Well, last night, after all the hype, all of the build up, the Dolphins came up short against their AFC East rivals. The Dolphins fell behind early 14-0, but mounted a comeback and even took the lead for a short period of time before giving it right back. There are a lot of things to criticize from this game about the Dolphins. The Defense. The Special Teams. The Coaching/play calling. Any way you slice it, the Dolphins dropped to 2-1 and now share the AFC East lead with the Jets and Patriots after 3 games. The Jets hold an advantage, however, as they are 2-0 in the division and have beaten the Dolphins and Patriots. Please keep in mind Dol Phans, this is only week 3. The season is long and there is a lot of football to be played, so please do not overreact! Let's take a look at our 3 keys to the game and see how the Dolphins fared:
Key #1 - Stop the Run
The defense that allowed AP to rush for 160+ yards last week, again showed that they are suspect in this department. The Dolphins allowed 146 yards on the ground to the Jets with a 5.0 ypc average. This is unacceptable and a major reason the Dolphins lost. Whether it was Greene, or LT, or Brad Smith running the Jets wildcat, the Dolphins front 7 couldn't get the job done. This area could be improved moving forward, as the Dolphins could have Channing Crowder AND Jared Odrick back for next Monday's matchup against the Pats.
Key #2 - Air it Out
This is the one key that the Dolphins did accomplish in the game. They exposed the Jets secondary (without Revis) and Chad Henne threw for 363 yards. I think this was a big part of the game plan, but it was made even more prevalent when the Jets jumped out to an early lead. Brandon Marshall was targeted 17 times and caught 10 balls for 166 yards and a TD. Bess and Hartline also got in the act, each going over the 80 yard mark. Chad Henne looked good and went quickly through his progressions. On the first play from scrimmage, Brian Hartline had man coverage and beat Kyle Wilson...Unfortunately, the ball was overthrown by about 2 feet on what would have been a touchdown pass. You have to like what we saw out of the passing offense last night.
Get Lead Early
Another key area that the Dolphins failed in. The Dolphins defense allowed the Jets to walk up and down the field in the first quarter, as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead. The Dolphins managed to come back, but the hole they dug early, certainly made the game a lot more difficult. The Dolphins made adjustments and actually covered Dustin Keller in the second half, but the early deficit stuck the Dolphins in a hole they hadn't been in all year. Just think, if they can hold the Jets to 2 field goals (at least), they would have been up 10-6 at the half and the game would have been much different.
Again, this is a tough loss to stomach, but the Jets are a good team. The AFC East is going to be a fight all year and every team in the division has tough games coming up. The Jets won the first battle here, but please remember it's only week 3. All is not lost. The Dolphins showed in the first 2 games that their defense can take over a game. Last night, the offense showed it can compete in a shootout, even against the best defense in 2009. There are signs of hope for this Dolphins team....
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