Scooter & Hum: Day 579, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Buccaneers Game 5 Review

Without putting too fine a point on it, this game represents Miami's rock bottom to this point. For a change, the offense worked fine for most of the game, but the defense looked like it had not prepared for the contest at all. The Dolphins are not built to be able to win a shootout, so having a defense-focused coaching staff get dominated to this extent was demoralizing on every level.

Perhaps most disturbingly, the lack of effort was very apparent, and some of the players that Miami absolutely needs to play like All-Pros are simply not getting it done.

Besides that, it was a pretty fun game.

Offense

Miami managed 301 total yards, but just 39 rushing yards and 17 first downs, with two avoidable turnovers. The team was dominated once again in time of possession (37:07 to 22:53), which is certainly connected to the fact that the 'Fins had only 12 called runs (somehow even less than a week prior). The Dolphins converted just two of seven third-down attempts, and the unit lost rhythm when the defense routinely allowed Tampa Bay to pound out lengthy drives.
Jacoby Brissett played his best game in aqua and orange, turning in a winning effort if he were on a team with a semblance of complementary pieces. He hit 27 of 39 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, somehow avoiding six or seven sacks while generally delivering stellar passes. He fumbled once on a blindside strip sack where he had nowhere to escape and was credited with an interception when Jaylen Waddle bump-set a pass directly to a cornerback.
At running back, Myles Gaskin was back as the favored son, reeling in 10 catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns while running it five times for 25 yards. Salvon Ahmed had four touches for 21 yards, while Malcolm Brown was not involved in the game at all. Gaskin constantly churned out the five or six yards needed to sustain drives, but the lack of explosion and the laughable lack of dedication to the running game is killing the Dolphins offense.
Preston Williams led the way for a depleted wide receiver corps, doing his damage early with three catches for 60 yards. He was targeted five times, with a long of 34 yards plus a seven-yard run, but his inability to stride out for a perfect deep ball from Brissett and general lack of involvement as the game progressed severely undermine his performance. Waddle had two catches for 31 yards on six targets and added a two-yard run, but dropped yet another pass, turning this one into a pick for bonus points. Mack Hollins added a 10-yard catch and Isaiah Ford added another for three yards, but surprisingly, Albert Wilson was shut out and played only 12 snaps. Having no DeVante Parker or Will Fuller certainly limited things, but Williams filled in admirably and Brissett made the most of his options.
As usual, the tight ends were led by Mike Gesicki, who turned seven targets into four catches for 43 yards, with a long of 23. Durham Smythe hauled in two catches for 23 yards, with a 21-yarder late, while Adam Shaheen had two receptions for 15 yards. Miami still needs to find out what it has in Hunter Long, but this was the best all-around game for this unit on the season.
The offensive coaches (whoever they may be) have no faith in the Miami rushing attack, making the 'Fins predictable. The offensive line gave up three sacks, but Brissett avoided countless others with amazing pocket presence. Liam Eichenberg (tackle) and Austin Jackson (guard) were both victimized on the left side of the line at times, but with both playing new positions, they performed admirably. Similarly, new center Greg Mensch was solid, but at right tackle, Jesse Davis is bordering on unplayable and serious thought needs to given to Robert Hunt kicking out from guard to tackle and playing former starter Solomon Kindley at right guard.

Defense

Five weeks in, the harsh reality has set in: Miami has one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Perhaps most disturbingly, the three highest-paid defenders -- Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, and Jerome Baker -- were specifically TARGETED by the Bucs, repeatedly and to great effect. When your best players are not only not helping, but actively hurting your efforts, the scheme is broken. The 'Fins were brutalized for 558 total yards and 33 first downs, and that's despite Blaine Gabbert handling the last drive of the game. Despite getting Tampa into 2nd & 10 seemingly all game long, the Dolphins allowed conversions on eight of 11 third downs and forced just ONE Bucs punt.
While Jaelen Phillips continues to ascend (four tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hit), his counterparts on the edge are disappearing. Emmanuel Ogbah had one tackle, while Andrew Van Ginkel contributed three tackles and one stop for loss. Miami continued to exhibit next to no pass rush, and -- as I've been saying since training camp -- the 'Fins are short at least one pass rusher, making the decision to pass on Melvin Ingram and other veterans even more questionable.
On the interior, Raekwon Davis was back, notching four tackles, while Zach Sieler played below standards with three tackles and a (horseshit) late hit call. Christian Wilkins took a step back from his above-average play this season, making a pair of solo tackles and hitting the QB once. Adam Butler flashed with a couple of pressures, but the defensive gameplan in this one was trash, and this unit -- like all of them -- suffered for it.
On the next level of defense, Baker led the linebackers with seven tackles, six solo stops, a sack, and two quarterback hits, but was repeatedly victimized in coverage. Elandon Roberts tallied three stops, one tackle for a loss, and a pass breakup, while Sam Eguavoen had a tackle and a quarterback hit. Brennan Scarlett had one solo tackle, and the size of his role serves as a weekly reminder of how bereft of talent Miami truly is at linebacker -- which the franchise has largely ignored in recent years.
At cornerback, Byron Jones was playing hurt, so his performance needs to be considered in that context. He had four tackles and was beaten often by Mike Evans. Nik Needham had four solo stops but was flagged for illegal hands to the face and was the trail man way too often, while Jason McCourty continues to be a progress stopper despite three tackles. The good news? Justin Coleman played just 12 snaps, contributing one solo tackle. The bad news? Howard's lackluster effort featured four tackles and a pass breakup, but he was burned constantly by Antonio Brown, was flagged for holding, and generally played like he wanted to be anywhere else. His pathetic "ole" attempt at a goal-line tackle was symbolic of the entire day, and it would not surprise me at all if the 'Fins tried to get what they can for a player who clearly does not want to play for this franchise. Also, here's the weekly milk-carton reference to Noah Igbinoghene.
Jevon Holland led the way at safety with seven tackles and five solo stops, jumping offsides at one point but playing all but two snaps after recording just 19 snaps a week ago. Brandon Jones saw more action as well, posting four tackles, while Eric Rowe had two solo stops as part of a rough day that saw him targeted a lot and committing a key pass interference penalty.

Special teams

Jason Sanders converted a 23-yard field goal and hit both extra points and delivered touchbacks on every kick. You can't ask for more from him; if only he could block.
Michael Palardy had a tough day, averaging just 38.5 yards per punt and landing a single kick inside the 20-yard line. He did handle a high snap nicely at one point.
With Jakeem Grant gone to the Bears, Miami had zero returns. Side note: This game featured zero returns by either team. What is the actual point of kickoffs in the NFL anymore? Talk amongst yourselves.

Momentum plays

Two big strikes from Brissett to Williams got the game off to a fine offensive start for the Dolphins, but Waddle's dropped touchdown pass coincided with an offensive pass interference penalty on Gesicki (side note: Miami may be the only team in the NFL ever called for pick plays), forcing the 'Fins to settle for a short Sanders field goal and a 3-0 lead.
A mix of runs by Leonard Fournette and a deep shot to Mike Evans set Tampa Bay up, and the Bucs paid it off when they isolated Baker on running back Gio Bernard on a third-down play. Tampa scored easily, grabbing a 7-3 advantage.
The Dolphins countered with three straight touches for Gaskin and took advantage of a holding penalty on the Buccaneers that kept Waddle from bursting free for an easy touchdown (if he would have theoretically caught it). Brissett then hit Gaskin on a perfect wheel route for an easy touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
The Bucs responded again, beating Howard and Byron Jones with strikes to Antonio Brown, Evans, and Fournette. Baker's monster third-down sack ended the drive, however, forcing a 42-yard field goal to start the second quarter, knotting the score at 10.
After a three-and-out, Tampa Bay struck quickly, with Tom Brady throwing a perfect third-and-short crosser to Brown as he was being hit by Eguavoen, and Brown easily outracing Howard for a 63-yard touchdown and a 17-10 advantage.
Miami followed with a clutch third-down conversion to G-Sick, but Waddle couldn't pull in another third-down pass. With the game quickly becoming a track meet, Flores somewhat inexplicably chose to punt on 4th & 3 near midfield, and Palardy responded by shanking the punt to avoid even the advantage of pinning the Bucs deep.
Tampa Bay benefited from a pair of iffy spots on a sustained drive that featured a lot of Fournette and isolation routes on Baker. In the red zone, Rowe was whistled for an interference on third down, and when Brown beat Howard yet again for an easy score to culminate a death-by-1,000-cuts drive, the Buccaneers were up 24-10 and the game was effectively over.
Brissett hit Waddle for a nice catch and run to jumpstart another drive, but Eichenberg and Jackson were beaten on the same play, collapsing the left side and allowing a strip sack that gave the Bucs the ball back in their territory. A strike to Evans (over Byron Jones again) and a Brady scramble set up a 60-yard field goal that was short and left, sending the teams into intermission with the score 24-10.
After an initial Tampa first down, Miami got a big stop to force a punt to start the second half.
Brissett responded with a simply incredible drive, finding G-Sick on a big gainer, converting a third-down pass to Waddle while in the grasp, avoiding a pair of sacks to find Gaskin, and firing a perfect on-the-move strike to the end zone that was dropped by Williams. A pass interference on the play resulted in a first down, and Brissett found Gaskin with a third-down touch pass to finish off an impressive drive and trim the margin to 24-17.
The Miami defense immediately got the Bucs to 3rd & 10, but Howard's terrible coverage allowed another big Brown gainer. A Phillips sack gave the Dolphins renewed hope, but a 14-yard screen pass on 2nd & 15 set up an easy conversion on the following play as Godwin beat Needham. Baker and Holland missed tackles on a short pass to Fournette, and Howard capped off maybe the worst drive of his professional career with an embarrassing business decision at the goal line instead of legitimately trying to tackle Fournette. The Buccaneers extended their lead to two touchdowns, 31-17, effectively ending Miami's hopes.
A beautiful Brissett deep ball was misplayed by Williams to force a three-and-out, allowing the Bucs to drive the field easily again, culminating in Brady dropping a perfect deep ball down the chimney to Evans, who beat Byron Jones for a 38-17 advantage.
Brissett hit Ahmed twice for 17 yards to kickstart the following drive, but Waddle dropped another ball, essentially deflecting it to a waiting cornerback for a gift interception.
Beginning deep in Miami territory, Tampa Bay hit a deep ball and then Brady found Evans so open in the middle of the field that it is literally unclear who was trying to cover him. Evans essentially walked in without much Miami effort, a very symbolic play that punctuated an embarrassing performance at 45-17.
Brissett hit Smythe on a good intermediate pattern, but Davis got turnstiled yet again at right tackle for an easy third-down sack, forcing another Palardy punt.
Gabbert came in to put the finishing touches on the blowout, aided by a horseshit roughing-the-passer call on Sieler. Inexplicably, the Bucs went deep on third-and-short up four touchdowns, hitting a long one over McCourty. Gabbert threw on another third down to keep the drive alive, but then Tampa mercifully kneeled on it three times to finally end the devastating contest.