Biggest Takeaways from Miami Dolphins' Week 16 Loss

Six days and the New England Patriots are all that stand between the Miami Dolphins and the bitter end to their season.

After dropping their 10th game of the season in an 18-12 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Dolphins enter Week 17 in the most meaningless of positions: simply trying to save face and snap a three-game losing streak.

The outlook for 2015 has been bleak for months. The focus is beginning to shift to the 2016 offseason and the moves the Dolphins should make, whether it's on the coaching staff, the front office or the roster. Of course, there's only so much they can do to fix the team in one offseason, but before they even do that, they still have one game left to play.

So, here are some of the key takeaways from Sunday's loss.

Offensive Line Struggles Taking a Toll on Ryan Tannehill

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It wouldn't be a Miami Dolphins game if we didn't talk about the struggles of the Dolphins offensive line to pass-protect for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was sacked six times Sunday.

Once again, Tannehill was sacked for a safety, and the game ended in bizarre fashion when Colts linebacker Robert Mathis sacked Tannehill on 4th-and-goal with a chance to win. The sack was a result of Jamil Douglas' miscue, when he snapped the ball on one instead of on two, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. 

After the game, Tannehill was seen limping around the locker room, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. His discomfort was an obvious sign of the wear and tear of the multiple hits he has taken this season and on Sunday in particular.

Whatever changes the Dolphins make this offseason, the offensive line has to be at the top of the list. The Dolphins simply have too much money invested in their quarterback to continue to allow him to be pummeled as badly and consistently as he's been beaten down over the past few years.

Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker Are the Biggest Bright Spots for the Future

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Every cloud has a silver lining, and for the Dolphins, those slivers of hope are wide receivers Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker. On Sunday against the Colts, Landry and Parker combined for 11 receptions and 204 yards.

Landry has quickly developed into one of the Dolphins' most dependable players on either side of the ball. In 2015, he has 100 for receptions, 1,085 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 16 carries, 107 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to go with his receiving stats.

Parker, on the other hand, has been a little slower to make his transition to the NFL after battling foot injuries during the offseason. In the past five games, though, the rookie has shown his potential by pulling in a combined 17 receptions, 339 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He has also caught at least four passes for 80 yards in three of the past five games.

Whoever is calling the plays for the Dolphins offense in 2016, he will have at least two viable weapons in the passing game in the form of Landry and Parker.

Another Embarrassment for Dolphins Defensive Front

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The Dolphins have a vaunted defensive front that should be able to stuff the run, yet week after week, that group consistently gets pushed off the ball and can't get stops.

The Dolphins allowed the Colts to rush for 100 yards on 23 carries (4.3 yards per attempt) and only managed to tally two sacks of Colts quarterbacks Charlie Whitehurst and Matt Hasselbeck.

Yes, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive and Olivier Vernon both had solid performances, with each tallying at least five total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, but on the whole, the defense did not perform up to an acceptable level.

Unless the Dolphins make significant changes to the personnel on defense, no amount of changes in the front office and the coaching staff will help them overcome the losing culture that has engulfed the franchise of late.

No. 6 Overall Pick...and Climbing

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

For the first three years of the Joe Philbin era in Miami, it was fair to wonder if the team would ever be anything other than mediocre. In the final year of his tenure as head coach, and subsequently the one (and probably only) year of the Dan Campbell era, the Dolphins have proved they can be something else: dreadful.

But that dreadful play comes with a benefit: a high draft pick.

As it stands, the Dolphins are set to pick sixth overall in the 2016 NFL draft. That gives them an opportunity to grab one of the best players in the class, whatever that position might be. The Dolphins have enough needs on both sides of the ball that they cannot afford to be picky about which position they select.

Whether it's a linebacker, defensive back, offensive lineman, defensive end or something else, the Dolphins could go in plenty of directions. Even after the first five teams have made their choices, there will still be a good player left at one of those positions.

Writing on the Wall

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Would anyone be surprised if the Dolphins look like they are simply going through the motions in their Week 17 tilt against the New England Patriots?

Sure, it would be nice for Miami to thwart the Patriots in their attempt to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, but the Dolphins are simply counting the days until Black Monday, scratching the days on the wall like a prisoner in a jail cell.

The Dolphins would love to end their season on a high note by breaking their three-game losing streak and knocking off the Patriots. But the Dolphins have played flat, uninspired football for nearly one month straight and really all season long with only a few brief glimmers of hope sprinkled in between.

Can they just kick it into high gear on a moment's notice?

The Dolphins know everything is going to change soon. They could snap the three-game losing streak, but it wouldn't put a stop to the inevitable changes across the board.