The Miami Dolphins' disappointing losing slump refuses to end. Without star QB Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins dropped their fifth straight game, losing to the New England Patriots, 23-21, on the road in Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season. This loss pulled the Dolphins down to 8-8, which places them in a four-way tie for sixth place in the AFC. Now, the Dolphins need two things to happen. They must beat the New York Jets in Week 18 and hope the Buffalo Bills can beat the Patriots as well. If even one of those things does not happen, Miami will miss the bus to the postseason. With that said, here we'll discuss the four Dolphins most to blame for their Week 17 loss vs. the Patriots.
Miami has had multiple chances to clinch a playoff berth for the past month, but every single time they fell short. Miami's fall from grace has been fast, far, and to be quite honest, fascinating. They went from one of the top teams in the entire league to one of the most disappointing.
The Dolphins will try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive by facing the Jets in South Florida in Week 18. Again, they will also need the Patriots to lose to the Bills in Buffalo.
For now, let us look at the four Dolphins most to blame for their Week 17 loss vs. the Patriots.
Final. pic.twitter.com/zCf7epDtUc
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 1, 2023
4. QB Woes
Teddy Bridgewater started in place of Tagovailoa, but he is currently in concussion protocol. Bridgewater left the game after suffering an injury to a finger on his right hand while attempting to tackle Patriots safety Kyle Duggar following Duggar's 39-yard pick-six. Bridgewater finished the game with 161 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
Rookie third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson, a seventh-round pick, replaced Bridgewater in the game. Thompson's first drive was unsuccessful. Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones intercepted Thompson's pass intended for Hill. However, he was able to redeem himself with a late 4-yard touchdown pass on the run to tight end Mike Gesicki. Despite this, Thompson's final stat line of 104 yards, one touchdown, and one interception was not enough to overcome the Patriots defense.
3. Dolphins Ground Game
The Dolphins run game was not effective at all. It averaged only three yards per carry. Although they remained committed to the run until they were forced to throw in the late stages of the game, it was not consistent enough to win. The Dolphins had a good opportunity to run the ball frequently against the New England defense, but they failed to capitalize.
Leading rusher Jeff Wilson Jr. gained just 45 yards on 15 carries. Meanwhile, Raheem Mostert added a measly 20 yards on 9 carries. Despite leading for a large portion of the game, the Dolphins' inability to sustain drives, run out the clock, and keep the New England offense off the field ultimately proved costly.
2. Missing Hill and Waddle
It was difficult for the Dolphins to get the ball to star playmakers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The fact that Mostert led the team in receptions and receiving yards was a red flag already. Keep in mind that Hill and Waddle combined for just seven receptions and 107 yards, which is far from enough. The coaching staff, led by Mike McDaniels, will need to do a better job of getting the ball to these two players. It is hard to win with a backup quarterback when the team's two best offensive players only get seven opportunities to make an impact.
Remember that Hill and Waddle are the driving force of the offense, even when Tua is in the game. They need at least 20 touches combined if the Dolphins want to win and have a chance at making the playoffs. These are two players who have the potential to score a touchdown on any given play, and the team needs to utilize them.
1. Dolphins Defense
The Dolphins defense was poor on Sunday. It failed to match up well against a weak Patriots offense and was unable to create turnovers. Sure, the defense allowed just 16 points, but it also allowed over 4.0 yards per attempt on the ground. Miami also failed to force Patriots QB Mac Jones into making mistakes that they could capitalize on. They also allowed a touchdown to Jakobi Meyers with only Duke Riley in coverage, which was a major mistake.
The Dolphins continued to struggle with penalties, too. Recall that multiple flags on third downs cost them the opportunity to get off the field. The Dolphins also dealt with a number of injuries, including Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, Brandon Jones, Nik Needham, Trill Williams, Emmanuel Ogbah, Bradley Chubb, and Trey Flowers. This left them with undrafted rookie Kader Kohou and special teams ace Keion Crossen as the top two cornerbacks. That certainly contributed to their struggles.
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