Dolphins Monday

It is the Monday following the Miami Dolphins loss to the New York Jets. Coach McDaniel will speak later today at his weekly day-after-game press conference. Hopefully, we will find out more about the status of quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater. Miami will host the 4 and 1 Minnesota Vikings this coming Sunday. The Vikings can put up some points on the board. So hopefully, there will be some good news concerning the health status of Miami’s top two cornerbacks.

Defensive Concerns on this Dolphins Monday

Byron Jones has been on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) to start the season. So, he has not appeared in any games. But, yesterday Xavien Howard was also held out of action as a result of a groin injury. Howard has been dealing with the groin issue since week 1. Yet, until yesterday he was able to play in the games. We will see if the Monday press conference will give any additional news on some key Dolphins players.

Some thoughts from yesterday’s game. The offensive line continues to be an area of concern for Miami. Yes, Terron Armstead going out of the game did not help. He is another player that should be mentioned in today’s press conference. Armstead has been dealing with a toe injury all season. Yet, until yesterday it had not caused the left tackle to miss any action. The Jets took advantage of the situation as they continued to bring pressure on defense.

Bad Start and Awful 4th Quarter

The Dolphins Monday press conference will undoubtedly touch on the injury to Bridgewater on the team’s first offensive play. Miami won the coin toss for the 5th time in a row and they once again deferred possession until the 2nd half. But, unlike the previous four games, Miami actually had a defensive stop on the opening drive which forced the Jets to punt. Yet, it went downhill quickly from that point. The ensuing punt was downed near the goal line.

On Miami’s first play from scrimmage, Bridgewater did a play-action fake as he dropped back to pass. There was a breakdown in pass protection which caused Bridgewater to take a hit as he was in process of throwing from the endzone. The referees ruled that it was intentional grounding. So, the Jets were rewarded a safety making the score 2-0. The hit on Bridgewater knocked him out of the game as a result of the new protocols in place for concussions. Skylar Thompson would play the rest of the game. He made some rookie mistakes that you would expect especially from a 7th-round pick. Yet, the loss cannot be placed on him alone. This was a team loss through and through.

As poorly as the Dolphins played, they were still in the game into the 4th quarter. Miami actually had a chance to take a 4th quarter lead with a field goal. But, Jason Sanders missed the 54-yard kick. If he had made the FG, Miami would have taken a 20-19 lead. The wheels of the bus fell off quickly after the Sanders miss. Before you could blink, the Jets had put a final score of 40 to 17 on the board.

It looks bleak right now. Yet, Miami still has time to right the ship. Every team has its ups and down during an NFL season. So, this Dolphins Monday is the perfect day to get the ship righted.

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