by Richard Sell
The most electric offense in the history of the NFL might not have the guts to
compete against the best teams.
We have never seen an offense as dominant as the Miami Dolphins. What makes this offense so deadly is the versatility of the run and pass game. Tua and this offense have been playing at MVP caliber but I can’t say the same about this defense through the first few games of the season.
The Miami Dolphins' defense is a little banged up right now. The newly acquired
superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey has been out through the first half of the season and finally made his return against the Patriots when he made an impact with a pick. Additionally, Nik Needham has been hurt and Jaelen Phillips has gotten banged up this year.
Even though you can’t notice, they do have some key offensive injuries. Star left tackle
Terron Armstead just returned as well as running back Jeff Wilson. , center Connor Williams has been in and out with a groin injury.
There was also a lot of concern about Tua and the three concussions he suffered last
season.
Long-time Miami Dolphins fan Mark Garcia states, “I think it was good that he started taking Jim-jitsu to learn how to fall and avoid contact on his head.”
Looking past the inconsequential injuries, let's get into stats.
The defense is ranked 25th in opponents' points per game, 11th in average yards allowed, 12th in passing yards allowed per game and are ranked 13th in rushing yards allowed per game. These stats have improved through the season but continue to show that their defense is middle of the pack so far, without a dominant stretch displayed.
They recently lost to the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. which are debatably the hardest competition they’ve had all year. They are 6-0 against teams with a losing record and 0-3 against teams with a winning record. Two of those three losses were games that were not even close. Famous sports analyst Skip Bayless says the Dolphins are looking fraudulent.
He might not be wrong.
The Miami Dolphins have been very reliant on their offense to score 30 points a game but when they face a good defense, they seem to get stopped easily.
To compete for a Super Bowl, you can't afford to have an average defense.
To back the defense Garcia stated, “Vic Fangio just got here and he has a very complicated scheme… once we get our injured stars we will be a force to be reckoned with.”
Though the Dolphins may be getting stars back into the rotation, changes
need to be made to the defensive side of things.
There are ways for the Dolphins to contend this year and next but it all starts with the
defense. The offense has already proven itself to be lethal most of the time. Now they need the defense to do the same and for the offense to show up in big games.
Are the Dolphins Super Bowl contenders?
Yes
No
Too early to tell