The Miami Dolphins are sitting at 6-4 as they head into their bye week. Coach Fallen emphasized how important the next couple weeks are going to be for their playoff hopes and he wanted to give his team a rest during the bye week in order to get healthy again. The Dolphins will welcome right tackle Mitchell Schwartz and right guard Robert Hunt back from their injuries in week 12, but during the bye week, the Dolphins focused their practices on protecting Russell Willson, getting better throws while in the pocket, and how to react when Russell Wilson is in trouble and has to scramble up the field. The Dolphins are up against the Cincinnati Bengals after their bye week and while the Bengals have been struggling this season, they have also shown signs of promise. The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off of a huge victory over the New England Patriots and the Bengals are not a team that you can take lightly. Coach Fallen knows that he must prepare his team mentally for a four quarter slugfest, but before then, we’re going to look at statistically how some players on the team have contributed to their 6 wins and what the cause was for the 4 losses and how to prevent more losses from piling up.
Offensive Contributors –
Russell Wilson – 219 completions on 291 attempts, 3,089 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. 33 rushing attempts, 245 rushing yards, and 6 touchdowns.
Salvon Ahmed – 125 carries, 418 rushing yards, and 1 touchdown. 67 receptions, 768 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns.
Jaylen Waddle – 59 receptions, 1,139 yards, and 12 touchdowns.
The trade for Russell Wilson has benefitted the Miami Dolphins and they are 5-1 since acquiring him. Wilson is having a MVP like season and he will need to play flawlessly down the stretch if the Dolphins want to get over the hump and finally get into the playoffs. Salvon Ahmed hasn’t been very stellar on the ground. In fact, he is one of the worst ball carriers in terms of yards per carry amongst all starting halfbacks. However, Salvon Ahmed is exceptional when coming out of the backfield. He has the fourth most receptions in the league and is nearing 1,000 receiving yards. If the Miami Dolphins were able to get him going in the running game, then their offense would be ten times more dangerous than it is now. Coach Fallen had the team practice more running plays from under center and the hope is that teams won’t stack the box as much with the threat of Jaylen Waddle beating them downfield. Jaylen Waddle leads the Dolphins in receiving yards and he’s proven that when he’s healthy, he has what it takes to be one of the best wide receivers in the league. The Dolphins haven’t struggled much this season on offense, but their defense has been scrutinized every week. The Dolphins have playmakers on the defense, but after sending their best defensive player to the Seahawks, the Dolphins haven’t quite found the right approach at stopping any of their opponents from putting yards and points up on the board.
Defensive Contributors –
Juanyeh Thomas – 61 total tackles (34 solo and 27 assists), 6 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 touchdown.
Jaelan Phillips – 38 total tackles (20 solo and 18 assists), 11 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 deflection.
Byron Jones – 48 solo tackles (28 solo and 20 assists), 1 tackle for loss, 5 interceptions, 3 deflections, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 touchdowns.
Juanyeh Thomas has emerged as one of the best defensive assets for the Dolphins. Thomas plays multiple positions throughout the course of a game. He primarily takes the most snaps at safety in base packages and at sub linebacker on passing downs. He occasionally will play in the slot against passing formations that opponents are running out of. Thomas had a string of interceptions early in the season, but the last couple weeks, teams are not passing anywhere near the explosive rookie. Second year starter Jaelan Phillips has come on strong this season as he is leading the team in tackles for loss. The Miami Dolphins are struggling to pressure opposing quarterbacks this season, in fact, they only have sacked opposing quarterbacks 11 times this season and it is the worst in the league. Opposing quarterbacks are picking their defense apart and they are giving them all the time in the world to do it. Since trading Xavien Howard away, Byron Jones has embraced his role as the team’s number one corner. His 5 interceptions ties Juanyeh Thomas for the most on the team.
Team Rankings –
Offensive PPG – 21st
Offensive Passing YPG – 5th
Offensive Rush YPG – 27th
Defensive PPG – 21st
Defensive Passing YPG – 14th
Defensive Rushing YPG – 27th
3rd Down Percentage – 7th (55%)
Offensive Redzone Efficiency – 27th (54%)
Defensive Redzone Points Percentage – 5th (53%)
The Miami Dolphins are one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to converting points in the redzone. They have given away chances time and time again and has been their downfall in several close games this season. Most of the time, Coach Fallen is foregoing kicking the field goal and trying to convert a fourth down. The Miami Dolphins focused on the little things that they can improve on in order to secure the victory in close or blowout games. The ability to run the ball is something that the Miami Dolphins need to reinvigorate. Russell Wilson is a dynamic quarterback through the air and on the ground, but the Dolphins cannot rely on him to carry the team on offense all game long down the stretch. The Dolphins have four road games the next four weeks and it is going to be a testament to how mentally tough this team can be. The Dolphins have three home games to end the season, so if they can somehow maintain a positive record in that four game stretch, they will be in good shape to bring it home the last three weeks of the season. The Miami Dolphins have three divisional games left and if they have any hope of making the playoffs, they will have to bring something new to the table in order to secure a victory.
