The Miami Dolphins are running out of excuses on offense, and Week 5 offers a chance to start digging out of the hole.
Through four straight losses, the numbers have been brutal. Miami sits 32nd in points scored, 30th in yards and 32nd in first downs. The running game has at least shown a pulse, ranking 19th in the league, but the passing attack has been nowhere near good enough at 163.5 yards per game, which ranks 30th.
Malik Willis is going to take plenty of the heat, and that comes with the job. His play has been uneven, and it hasn’t come close to matching the flashes he showed in Green Bay that initially drew the Dolphins in.
But the situation around him matters, too. This is not a one-man problem.
Both things can be true at the same time: Willis has to play a lot better, and Miami’s wide receivers need to do more to carry the offense.
That challenge gets a little more manageable this week. The Bengals are the softest passing defense Miami has seen so far this season, which gives the Dolphins a real opening to get something going through the air.
The path to that conclusion is pretty clear. Miami has already gone through the Raiders, 49ers, Chiefs and Vikings, and each defense has presented a tougher test than Cincinnati should.
The Raiders have allowed a 95.3 passer rating, the 49ers 94.8, the Chiefs 84.0 and the Vikings 74.2. The Bengals, by comparison, are at 103.3, which ranks 21st.
The deeper numbers are even more encouraging for Miami’s receivers. Cincinnati has the second-worst coverage grade in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. That sets up what should be a revealing matchup when the Dolphins try to get their passing game back on track Sunday.
Of course, Miami’s rookie wideouts have made that a difficult proposition to this point. Chris Bell has shown plenty of confidence, but Week 4 brought a gut-punch moment when a nearly invisible part of his cleat touched out of bounds and wiped out a 68-yard touchdown that would have been his first.
Kevin Coleman Jr. has had an even tougher time making his opportunities count. He has been targeted 10 times and caught just two passes, a 20-percent conversion rate that ranks last among the 97 receivers with at least 10 targets.
Bell’s 35.7-percent catch rate is 95th. The advanced numbers around this offense, as the source makes clear, are ugly.
The injury situation only makes things harder. Caleb Douglas flashed big-play potential and an ability to get open before suffering a Week 2 injury, and he has missed the last two games. He also appears likely to miss this one.
So Miami is looking for more than just a win. Against a Bengals offense that should make a victory difficult, the Dolphins need some sign that this group can still respond before the season drifts further off course.
That kind of response is never guaranteed. At some point, even the most determined players can wear down when the results keep going missing.
The hope is that general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley built a roster with enough resilience to keep fighting through it. History says even the best players have limits.
In Other News...
Dolphins Rebuild Is Putting These Two Young Guards Under The Microscope
Miamis early-season stumble has only sharpened the focus on the interior of its offensive line, and two young guards are drawing most of the attention. With the team off to an 0-4 start, the Dolphins are treating the development of Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea as part of the bigger rebuild, looking for signs that the group can grow into something sturdier as the season goes on. Both have flashed enough to keep the staff interested, even if the results have been uneven.
Proctor has been the more eye-catching case in terms of raw ability, while Savaiinaea has shown the cleaner trajectory after settling into his second year. The evaluations have not been uniform, but the larger view remains encouraging, with coaches and analysts seeing enough progress to believe both players can matter to Miami down the line, even as the week-to-week scrutiny keeps getting tighter. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Gave Bengals A Read Dolphins Fans Will Hate
The Bengals got a close look at Malik Willis, and Jordan Battle came away convinced there was something in the quarterbacks mechanics that helped Cincinnati sit on passes. Battle said Willis had a tell before releasing the ball, a small giveaway the defense picked up on, and the result was a disruptive afternoon for the Bengals secondary. Miami fans will recognize why that matters, because any hint that a defense can read a quarterback before the throw is the kind of thing that can travel fast.
Battle turned that awareness into production, intercepting Willis twice and helping Cincinnati force three turnovers in the game. The safety now leads the league with three interceptions on the season, which only adds to the intrigue for Dolphins observers who are watching how opposing defenses are diagnosing quarterbacks around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Will Love Whos Bringing The Energy Sunday
Miamis matchup with Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon will have a different feel in the booth, with FOX turning to Eric Collins and Mark Schlereth for the call. Collins, best known as the play-by-play voice of the Charlotte Hornets, has already built a reputation for bringing plenty of energy to whatever he covers, and that has made him an appealing name for fans who like their broadcasts with a little extra life.
Collins also has at least some recent NFL experience, having called a game last season, which only adds to the curiosity around this assignment. He may not be FOXs top announcing duo, but Dolphins fans have already shown plenty of interest in hearing him handle another one of their games, and this one should have no shortage of attention before the opening kickoff. [Read more 🡒]