 passes.
Considering the great receivers who have played for Miami over the years, from Paul Warfield to Mark Duper and Mark Clayton, and even Brandon Marshall, it's shocking that it's taken this long.
Let's have an uncomfortable conversation about this: Landry has 104 catches for 1,085 yards and four touchdowns this season. He's averaging 10.4 yards per catch. That's good when you consider that most of the pass plays to him are more like extended run plays, but you want a receiver to score more touchdowns and gain more yards when he's getting that many receptions.
Landry did have a tremendous performance on Sunday, including a remarkable catch (which was reception No. 101 on the year), but he and the Dolphins would be better served if Landry had less targets and less receptions for more yards and more touchdowns.
Jenkins Knocked out of Game with Ankle Injury
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Miami's depleted roster of linebackers took another hit on Sunday.
Already missing Misi, the Dolphins lost Jenkins during the game due to an ankle injury.
The injury knocked Jenkins out for the rest of the game, per Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel.
Jenkins' injury led to more playing time for Vigil, who played well when on the field. It's not known yet what Jenkins' status is for next week's game, but with the Dolphins not playing for anything, I'd sit him regardless of the injury.
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Dolphins' Draft Status
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The Dolphins did their part to help their draft pick with the loss, and they would have the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft right now, per Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
The losses by the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans eliminated Miami from getting a top-two pick, but it can still sneak into the top five—or even the No. 3 spot.
To do that, the Dolphins will have to lose to New England next week, while the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers all win.
A win by one of those teams gives Miami the fifth pick in the draft. If two of those teams win, Miami picks fourth. If all three win, the Dolphins clinch the third overall pick.
Douglas: 'I Got the Snap Count Wrong'
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I feel bad for Douglas.
The entire offensive line played horribly on Sunday, but since he made the last mistake, he's going to get the majority of the blame for the loss.
In fact, he took responsibility for it himself.
"I got the snap count wrong," Douglas said, pertaining to the final Dolphins offensive play, per Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel.
It was a mistake that nearly cost the Dolphins the game, but it's one that could be expected from a player who's still new to the position (and has no business playing it).
For him to take all of the blame would be madness. The team just didn't perform well on Sunday, much like what we've seen throughout the year. Dallas Thomas continued his poor play, while Tannehill missed some key throws.
Good on Douglas for taking responsibility, but it shouldn't be his alone to take.
Campbell: 'Does It Matter What I Saw? Does It Matter What I Think?'
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The Dolphins did score a second offensive touchdown during the game when Tannehill hooked up with Cameron for a 16-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
The score would've helped make it 15-14 Colts, but an offensive pass interference penalty by Landry on a rather dubious pick play nullified the score.
How dubious was said play? Here's what Campbell had to say about it after the game, per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post: “Does it matter what I saw? Does it matter what I think really? That’s what they called."
Reading into Campbell's passive-aggressive rant, it seems he thought the penalty was bunk, but it is what it is.
Campbell: 'We're Finding Ways to Lose, Not Ways to Win'
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Miami made a lot of mistakes on Sunday, much as it has all season.
One reason for that is a Tannehill interception, as well as nine penalties for 50 yards.
The head coach wasn't pleased with this, based off of his statements courtesy of Josh Friedman of WAXY 790 The Ticket: "I think we have enough talent but we're making too many mistakes. We're finding ways to lose, not ways to win."
It is true the Dolphins are making too many mistakes and finding ways to lose and not win, but some of those mistakes come from the fact that they don't have a lot of talent—or at least not as much as they thought.
The mistakes aren't just penalties and turnovers on the field; it's been coaching decisions to play certain players and where they've played said players. It's the lack of development of an offensive line that the team has filled with resources.
It's the fact that Parker and Ajayi couldn't make an impact until it was too late to really help the team, while the front office ignored key positions during the offseason.
Another mistake: the fact that Campbell was put into a position to be an interim head coach. This isn't a slight on him so much as it is on Philbin, a man the Dolphins shouldn't have fired in September.
Miami should've fired him in January—last January.
From top to bottom, this team has made mistakes, and one of those mistakes has been the lack of talent.
Will that change? We'll have to wait a week for the season to mercifully end, then we'll see.
Statistics provided by NFL.com.
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