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The Miami Dolphins finished their 2021 NFL season on a high note, defeating the New England Patriots, 33-24. The season officially ended as well on the field as possible, as the final play of the game was a defensive touchdown for the Dolphins. The win over their division rival, dropped New England a spot in the AFC playoffs, leaving them to play at Cincinnati instead of at Buffalo.
Meanwhile, Miami enters the off-season with more questions than answers. They began the season 1-7, and came within a game of becoming the first team in NFL history to make the postseason after a start that bad. They rattled off seven straight wins before losing to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17, eliminating the Dolphins entering the final week.
Here are the takeaways from Miami's Week 18 win over New England, as well as the season as a whole.
Dolphins Week 18 & Season Takeaways
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3. Miami needlessly searching for new head coach
Everyone knows that “Black Monday” is a tough day all around the NFL. A number of head coaches are fired the day after the season ends. Usually, there are not many surprises. However, that was not the case this year as the Miami Dolphins shockingly fired head coach Brian Flores Monday.
Flores spent the last 10 years in the Patriots organization, working his way up as an assistant to a positions coach. He did such a good job, the Dolphins pried him away in 2019. In three seasons with the Dolphins, Flores led Miami to back to back winning seasons for the first time in almost 20 years.
Miami went 10-6 last season, but missed out of the playoffs due to a number of tiebreakers. This season, the team began the year 1-7, before reeling off seven straight victories. That got them into playoff contention once again. What the team accomplished this season was truly amazing. No one saw this firing coming. But apparently there had been some friction within the organization.
Flores reportedly had issues with Dolphins general manager Chris Grier. Some have said they did not get along, and team owner Stephen Ross stuck with his GM. That's the same GM that gave a big contract to a wide receiver who can't stay on the field for more than a month. The same GM that has neglected the offensive side of the football for years. The same GM who supposedly was the main reason Tua Tagovailoa is the quarterback.
CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora had previously reported that Flores preferred to draft Justin Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft. Instead, Grier and the organization decided to take Tagovailoa 5th overall. The Los Angeles Chargers drafted Herbert with the next pick. Herbert looks like a future Hall of Fame quarterback already.
Meanwhile, Tagovailoa has struggled to stay on the field with injuries. Even when he is on the field, he has been inconsistent at best. He is an accurate passer but lacks the arm strength to get the ball downfield with zip, in a timely fashion. That significantly limits his upside.
I am not the only one who was flabbergasted by the move.
The firing of Brian Flores is ridiculous at best and incompetent at worst.
Flores won 19 games over 2 years in Miami (the Dolphins haven’t done that since 03) with a QB that is hurt as often as he’s healthy. He finished the year going 8-1. This move is what bad franchises do.
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 10, 2022
As Emmanuel Acho said, “this move is what bad franchises do.” It is sad, but true.
2. Tua Tagovailoa improved, but still lacks upside
Since drafting Tua Tagovailoa as the franchise quarterback, Miami has struggled offensively. That's not to say it is his fault. They were just as bad if not worse before he took the reigns. But when you watch him play, I don't think anyone can seriously be inspired to say he is the future.
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Over 13 games, he finished the season with 2,653 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His QBR was 50.6, good enough for 18th in the league. The one stat he can hang his hat on is his completion percentage. He completed over 67% of his passes, which is among the league leaders.
But even that is a bit skewed. He throws more passes short or behind the line of scrimmage than almost any quarterback in the NFL. It's a lot easier to complete passes when the receiver is right near you. It's also more difficult to score points, as the offense lacked big plays.
One thing that could help Tua's progression, as well as the offense creating big plays is Tagovailoa using his legs more.
.@Tua scrambles and takes it 23-yards! 🏃
📺: Watch #NEvsMIA on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/QGAYtUqRaa
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 9, 2022
He rarely escapes the pocket and runs, but clearly he has the ability to do so. It's always been confusing why he did not do more of this, including his days at Alabama. Let him move around.
1. Miami roster is young but very talented
The Miami Dolphins crushed people defensively the 2nd half of the year. That came on the heels of finishing as one of the best defenses in the league in 2020. Led by cornerback Xavien Howard, Miami is young, talented and pretty deep defensively.
On offense, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle had an outstanding rookie campaign this year. He finished with 104 catches for over 1,000 yards. Tailback Myles Gaskin and tight end Mike Gesicki are both young and very productive. They have just struggled to stay healthy.
Depending on health, this team might be able to make some noise next season. Then again, some of that will depend on who they bring in to coach this team. He'll need to be good as the division suddenly is deep with the Bills and Patriots coming off playoff seasons.
