The Miami Dolphins welcomed Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Chase Brown and co to Hard Rock Stadium for a showdown in sunny South Florida on Sunday — with Jeff Hafley’s squad looking for its first win of the season. Unfortunately for Miami, as the dust settled, the Dolphins fell to their opponent again – dropping their record to a disappointing 0-5 on the season.
There were some positives to take away from Sunday’s 31-24 loss, including another encouraging outing from running back Ollie Gordon II. Unfortunately, Miami’s special teams continued to be a problem, and quarterback Malik Willis delivered a performance that made overcoming the rest of the team’s shortcomings nearly impossible.
As we do after every game, let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from Miami’s week five loss to Cincinnati.
Ollie Gordon II continues to make the most of his opportunity
Losing De’Von Achane to a season-ending knee injury is a big blow to Miami’s offense. Achane is one of the Dolphins’ most explosive playmakers, and replacing that kind of production won’t be easy.
The second-year running back continued to show he’s worthy of a key role in Miami’s offense, finishing Sunday’s contest with 88 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Gordon averaged 4.9 yards per attempt and repeatedly gave the Dolphins a reliable option on the ground with his tough running style.
Gordon opened the scoring for Miami with a one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, capping the team’s opening drive and giving Dolphins fans reason to believe this offense might finally find something to build around.
Although the Dolphins ultimately fell short, Gordon’s performance was another encouraging sign. He ran with physicality, showed patience by allowing his blocks to develop, and did a good job of turning his opportunities into productive ones.
Miami needs to find an offensive identity without Acane, and Gordon makes a strong case that the ground game can remain a significant part of that identity. Miami’s power-back deserves credit for stepping into a bigger role and delivering. Predictably, there are very few bright spots on this winless football team, but Gordon’s continued development is certainly one of them.
Miami’s weak special teams unit is attacking again
While going up against Burrow, Chase and the rest of the Bengals offense was always going to be a tough matchup, the Dolphins immediately made things difficult for themselves by allowing an 81-yard return on the opening kickoff.
That huge kickoff return set up and easy opening drive for Cincinnati — which ultimately ended in just three plays with a touchdown pass from the opposing quarterback. Miami barely settled into the game before finding themselves in a hole, and the special teams breakdown immediately put additional pressure on a team that has struggled to play complementary football all season.
A strong special teams unit can be a source of stability for a struggling ball club. Instead, Miami continues to give up field position and give opponents easy opportunities they should work with instead.
The problems aren’t limited to the opening kickoff, either. Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson also missed an extra point following Kevin Coleman Jr.’s fourth-quarter touchdown reception. It didn’t matter in the end as Miami didn’t recover the ensuing onside kick (surprise, surprise), but leaving a point on the field only added to the frustration of the day.
The Dolphins have enough problems to deal with without their special teams unit adding another one to the weekly checklist.
Malik Willis’ three turnovers sank Miami
There’s still a lot of season left, but Malik Willis’ performances leave a lot to be desired so far – to put it mildly. His three turnover day Sunday was the main story of the Dolphins’ latest loss.
Willis finished with 15 completions on 27 attempts for 136 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He also lost a fumble — making it three turnovers on his Sunday. His late rushing touchdown breathed some life into his statline, but it couldn’t erase the damage done earlier in the contest.
The turnovers were bad enough, but the decision making and inconsistency around them made things worse.
Miami needs their quarterback to protect the football, make the right decisions, and give the offense a chance to compete. Instead, Willis repeatedly put the Dolphins in tough situations by “big-play-hunting” instead of taking what the defense gave him – making for a challenging afternoon.
The first half was particularly damaging, as Miami struggled to sustain drives as Cincinnati built a 21-7 lead. The Bengals capitalized on their opportunities, while the Willis-led Dolphins failed to make the plays necessary to keep pace.
To be fair, Willis isn’t working in a perfect situation. His supporting cast is largely inexperienced and they’ve had their own struggles, but a good quarterback lifts his team when times get tough, and Willis isn’t doing that right now. Despite his struggles, the flashes he’s shown, while infrequent, should remind the fanbase that his athleticism can be a powerful weapon — as his 39-yard scramble late in the game showed. He finished the contest with six carries for 63 rushing yards.
However, turnovers are impossible to ignore. A quarterback can survive an occasional bad throw. He can overcome a stalled drive or a negative play. What he can’t do is keep giving the opposition extra possession and expect the rest of the team to pay.
At 0-5, the Dolphins need to determine if Willis can be a reliable part of their future or if they need to explore other options. Sunday’s performance wasn’t much of a confidence booster, but then again, there’s still plenty of games left to play. For the sake of the franchise, let’s hope he turns things around.
The Dolphins find themselves sitting at 0-5 heading into a much-needed bye week. They have a lot to do in all aspects of the game. Do you think they can bounce back from their off week with a win over the New York Jets? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @MBrave13. Flip up.