The Miami Dolphins secured their spot in the playoffs with a victory at home against the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve. However, there may be rough seas ahead for the Dolphins and their fans with the playoffs on the horizon.
Miami has developed a talented and explosive offense that makes for great television and highlight reels. Unfortunately, this style of offense is not always compatible with achieving success in the playoffs.
The level of competition ratchets up in the playoffs, and sustainability is often more important than explosiveness. Miami is still an elite team, but they will need to make adjustments to their style of play and fix some defensive issues if they want to achieve success in the postseason.
Offensive consistency
Miami has a well earned reputation as a big play offense, and they have consistently proven that they have the ability to pull off these plays. Against Dallas, Miami had multiple big plays on their first drive alone to move the chains and push the ball downfield rapidly.
Big plays in the postseason can be demoralizing to an opponent, but it can also be difficult to sustain over a larger sample size. Offenses built around big plays can struggle in the playoffs when they face elite defenses with the ability to make life difficult for even the best offensive players.
The ‘Fins offense must work to become more well-rounded and less reliant on the big play in order to succeed in the playoffs.
Tackling
If the Dolphins want to truly contend for a championship, one area they can work on improving is their tackling. The game against Dallas shouldn’t have been as close as it was, and it wouldn’t have been if it weren’t for poor tackling that led to a long touchdown for Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb didn’t burn his defender on the play in question. Rather, he caught a pass and broke multiple arm tackles to fight his way to the end zone. By improving their tackling and keeping the ball carrier in front of them, the Dolphins can solidify themselves as a well-rounded team capable of competing with anybody on the path to the Super Bowl.
Giving up yards after the catch can be a backbreaking blow to a defense that has done everything right up to that point in the play to keep the ball in front of them. It could be devastating to a team’s psyche to be in a position to succeed, and then fail to execute.
Broken tackles often lead to big plays, particularly in one on one scenarios where a receiver or back is isolated against one defender in space. If that defender misses the tackle, there is often plenty of green grass ahead for the ball carrier to gain extra yardage before other defenders catch up.
Raheem Mostert’s health
Running back Raheem Mostert is an integral piece to the Dolphins offense, and they will need Mostert healthy to make a deep run in the postseason. A strong running game goes a long way to helping balance out a vertical offense that relies on splash plays. Miami can take steps to diversify their offense by simply utilizing Mostert.
Unfortunately, Mostert was injured in Miami’s victory over Dallas. The ‘Fins will need him to get healthy and be at his best in the postseason. In 2023, Mostert has averaged nearly 5 yards per carry. The Dolphins will need to mix things up and having a running back who can be relied upon to routinely pick up 3 to 5 yards on the ground is an incredibly valuable asset.
Mostert returned to the game, which indicates the injury isn’t particularly serious. With a playoff seed secured, however, if Mostert is anything less than 100% healthy it might be wise for Mike McDaniel to consider resting the star back to ensure he is at his best in the playoffs.
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