Day 565, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Raiders Game 3 Review

 

Miami went on the road in its first game without its QB1, Tua Tagovailoa. The result was an overtime shootout that saw the 'Fins bolt out to a two-touchdown lead, surrender 25 straight points, scratch and claw its way back into the game, then lose in mind-numbing fashion in OT. The Dolphins sunk to 1-2 on the season with a home matchup with the anxious and winless Colts upcoming.

You'll likely read elsewhere that Jacoby Brissett didn't play well, but a person with working eyes and a functioning knowledge of football knows better. The dude is a fucking warrior, and he singlehandedly willed Miami to the brink of victory, only to be let down by a combination of poor defense, questionable coaching, and inept officiating. Four egregious penalties on the Raiders went uncalled in overtime -- particularly a pair of interferences that randomly went unflagged -- gift-wrapping the game for the home squad. Brutal play-calling and the 'Fins committing a staggering five personal fouls also did not help, of course.

Offense

• The Dolphins put up 330 total yards and 22 first downs, relying on a controlled passing game and a change-of-pace running attack (133 rushing yards is a little misleading due to Brissett's scrambles, but a trend in the right direction). Miami only converted six of 18 third downs, but did manage to convert three of four fourth-down attempts. The desperation-mode offense moved more freely, making one wonder whether some uptempo looks could jumpstart things offensively.
• Brissett threw a staggering 49 passes, completing 32 -- but only for 215 yards. He was sacked twice, but Houdini-ed his way out of several others and ran for 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He kept the 'Fins in the game in the latter stages, but fans don't seem to understand he's in a position of trying to throw it more quickly to covered receivers or holding it longer so routes can develop behind a dismal offensive line.
• In the backfield, Myles Gaskin carried 13 times for 65 yards with a key rush of 15 yards in overtime, and he added three catches for just nine yards on six targets. Malcolm Brown ran seven times for 31 yards with a 24-yard touchdown jaunt, but he also committed a costly personal foul on a low block and was (again) not a factor in the passing game. Salvon Ahmed was not involved, which was surprising considering Gaskin's massive struggles in pass protection a week ago. This rushing attack is screaming out for a one-cut runner with juice, making one wonder if on-the-block Colts back Marlon Mack would be a viable pickup.
• At receiver, Jaylen Waddle had 12 catches on 13 targets, but for only 58 yards and a long of nine. He also had another drop and a fumble (recovered by Miami), and he left his feet for a screen pass that allowed the defender to cover ground for a safety (not all his fault, obviously). DeVante Parker had 42 yards on four catches and seven targets, though he was interfered with in overtime without drawing a flag. In general, he seemed uninterested and not aggressive, leading one to question whether the officials reward players with flags for not selling contact better. Will Fuller V was a factor in his first game as a 'Fin, reeling in three catches for 20 yards on six targets. He did fail to bring in a deep ball after a big hit, and obviously he was assaulted in the end zone for a clear interference penalty that -- almost unbelievably -- did not get called (for bonus points, he was also injured on the play). Preston Williams and Albert Wilson did not factor at all -- as Miami is clearly interested in establishing a top-three pecking order of Waddle, Parker, and Fuller -- but in general the lack of separation continues to be an issue in the passing game.
• Mike Gesicki was a freaking monster at tight end, reeling in 10 catches for 86 yards on 12 targets. He was definitively Brissett's top target, and G-Sick rewarded that faith with some incredible clutch grabs. Adam Shaheen had a nice toe-drag-swag sideline grab that was nullified by a penalty, but Durham Smythe did not factor. You'd love to see Hunter Long paired with G-Sick to take some pressure off, but four active tight ends might be outside of the Dolphins's active/inactive strategy.
• The offensive line was ... better? <*cue "How could it get worse?" jokes*> There were still glaring issues, with Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt being whistled for holding and Jesse Davis and Liam Eichenberg struggling to find blocks in space. Michael Dieter's best work came in jumping on a Waddle fumble, and overall, the unit allowed way too much pressure on the QB even with extra protection and short routes. However, there was an improvement in run-blocking, and especially late in the game, the crew did create precious extra seconds to allow Brissett to launch some effective deep balls.

Defense

• It's popular to pile on the offensive line and quarterback and blame them for Miami's struggles, but it's time to have a serious conversation about the Dolphin defense. The 'Fins allowed nearly 500 yards, gave up 28 first downs and 10 plays of over 20 yards, and surrendered first downs on eight of 15 third-down plays. Miami allowed conversions in 2nd & 18 and 2nd & 20 situations, and allowed the Raiders to reel off 25 straight points. There were some good moments -- a pick-six, back-to-back three-and-outs with the game in the balance -- but there have been way too many breakdowns considering the investment of money and picks on this side of the ball.
• Rookie first-rounder Jaelen Phillips had his best game as a pro, notching six tackles and recording some impressive pass-rush reps. Emmanuel Ogbah did not play as well in this one, but he did post three quarterback hits and a solo tackle, while Andrew Van Ginkel added three tackles and a QB hit. Miami has yet to get the turnover plays from this line of defense that it was getting last year.
• On the interior, Zack Sieler was simply everywhere, recording nine tackles, a batted pass, and back-to-back run stuffs to force a turnover on downs. Christian Wilkins had a standout game as well, with seven tackles, six solo stops, a sack, two tackles for losses, and a quarterback hit, while John Jenkins added four tackles and Adam Butler stood out on occasion. This crew has picked up its play in the absence of Raekwon Davis.
• Elandon Roberts was the standout on the second line of defense, racking up five tackles, a pass breakup, a forced fumble at the goal line, and a pick-six, though he was whistled for a shaky unnecessary roughness call. Jerome Baker still doesn't look right to me, but he did tally eight tackles, with Sam Eguavoen, Duke Riley, and Brennan Scarlett (one tackle each) mostly seeing time on special teams. The game plan called for less snaps from a traditional linebacker corps, but Roberts in particular made his presence felt.
• At slot corner, I would be doing a disservice if I didn't mention that Justin Coleman needs to be benched immediately, if not sooner. He was a disaster for the second game in a row, making three tackles, but committing another unnecessary roughness and an offsides penalty, while also missing some key tackles and giving up some distance plays. Noah Igbinoghene had a solo tackle on special teams, and it seems unreal that he's not ready to factor in the defensive scheme. Either way, Nik Needham (five tackles and a pass breakup) and Eric Rowe (mentioned below) should be dominating snaps in the slot.
• Byron Jones had one of his best games as a Dolphins, recording two solo tackles, a pass breakup, and some nifty coverage on All-Pro tight end Darren Waller -- despite committing an inexplicable personal foul on special teams. Xavien Howard gave up more plays than usual and didn't have his customary standout game, putting up three tackles and a pass breakup but surrendering a touchdown to Hunter Renfrow and a couple of plays to Henry Ruggs.
• At safety, Brandon Jones was a roller-coaster. Yes, he registered six tackles, two sacks, and three quarterback hits, but he was late in coverage on multiple key plays and missed some crucial tackles from a hybrid rover position. Rowe had five tackles and a quarterback hit moving between safety and nickel, while rookie Jevon Holland contributed three tackles and an unnecessary roughness penalty. Jason McCourty had two assisted tackles and appears to be slowly losing time in the secondary.

Special teams

• All-everything kicker Jason Sanders was off a bit in this one, misfiring on a 48-yard field goal that would turn out to be a key miss. He drilled a dramatic 50-yarder to tie the game in overtime and a 46-yarder earlier, but the former grazed the right upright and the latter ducked just inside the left upright. Sanders did make both extra points and crush his kickoffs, so obviously we're grading on a curve here since so much is expected of him.
• Michael Palardy only averaged 38.8 yards per punt, but placed three of his four kicks inside the 20-yard line, doing a nifty job of directional punting.
• Jakeem Grant was a bit tentative and indecisive, returning a kickoff 15 yards and taking three punts back for 27 yards. Waddle was not seen on punt returns after some highly shaky moments the first couple of weeks of the season.
• In coverage, the 'Fins did a much better job on Opie Renfrow than they did a season ago, limiting him to nine yards on punt returns. Ruggs had a 15-yard kickoff return, but special teams were largely a push here.

Momentum plays

• After the teams traded punts to start the contest, the Raiders victimized Coleman a couple of times to move deep into Dolphins territory. A miscommunication between Carr and tight end Foster Moreau allowed Roberts to pick off a pass and take it 85 yards for a dramatic pick-six to forge a 7-0 advantage for the visitors.
• Back-to-back stops by Sieler on third- and fourth-and-short situations gave the 'Fins the ball back quickly with a turnover on downs. Four plays later, Brown made a nifty cut and busted loose for 24 yards and another touchdown, making it 14-0 quickly.
• A high snap helped force a Las Vegas punt, but former NC State punter A.J. Cole pinned Miami at its own 1-yard line. An inexplicable wide receiver screen in the end zone led to one of the easiest and ugliest safeties you'll ever see, giving the Raiders life at 14-2.
• A Brandon Jones sack forced a Vegas field goal on the following possession, making the score 14-5.
• A Palardy punt pinned the Raiders at their own 5-yard line, but a highly questionable roughness call on Roberts and another on Holland jumpstarted a Vegas drive. Roberts redeemed himself with a perfect hit on Barber on first-and-goal, but the ball somehow caromed straight to Raiders fullback Alec Ingold, who on the next play punctuated a 95-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown catch that saw Roberts overrun the play. All of a sudden, the Dolphins lead was trimmed to 14-12.
• With Miami reeling, Brissett threw a great pass to Fuller, who dropped it after a big hit. The quarterback then helped convert a 2nd & 23 with a long scramble that saw him absorb a huge hit. Brissett also salvaged a big loss when he took a bad shotgun snap and threw an incompletion, and his strikes to Fuller, Gesicki, and Waddle set up a field goal attempt with two seconds left in the half. In a huge swing, Sanders hit the right upright from 48, ruining an opportunity to come away with points and then get the second-half kickoff.
• The first drive of the second half was stymied when Brown was hit with a personal foul for a low block.
• The Raiders got more help from Coleman, who was whistled for a roughness penalty for the second week in a row, and targeted Renfrow, who this time victimized Butler -- on a play that saw the defensive tackle covering him down the field -- and Howard. Miami's top player couldn't keep up with him on a complex route that ended in Opie jumping into the end zone for a 19-14 Vegas lead.
• Miami languished again on offense, with Brissett running for his life. He threw a strike to G-Sick on a third-down play, but the tight end couldn't come up with it due to clear interference that went uncalled.
• Barber took over on the next drive, ripping off a 19-yard run and beating Roberts through the air for a sizeable gain. Then it was former Dolphins Kenyan Drake's turn to victimize Brandon Jones, beating him twice easily in coverage to set up a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Barber paid off an 84-yard drive two plays later, making it 25 straight Raiders points after Daniel Carlson missed the extra point to make it 25-14.
• The Dolphins finally went tempo on the following drive, which saw Brissett hit G-Sick for a third-down conversion and get another first down with a 19-yard scramble. A third-down sack forced a field goal, and Sanders tucked it inside the left upright to make it 25-17.
• "X" finally made an appearance with a third-down pass breakup on the next Las Vegas drive, giving the 'Fins life.
• Brissett immediately went to work again -- absorbing a late hit on a deep ball to Parker that he once again couldn't come up with -- but he and Brown were stopped on third- and fourth-and-short, ending a promising drive at the Vegas 42.
• A Brandon Jones sack forced a second straight three-and-out by Miami's defense, but Cole drilled a 69-yard punt that was returned poorly by Grant to give the 'Fins subpar field position again.
• Short passes to Waddle and Gesicki got Miami moving again, but Brissett underthrew Gaskin on a promising wheel route on a third-and-short. He redeemed himself with a 4th & 8 strike to Parker, who fought hard to haul it in. Two more hits to Gesicki set up a deep shot to Hollins, who drew an end zone interference. A couple of Wildcat runs by Brown lost a yard and Brissett was stopped on a third-down scramble, but the gutsy signal-caller punched it in on fourth down with a slick cutback move and dive into the end zone. He then calmly fired a strike to Fuller after a play fake for a successful two-point conversion, tying the score at 25 with just two seconds remaining in regulation.
• After winning the overtime coin flip, the Raiders hit another big play over the top to Edwards, with Coleman beaten again. Pressure up the middle from Butler forced a Carr incompletion on third down, setting up a 38-yard field goal from Carlson, staking Vegas to a 28-25 lead.
• A hold on Jackson nullified a strike from Brissett to Shaheen on the ensuing possession, setting up a 3rd & 20 bomb to Parker that featured the second-most-egregious uncalled pass interference of the overtime session. Somehow, Brissett bounced back to hit G-Sick for a 27-yard dime on 4th & 20 to keep hope alive, and an audible to a Gaskin run on 3rd & 7 saw the back go for 15 yards.
• The play of the game occurred when Brissett launched a perfect long ball while being hit (low), finding Fuller in the end zone. Except that Fuller got dragged down on an obvious and impossible-to-ignore interference that somehow went uncalled and the ball fell harmlessly out of bounds. The play somehow featured personal foul (below-the-waist hit on the quarterback) AND pass interference calls that were not flagged, tilting the balance of the game in Vegas's favor.
• A highly questionable shovel pass to Gesicki on 3rd & 3 was stymied, leading a 50-yard Sanders field goal that scraped the right upright to tie the game at 28. There was a lot of conjecture that Miami should have gone for it on fourth down, but that was not cut-and-dried to me, as I'd like to believe a defense featuring so much high-priced talent could actually, you know, stop the opponent.
• With 2:49 remaining, Edwards beat Byron Jones deep on 2nd & 15, then Brandon Jones and Ogbah missed tackles -- and Needham took a bad angle -- to allow a huge run by Barber. Wilkins missed a tackle on a 3rd & 1 play, allowing the Raiders to kneel down and kick the winning field goal with 3 seconds remaining for a 31-28 Vegas victory.

2021 Schedule

Miami 17, New England 16 (1-0)

Buffalo 35, Miami 0 (1-1)

Oakland 31, Miami 28 [OT] (1-2)