Miami Dolphins: Grading the Offense in Week 2 Against the Houston Texans

The Dolphins' offensive attack looked to build on their promising start in keeping pace with the Patriots last weekend.

But they were outmaneuvered by a Texans defense that was a bottom-five overall unit last season.

The offense continued to struggle to score points on their home field, mustering only 13 to Houston’s 23. Their passing game regressed from Week 1, while the running game improved but lacked creativity and big plays.

Quarterback

Chad Henne displayed flashes of stardom in Week  1, picking apart a New England Patriots defense for over 400 yards. 

Dolphin fans wanted an encore against Houston. But that Chad Henne never came out.

Instead, they saw the Chad Henne they knew well, missing more than 50 percent of his throws, with only 12 completions, leading an offense that lacked execution and brewed mediocrity.

Some of the struggles on Sunday were the same old story; Henne had problems making plays in the red zone, throwing many balls out of play, well out of the receivers' grasp to make a play on the ball. He threw too many balls that were batted at the line, with one ending up being intercepted by a Houston lineman.

The offense didn’t have its best day altogether, so this game can't fall solely on Henne. But on some Sundays, in the absence of a stout defense and a lack of playmakers on both sides, the quarterback has to excel and provide some spark. 

Henne just might not have it. He's running out of time.

Grade: C-

Running Back

This group played better than their Week 1 performance, boosted by the debut of rookie Daniel Thomas, the bright spot of the skill players. But the rushing attack has taken a backseat to the passing game, and these new backs don’t look much better from the last year’s version.

Thomas was able to do as advertised: He ran between the tackles with strength and vigor. He ran for the Dolphins’ first 100-yard rushing day this season, with almost six yards per carry. But his fumble on a potential scoring drive to tie the game in the third quarter deflated optimism for a second-half push. 

Reggie Bush had the smaller workload, and rightfully so; he has played down to his critics' expectations so far. He has been underwhelming in the passing game and has yet to make way into the open field.

While the offensive line didn’t have a dominant day, they made holes for Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas against Houston’s front seven. Their inefficiency to make a play against the second level of defenders, however, has been the running game’s Achilles heel for years.

They may have found a keeper in Thomas, but Ben Tate shined as the brighter young player in this game.

Grade: B

Wide Receiver

The receivers only caught 12 balls, an unacceptable number for well-paid guys like Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Bush. But they made some spectacular grabs of those 12, featuring Marshall and a tip-toe play by Brian Hartline that was so good it wasn't even reviewed.

The tight end position did not contribute much to the passing game, with Anthony Fasano having more of a blocking role with the reintroduction of the running game.

Regardless, the receivers had trouble making plays on a favorable matchup against the Houston secondary.  Hartline and Bess managed only two catches apiece, and it seemed that Marshall didn’t exploit his matchup with Jason Allen enough.

They had their trouble in the red zone, which ultimately determines the grade they will receive. Their inability to have a rapport with Henne in the red area continued, and while coaching may have their part in that as well, when players and coaches are baffled themselves, this unit is in trouble.

Grade: C

Offensive Line

The line was able to make holes that Thomas was able to run through, but the Dolphin defense’s inability to stop the Houston attack didn’t allow the game to turn into a ground-and-pound affair.

They only gave up two sacks, with one going to Mario Williams, who was shut down for the rest of the day. But you had to watch the game to see the issues with this unit against the Houston front seven. They allowed seven quarterback hits and an endless amount of hurries. Henne never truly looked comfortable and looked to run more than usual.

Also, Jake Long doesn’t seem like he’s recovered from his offseason surgery, and it’s hurting the offensive line’s overall production.

Their day started off concerning when on the second play Mario Williams rushed past Mark Colombo, leading to an early Dolphin turnover. That set the tone for a lackluster day.

Grade: B-

Coaching

This was a disaster overall for Tony Sparano and Brian Daboll.

 The passing offense couldn’t execute for most of the day, displaying communication issues that seemed like a Dan Henning offense had been reincarnated.

The nice day by Thomas and the running game had to be encouraging, but the Dolphins' coaching staff failed to take advantage of many potential matchup advantages. While Andre Johnson torched the Dolphin secondary, coaches couldn't find ways to get Marshall to overwhelm in the same way, even after it was obvious after his touchdown he was bigger and stronger than anybody Houston matched him up with.

One week this team has a great passing day but can't run, and the next week the performance flip-flops; this unit seems to be two-faced, never coming together for a collective success.

If the staff can’t start getting production from both offensive outlets, they’ll continue to be outmatched.

Grade: F