Scooter & Hum: Day 572, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Colts Game 4 Review

Just four weeks into a new campaign, the 'Fins found rock bottom against a massively depleted and thin Colts squad. Miami's third straight loss was a head-scratching affair, made even worse by the fact that it came at home on Don Shula Day, with a number of legends in attendance. Indianapolis did not even play that well (eight penalties) and still won handily, with even commentator Jay Feeley piling on with a number of pointed comments about Miami's ineptitude in drafting and offensive playcalling. On a day when the 'Fins needed to put Indy's lack of depth and stamina to the test in the South Florida heat, the visitors dominated time of possession (37:09-22:51).

Firings, cuts, and lineup changes should all be on the table, and trading Jakeem Grant to the Bears for a future late-round pick should not really count. Coach Brian Flores is in the midst of the first big crisis of his career in Miami after playing with house money for a couple of seasons. With all the draft capital spent and the investment supposed to be paying off, the 'Fins are arguably in worse shape than ever, putting general manager Chris Grier on the hot seat and Flores not far behind.

Offense

Miami was an unmitigated disaster on this side of the ball, recording 13 first downs and just 203 total yards. The Dolphins were just three of 11 on third down, and every time it seemed to be gaining momentum, a penalty, drop, or negative-yardage play occurred.
Jacoby Brissett hit 20 of 30 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, but he was sacked three times and fumbled once. Running for his life much of the time, he threw some great balls on the run, though he did check down a couple of times when bigger plays were possible down the field.
The running backs accounted for just 27 rushing yards on 11 carries, with a long run of four yards. Malcolm Brown had 23 yards on eight carries and added one catch for four yards, and he dominated action over Salvon Ahmed (five touches, 13 yards) and Myles Gaskin (two carries, three yards). Brown was on the field for 35 snaps, while Gaskin (12) and Ahmed (five) combined for just 17. With the state of pass blocking in Miami, the 'Fins are simply never going to win a game that features 13 designed rushes.
DeVante Parker was targeted nine times, reeling in four for 77 yards and a touchdown. He had a long of 42 yards and drew two pass interference calls, but arguably could have been credited with three drops and overall was not aggressive until late in the game. Jaylen Waddle had three catches for 33 yards, with a long of 18, while Albert Wilson had one reception for 11 yards. Will Fuller V had a key third-down conversion, but finished with just one catch for six yards before leaving with a broken finger. In his final game as a Dolphin, Grant touched the ball four times, with three resulting in either negative yardage or a fumble.
At tight end, Mike Gesicki was targeted six times, pulling in five for 57 yards and a touchdown. It's clear that G-Sick and Brissett have chemistry, but help is needed: Durham Smythe caught two balls for six yards and Cethan Carter played a single snap. Third-rounder Hunter Long remained on the inactive list, but that needs to change if Miami is to succeed with such a short-passing, ball-control attack.
The offensive line took another step back, with the tackle play helping Colts bust Kemeko Turay notch a pair of sacks. Left tackle Austin Jackson gave up six pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, to go with an illegal hands to the face that nullified a deep pass to Fuller. He and rookie Liam Eichenberg may eventually become serviceable starting tackles in the league, but both are taking their lumps right now and give Miami almost no chance to succeed offensively. With no time to throw nor semblance of running lanes, it is past due time for Jackson to be benched or moved inside, along with other changes. Of course, all of this should have been sorted out in training camp, which would have avoided the 'Fins having to potentially move three or four players (with center Michael Dieter being put on IR) in the middle of an NFL season.

Defense

Indy featured a balanced attack, putting up 349 yards and 20 first downs. The Colts turned the home-field advantage on its head, pushing around Miami in the ground game in the final three quarters to seize control of the game. The larger issue is that every time the team needs a stop after the offense miraculously puts together a drive, the defense lets the team down by giving up a devastating score.
On the edge, Emmanuel Ogbah continued his push for a new contract, posting four tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hit. On the other side, Andrew Van Ginkel notched six tackles and two stops for losses, while Jaelen Phillips had his best game as a pro. In just 29 snaps, the rookie was seemingly everywhere, recording two tackles, three quarterback hits, and half a sack, which was offset by a pair of key third-down penalties: an offsides and a phantom facemask call. Miami has been in dire need of a third pass-rusher, and it's clear that Phillips needs more snaps going forward in an effort to emerge as that guy.
On the interior, Christian Wilkins continues to play really good football, collecting seven tackles, two stops for losses, and a quarterback hit. Veteran John Jenkins was also extremely active with seven tackles, while Adam Butler was quiet in his 33 snaps. Zach Sieler came back to earth a bit in this one, making a single tackle and missing a sack on Carson Wentz on a pivotal third-down play late in the game.
Elandon Roberts led the linebacker group with six tackles, while Jerome Baker (four tackles, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit) and Sam Eguavoen (two tackles, half a sack) were active. Brennan Scarlett had a pair of stops but also committed an unforgiveable penalty when he jumped offsides on a punt to sustain a Colts drive. It's time to admit that Miami needs help at this level of the defense, as the play just has not been what the 'Fins need.
Playing a hybrid role, Jason McCourty had eight tackles in a staggering 70 snaps, while Nik Needham chipped in with six stops, a pass breakup, and a late pass interference call that was declined. Xavien Howard had his second meh game in a row, posting five tackles and a pass breakup, but being beaten a handful of times and exhibiting poor body language. Byron Jones was injured after a solo stop and a pass breakup, which cleared the way for Justin Coleman to come in with three solo tackles and a stop for a loss in the red zone. The reality is that the offense's struggles demand more from the defense, and with All-Pros like "X" playing average and Jones now injured, the 'Fins need much more than Coleman, who has been close to a disaster this year. If only there was a young former first-rounder on the squad ...
At safety, Eric Rowe had seven stops playing a nickel-type role, while newcomer to the rotation Elijah Campbell contributed a solo tackle. After two sacks but some coverage issues against Las Vegas, Brandon Jones was relegated to two snaps, while promising rookie Jevon Holland only got 19 snaps. It's really difficult to understand how reps are being allocated in the Miami secondary at this point.

Special teams

Jason Sanders drilled a 38-yarder and a pair of extra points, but he did knock a kickoff out of bounds for a costly, momentum-killing penalty.
Michael Palardy put three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line, averaging 47.8 yards per kick. One of his punts did sneak into the end zone for a touchback on an opportunity to pin the Colts deep, however.
Jakeem Grant was enough of a disaster in the third phase that he was traded two days later. He fumbled one punt, managed to lose a yard on another, and generally made poor decisions in the return game. He did have one 14-yard punt return, but Grant contributed a lot to Indy punter Rigoberto Sanchez being named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after posting a 46.8-yard net average on four punts.
The one redeeming effort on special teams may have been long-snapper Blake Ferguson's recovery of a muffed punt to give the 'Fins some semblance of life.

Momentum plays

A promising Miami drive to start the game was stymied when Jackson's penalty erased a big-gainer to Fuller, but former Pack standout Nyheim Hines fumbled the punt, allowing Ferguson to pounce on it for the Dolphins.
Despite a 1st & 5 situation, the 'Fins had to settle for a Sanders field goal after a bad snap, a nowhere run, and an incompletion to Shaheen.
An Ogbah sack forced an Indy punt, but Grant allowed the ball to bounce all the way inside the Miami 15-yard line. The Dolphins moved into long field goal range, but Flores passed it up to pin the Colts at the 1-yard line, with Mack Hollins downing a beautiful Palardy punt.
The defense made another stop, and a solid Grant return gave the 'Fins the ball at midfield. However, Parker made a poor adjustment on a throw and a pass to Fuller was tipped at the line. When Palardy failed to pin the visitors deep, Miami was robbed of any potential momentum on a crucial exchange.
Sensing some air going out of the Dolphins and the crowd, the Colts went to the run, establishing Jonathan Taylor. Miami got the stop near midfield, but Scarlett's offsides served as a turnover, converting a punt into a first down for Indy. Wentz immediately hit Mo Alie-Cox for a big gainer, then Taylor burst off the left side, stiff-armed Rowe and McCourty, and leaned into the end zone for a 7-3 lead.
A three-and-out for Miami gave it right back to the Colts, who converted a fourth-and-inches from their own 27-yard line. On a 3rd & 8, Needham made a strong open-field tackle on a Taylor screen that looked well blocked, but Taylor made a poor cut.
The half ended when Brissett was sacked for a second time by Turay.
A huge Taylor run jumpstarted the second half, as the big back easily juked McCourty and raced down the sideline. After a Phillips offsides turned a 3rd & 11 into a 3rd & 6, Wentz hit Michael Pittman, who ran over Coleman for a third-down pickup. On third-and-goal, the Colts ran a quasi-pick play, and Rowe made a poor effort to allow an easy Alie-Cox touchdown that staked Indy to a 14-3 advantage.
After another Miami three-and-out, the 'Fins allowed 14 yards on a 3rd & 15, but the Colts decided to punt this time. However, Grant muffed the punt, setting up the Colts at Miami's 18-yard line.
Aided by an Indy holding penalty, the 'Fins defense held, forcing a Rodrigo Blankenship field goal to give the Colts a 17-3 lead.
After a Dolphins first down, Brissett avoided two sacks before finally having the ball jarred loose, allowing Darius Leonard to pounce on it for Indianapolis to start the fourth quarter.
Starting at Miami's 30-yard line, Wentz missed a wide-open Zach Pascal on 3rd & 5 -- the wideout may have scored -- to force another Blankenship field goal to make it 20-3.
Down 17 points, Brissett started airing it out, hitting G-Sick and finding Parker deep twice for a catch and a pass interference call. On fourth-and-goal, Brissett stepped up in the pocket and hit Gesicki for a touchdown to cut the lead to 20-10.
Sanders inexplicably deposited the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, destroying any momentum Miami may have created with the score. The Dolphins defenders looked to have given up at that point, with Pascal roasting Howard for a big gainer and Phillips getting whistled for a didn't-happen facemask penalty to convert a third down. Alie-Cox then outjumped Rowe for a thorough Mossing that pushed the lead up to 27-10 and effectively salted the game away.
Brissett hooked up with Parker for another deep ball to kickstart another drive. Parker dropped an easy touchdown, but made up for it a play later when he reeled in a fourth-down pass in the back of the end zone to cut the margin to 27-17.
Indy's Jack Doyle jumped on a half-hearted onside kick attempt, then outfought Needham for a long third-down catch. When Wentz somehow sidestepped Sieler's sack attempt on two hurt ankles to convert a 3rd & 14 with a shot to Pittman, it was clear Miami had nothing to give defensively. The Colts showed some mercy by kneeling on the ball three straight plays to end the contest.