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The Miami Dolphins knew that by relying so much on rookies this season, they were setting themselves up for growing pains.
What they didn’t expect was for this much pain to also come from their most-trusted veterans.
The Dolphins dropped to 0-3 via their 31-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which actually represented their best performance of the season. But the loss was cemented when Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception to linebacker Terrel Bernard after the Dolphins had driven to the Buffalo 21-yard line with three minutes left, seeking a tying touchdown.
The play was reminiscent of the loss to New England in which Tagovailoa threw an interception with 2:12 left and, following a Patriots field goal for a six-point lead, he was sacked on fourth down with 48 seconds left.
More is expected of Tagovailoa, a team captain, but the same could be said of linebacker Jordyn Brooks and defensive tackle Zach Sieler, the reigning team MVP. Both were called for costly penalties against the Bills.
And all can expect to hear a mouthful about it.
Coach Mike McDaniel said he plans to hit them “between the eyes, in front of the team” while pointing out their mistakes. McDaniel indicated he’d handle things differently if it were rookies making those errors. But team leaders are held to a higher standard.
“I will, with absolute certainty, do right by them,” McDaniel said. “For them, for the leaders, for the captains of the team, they desperately need me to hold those guys to absolute accountability in front of the whole team, because those same guys are going to be challenging and demanding that the captains hold themselves accountable. …
“So if you’re a player that we depend on, if you’re one of the captains or some of the best players on the team, I hit them between the eyes in front of the team because part of the reason they became captains is because they responded in the appropriate way.”
Miami’s defense has struggled for stops all season, but thought it had one with 10 minutes remaining after an incompletion on third-and-7 near midfield. The problem: Sieler was called for roughing the punter, giving Buffalo a first down en route to a touchdown that put the Bills up for good. Had Sieler even been hit with a running-into-the-punter penalty instead, it wouldn’t have resulted in a first down. Sieler called it a “stupid” error.
In the third quarter, the Bills drove to the Miami 1 when Tyrel Dodson dropped Josh Allen for a 3-yard loss. But Brooks was called for unnecessary roughness as the play concluded. James Cook easily trotted up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown on the next play.
It’s not just the captains. Tagovailoa spent most of the night throwing dink-and-dunk passes. One exception came in the third quarter, when he unleashed a deep pass to Tyreek Hill. It amounted to a jump ball but one that Hill got both hands on momentarily.
Tua Tagovailoa QB rating: 81.2. Josh Allen QB rating: 134.1
Tagovailoa finished 22 of 34 for 146 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 81.2 (compared to Allen’s 134.1). Tagovailoa averaged 4.3 yards per attempt and 6.6 per completion.
“He catches that, yards per completion look much different,” McDaniel said of Hill.
Of course, the pass attempt that stung the most was the interception by Bernard, who jumped the route in front of Jaylen Waddle. Tagovailoa said “10 out of 10 times, if we’re looking at that same thing, I think I’d still try to work that timing of hitting that spot.”
McDaniel and Tagovailoa both recognized that pressure by Deone Walker helped force the issue. But franchise quarterbacks are going to face heat, especially in pressure situations. For $50 million, they’re expected to make plays even if plays don’t appear to be there for the making — just look at Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and, of course, Allen.
Worse, Bernard’s takeaway came on first down. Anything but a turnover would have meant the Dolphins would live to see another play, which is what McDaniel would have wanted against the pressure.
“You’ve got to ditch the ball to the flat in moments like that,” McDaniel said.
Analyst criticizes Dolphins’ defense for lack of fire
Those errors were impossible to miss. Speaking on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” analyst Manti Te’o pointed out a less-obvious shortcoming. In the third quarter, cornerback Jack Jones made back-to-back big plays in which the Bills netted just 1 yard. It was bad enough that no teammates went up to Jones to congratulate his efforts, something that received extensive airplay on the network. Worse, it wasn’t the first time this season it could be questioned.
As things quickly went off the rails in the opener in Indianapolis, the player at the forefront trying to fire up teammates? It was Jones, one of the newest members of the team. It was a curious sight for a team that made a concerted effort to show solidarity in the preseason when all the players lined up along the sideline to support special teams.
On a more positive note was the first extended action for rookie running back Ollie Gordon II. He carried nine times for 38 yards and a touchdown. Gordon averaged 4.2 yards per carry, with a significant amount of his yards coming after contact. McDaniel said Gordon had earned it by showing coaches he’d developed his “off-the-ball responsibilities” (read: pass protection). Gordon played 15 snaps while Jaylen Wright, who was active, did not play.
“It puts competitive pressure on Jaylen Wright to be on his stuff and I’m sure his game is going to rise,” McDaniel said. “(If) Ollie doesn’t continue to make steps forward, you can adjust, but right now I was happy with what Ollie did.
“I do plan on incorporating Jaylen. He’s a guy I really believe in. … Ollie’s play ensures me that the next game we’ll have a highly productive not just Running Back 1, but Running Back 2.”
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