The Miami Dolphins left Sunday with an 0-4 record after a 15-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but the game also showed a team that isn’t folding, even in one of the league’s toughest places to play. Miami hung around, absorbed punches, and gave itself a chance deep into the fourth quarter.
The clearest sign of where this team is headed showed up in the rookie usage. This is a group that is young even by NFL standards, and the snap counts made that obvious.
Kadyn Proctor played all 39 snaps. Chris Bell was on the field for 32 of 39.
Kevin Coleman Jr. logged 20 snaps, Will Kacmarek had 24, and Jacob Rodriguez, Chris Johnson and Michael Taaffe each played every snap on defense.
That’s seven rookies from a 13-player class either starting or getting meaningful run, and that doesn’t even include Caleb Douglas, who is dealing with an ankle injury, or fourth-round linebackers Kyle Louis and Trey Moore, who are on the injured list.
The encouraging part is that the youth didn’t look lost. Rodriguez turned in what may have been his best game as a Dolphin with 18 tackles.
Taaffe and Johnson were steady on a defense that held an undefeated Vikings team to 15 points. For a roster this young to hold up that well, there’s real value in the reps.
And right now, the defense is starting to look like the unit that could define Miami.
The preseason conversation centered mostly on the offense: the big investment in quarterback Malik Willis, the replacement of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle with a trio of rookie receivers, and the upgrades along the offensive line and at tight end. But four games in, the defense is the side finding its identity.
Against Minnesota, Miami finally got pressure home. The Dolphins had four sacks and were able to bother Kyler Murray consistently.
Chop Robinson had his most disruptive outing of the season, finishing with a sack and 10 pressures. Zach Sieler looked like the Zach Sieler Dolphins fans know.
Joshua Uche kept building on his recent surge, and Malik Herring continued to show up. Over the last two weeks, the defense has allowed 19.5 points per game.
That kind of profile is becoming clear: fast, aggressive, and hard to deal with. And with Kenny Grant plus Louis and Moore potentially returning, there’s room for it to become even more disruptive.
Still, Miami keeps making life harder on itself with field position.
The opening kickoff was returned 47 yards by Minnesota to the 48-yard line. After a failed Dolphins drive in the first quarter, the Vikings brought back the ensuing punt 36 yards to the Dolphins’ 38. Then in the second quarter, Malik Willis was sacked and fumbled at the Dolphins’ 39, and Minnesota recovered at midfield.
That was the story of the game in miniature. The Vikings kept starting with shorter fields, while Miami’s offense kept having to claw its way out from deep in its own end. In a low-scoring game where every first down mattered, that hidden yardage kept adding up.
Willis’ stat line is rough, and the passing game is still waiting to catch up. He finished with less than 100 passing yards, which usually says plenty on its own.
At the same time, Brian Flores’ defense has made other quarterbacks uncomfortable too. The Buccaneers passed for only 186 yards in Week 3, and the Bears managed only 163 in Week 2, even with Baker Mayfield and Caleb Williams bringing more experience than Willis.
Even so, Miami’s quarterback play hasn’t made the same leap some of the other positions have. The Dolphins are averaging only 163.5 passing yards, third fewest in the NFL.
They are last in completions and completion percentage, and they have only one touchdown pass. The team also isn’t leaning on designed runs for Willis the way it once did; the Vikings game was the second straight in which he had only two rushing attempts.
There’s no Achane, and there’s still time needed for Willis to build chemistry with the rookie receivers, especially with the top wideout injured. But the offense is still waiting to hit its stride.
For now, the larger takeaway is that the record may not tell the whole story for long. Miami came into the season with one of the league’s hardest schedules, and it could easily be an underdog the rest of the way. That may not help the standings, but it doesn’t erase the progress.
This team is showing growth, especially on defense, and it is competing into the fourth quarter on the road against quality opponents. The record is 0-4. The development is real.
In Other News...
Dolphins May Be Missing A Key Passing Game Piece Again
Caleb Douglas has been stuck on the sideline since Week 2 with an ankle injury, and the Dolphins still have not gotten him back onto the practice field. Head coach Jeff Hafley said Wednesday that Douglas was out but improving, which at least keeps the door open for a return soon even if the timeline remains murky.
Miami could use the help. The offense has been fighting for rhythm without Douglas, with the passing game producing limited receiving yards and passing touchdowns through the first four weeks. For a unit looking to find more consistent answers through the air, his recovery has become another important subplot to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Still Waiting On Kenneth Grant's Week 5 Reality
Kenneth Grant has taken the first real step toward getting back on the field for Miami, opening his 21-day return window and getting back to practice with the team. For a Dolphins defense that could use another body inside, his comeback is about more than simply filling a roster spot. It gives Miami a chance to add some much-needed versatility to the defensive tackle rotation if the recovery keeps moving in the right direction.
For now, though, Week 5 remains unsettled. Jeff Hafley said Grants activation and playing status will depend on how he continues to respond, and no call has been made yet on whether he will suit up. Miami does have one open roster spot available, so the path is there, but the timing still matters, and the Dolphins are waiting to see whether Grant is ready soon enough to matter this week. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Will Need To Check This Weeks Unusual TV Setup
The Dolphins second home game of the 2026 season brings a familiar AFC opponent to Hard Rock Stadium, but the TV setup is a little different from what viewers around South Florida are used to. Miami will host the Bengals on FOX, with Eric Collins, Mark Schlereth and Jen Hale handling the broadcast because the networks regular crew is tied up elsewhere.
For fans trying to find the game, the wrinkle is distribution: this one is being carried regionally, with the Dolphins-Bengals matchup shown in southern Florida and the Cincinnati area while other NFL games are spread across different networks and time slots around the state. For Miami supporters, it means a quick check of the local listings before kickoff instead of assuming the usual Sunday afternoon slot will sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]