In the Miami Dolphins’ 31-24 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, a poor mixture of talent and scheme was the difference, but the youth continued to shine. Let’s take a look at some of the film from the Week 5 game, along with some key takeaways.
Defensive Holes
Joe Burrow picked apart the Dolphins’ defense underneath in Week 5. Pending Monday Night Football, he was sixth in EPA per dropback on dropbacks of less than 2.5 seconds and eighth in the same stat on throws of fewer than 10 air yards.
Burrow was decisive against a defense that dedicated their second- and third-level defenders to stopping over-the-top throws to Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins. On this play, Miami’s quarters look ends up playing similar to a prevent coverage, with the linebackers dropping too deep, leaving Chase Brown open for a ten-yard gain.
It’s a perfect storm of miscues for Miami right now. Their umbrella coverages put too much stress on the linebackers, who haven’t been up to snuff in coverage. Meanwhile, with Chop Robinson receiving chip help and double teams throughout this game, the Dolphins don’t have someone up front who can force the issue. It’s a marriage of below-average personnel with a scheme that’s sticking with the philosophy of limiting possessions, even when the quarterback is more than willing to take the checkdown.
Passing Game Woes
Much like the defensive struggles, Miami’s passing offense garners blame for just about everyone involved. Bobby Slowik couldn’t consistently scheme targets open, the receivers struggled to create separation, and Malik Willis made several back-breaking errors.
Slowik’s designs clearly draw inspiration from his former boss, Mike McDaniel. The issue is, some of these concepts already had outworn their welcome, and without Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle, they’re simply not an efficient way to use your eligible receivers.
On too many occasions, there are only two or three receivers out on routes, and in this case, it’s paired with a long-developing play-fake. On second-and-10, Cincinnati’s backers are able to drop into the intermediate window, and Chris Bell can’t sufficiently break the press.
Regardless of the long-term outlook for Bell or Kevin Coleman Jr., Miami does not have the quality of pass-catchers right now to make these looks a staple. To make things easier on Willis, it may be in their best interest to opt for quantity and attack more of the field with their route designs.
This doesn’t absolve Willis, who made multiple abysmal decisions in this game. His process has been slow, he hasn’t been willing to move off of his downfield reads, and his awareness of his immediate surroundings has made already poor situations worse.
Standout Rookie Performances
One of the few positives from this game was that the rookie class continues to show out. This was easily the best game of Chris Johnson’s young career. On top of a forced fumble, I was particularly impressed by a pass-rush rep where he fought through the blocks of three different players to pressure Joe Burrow.
Kadyn Proctor and Will Kacmarek also have continued to showcase their physicality. On a toss play to Malik Washington, Proctor was able to cut off Dexter Lawrence while Kacmarek made a crucial crack block on Boye Mafe.
This class already has shown considerable promise, and if they keep it up, they’ll set the foundation for this Dolphins team by the time they’re ready to compete.
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