Things couldn’t have possibly looked much worse for the Miami Dolphins in their Week 1 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Looking to restore faith in their fanbase after a dramatic offseason, the Dolphins instead allowed an embarrassing 33-8 beating from Indianapolis that presented more questions than answers about the future of the franchise.
Miami head coach Mike McDaniel basically said after the game that this was rock bottom for the team, and that there was only one way to go from here.
“I would say the good news and the positive is I don’t see how it could be worse,” McDaniel said, according to an article from NBC Sports. “And I also believe in the coaches and players to get it fixed because it’s just a shame. You work behind the scenes for months on end, and you don’t show any of it — it’s frustrating. But that can be a good thing and that’s what I saw from the positive. Also, you could tell as frustrating as it was, the team didn’t splinter and the effort still remained.
“There’s things there, but overall — I’m not trying to paint a glossy … I’ll call it what it is. It was embarrassing and not anything that paying fans sign up for.”
The problem for McDaniel is that most believe the Dolphins are in this situation because of him.
Mike McDaniel looks to have lost this Dolphins team
Before the season even started, there were insinuations from current and former Dolphins players that McDaniel had completely lost the locker room. Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan certainly believes that’s the case after going scorched earth on the Miami coach on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
“McGenius guy or whatever the hell he is, nerd boy. Their team has no respect for their coach, they play like that… They're like, come on, man, get us a dang guy in here… Where's the physicality of this team?” Ryan said.
The way Miami looked from the start of the game — where on their first five offensive possessions, McDaniel’s specialty, resulted in four turnovers and a punt — is a direct reflection of the head coach.
It just appears as if McDaniel is in over his head, knowing there’s no way of coming back from this at this point. Does he see the writing on the wall? Does he want to be fired? If so, he’s definitely going the right route. His time in Miami could be up soon.
Tua Tagovailoa looked lost against the Colts
One hope for McDaniel entering this season was that Tua Tagovailoa was healthy. The veteran quarterback was also becoming more of a vocal leader with the team. Well, talk is cheap, and even if he is 100%, his passer rating wasn’t anywhere close (2.7).
The result of those first five drives for the Dolphins were largely due to Tagovailoa’s performance. He overthrew Tyreek Hill on the Dolphins’ opening drive. On the second drive, he fumbled after getting sacked. Miami’s third drive stalled with another sack. The fourth drive ended with an interception intended for Malik Washington. Then on the fifth, a checkdown sailed over Tanner Conner for a turnover on downs.
Offense was supposed to be the Dolphins’ strength under McDaniel, with Tagovailoa as the franchise quarterback. He’s certainly getting paid like one after signing a four-year, $212.4 million extension last year.
Yet, all the Dolphins and Tagovailoa could muster was one garbage-time touchdown near the end of the game. In total, Miami had just 211 yards of offense with three turnovers, all committed by Tagovailoa. He finished the day 14-of-23 for 114 yards and one touchdown.
Maybe it's time to panic about the Miami quarterback.
Dolphins offensive line will be a problem
Like several other positions on this year’s Dolphins team, the offensive line had its fair share of question marks. It’s by far the thinnest group on the roster.
Miami lost five-time Pro Bowl veteran Terron Armstead during the offseason, then faced injuries to other linemen throughout training camp. As a result, Sharp Football Analysis ranked Miami as one of the worst units entering the season at No. 28.
The Colts pressured Miami’s front most of the day Sunday, and neither the line itself nor other blockers like tight end Tanner Conner or running back De’Von Achane could protect Tagovailoa. For the game, the Dolphins earned a 61.3 pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
The result was three total sacks on Tagovailoa and the nightmarish offensive struggles that followed.
Like much of what the Dolphins endured against the Colts in Week 1, offensive line play like this will continue to result in poor outings. That’s especially troubling for a team with a quarterback who has a lengthy injury history.
