Terrible offense, even worse special teams, and a defense asked to do way too much cost the Miami Dolphins once again.
This time, it was the Indianapolis Colts who were the beneficiaries of Miami’s bad luck, beating the Dolphins 16-10 Sunday.
Miami Dolphins-Indianapolis Colts Takeaways
The Dolphins’ offense went from bad to basically nonexistent when Snoop Huntley left the game with a shoulder injury. The Dolphins didn’t score in the second half after building a 10-point lead late in the second.
Tim Boyle had two chances to put Miami ahead late, but his first drive ended when Jason Sanders clanged a 54-yard field goal off the upright and his final drive ended when he threw to no one on fourth down with just seconds left in the game.
The Dolphins had their best half of offensive football since Tua Tagovailoa got hurt. They gained 194 yards (5.2 per play) and controlled the ball for 17 minutes and 35 seconds.
All but 12 of their 37 plays were runs, and they briefly built their first two-score lead of the season. But that vibe shifted markedly in the third quarter when the Dolphins turned the ball over twice and lost their quarterback.
Still, the defense kept them in the game and Boyle took over down just three points with 8:41 left in the fourth.
Hang Onto the Rock, Raheem
The Dolphins were in firm control of the game Sunday when Raheem Mostert let them back into it.
Mostert coughed up the ball while fighting for extra yards at the Dolphins’ 28. Four plays later, Indianapolis was in the end zone, courtesy of a seven-yard run by Tyler Goodson.
The fumble was Mostert’s fifth in his last 14 games. He was seemingly benched for it, as Jaylen Wright got his first carry on the Dolphins’ next offensive play.
Mostert’s misery had company. Alec Ingold lost a fumble later that quarter with the Dolphins deep in Colts territory.
Jordyn Brooks Appreciation Post
Jerome Baker was a fine player, but the Dolphins definitely upgraded at off-ball linebacker this offseason.
Jordyn Brooks has been marvelous in coverage all year, and he was again Sunday when he saved a touchdown with a timely deflection.
Richardson had tight end Kylen Granson open for a would-be touchdown, but Brooks got a hand on the pass. Three plays later, Richardson lost a fumble that Zach Sieler recovered (without a helmet, no less).
Special Teams Update
It has been a tumultuous two weeks for Danny Crossman’s special teams, and Sunday was more of the same.
Before Sanders’ field goal attempt doinked, it was a relatively clean afternoon.
Sure, there was the obligatory Julian Hill kicking game penalty, but beyond that, the operation was pretty clean considering their new long snapper Matt Overton was signed Saturday and never practiced with the team prior to Sunday’s game.
Credit to Siran Neal, who had an excellent open-field tackle on punt coverage midway through the third quarter.
The Dolphins did lose their returner Braxton Berrios to a knee injury during a fourth-quarter kickoff return.