NFL Playoff Preview Countdown: No. 5 Miami Dolphins

This is an excerpt from this week’s edition of Mike Tanier’s NFL Walkthrough, available every Monday at The Messenger…

Season in a Nutshell

Tyreek Hill anchored what was almost certainly the fastest offense in NFL history. Weaker opponents simply could not keep up, especially with Tua Tagovailoa playing point guard in Mike McDaniel’s Harlem Globetrotters-like system. The Bills, Eagles and Chiefs, however, were able to win with physicality and fundamentals, making the Dolphins look more like recess superstars than true Super Bowl contenders at times. A fourth-quarter letdown in all three phases in Sunday’s 21–14 loss to the Bills, which cost the Dolphins a division title they should have sewn up weeks ago, raised further doubts.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

His traits won’t blow anyone away, but Tagovailoa has a quick release and deft touch. The crafty southpaw (sorry, some sports clichés are just embedded in the cerebellum) knows where to go with the ball and is no longer rattled as easily as he was in 2021 and ’22. Sure, Tua benefits from outstanding weapons and a clever system. So did the young Drew Brees.

Offense

Hill goes in motion before the snap, the entire defense says “Oh no, here it comes,” and chaos ensues.

No team uses more pre-snap motion or runs more toss sweeps and misdirection plays. McDaniel’s offense is also loaded with wide-receiver screens, RPOs and wheel routes by running backs and tight ends. By the time Tagovailoa finally takes a deep shot to Hill or Jaylen Waddle, the opposing defense is too worn out from running sideline-to-sideline to do anything about it.

The Dolphins offensive line has dealt with injury problems all season, and all the gadgetry often leaves them with some tricky assignments. The Bills and Eagles slowed the Dolphins down by dominating the line of scrimmage, but the Cowboys (despite an excellent defensive front) could not.

Defense

Bradley Chubb’s Week 17 ACL injury could be a crushing blow. Chubb, Jaelen Phillips (also out for the year) and Christian Wilkins headline a pass rush that recorded 56 sacks in the regular season, keeping weaker opponents on their backs when forced to play catchup. The Dolphins recorded three sacks on Sunday night, so they are not totally helpless — though Andrew Van Ginkel and Cameron Goode, filling in for Chubb and Phillips, both left Sunday’s loss with injuries.

Jalen Ramsey’s Week 8 return from injury was a boon for the Dolphins secondary. Stalwart Xavien Howard, who has been with the team since the Adam Gase years, missed the Bills game with a foot injury but should return for the playoffs. The Dolphins pass defense helped the team grind out wins over the Raiders and Cowboys in the second half of the season when the offense slipped out of gear.

The Dolphins run defense gave up 233 yards to the Chargers in a season opener that feels like it occurred 87 years ago but has been solid since. Few opponents have the luxury of running against the Dolphins in the second half.

Special Teams

Kicker Jason Sanders is a reliable veteran. Braxton Berrios is a shifty returner who doesn’t make many mistakes. Kick coverage units have been a problem, as the Bills’ punt return touchdown on Sunday night demonstrated.

Bottom Line

The edge-rusher injuries could feed the Dolphins’ daisy-stomper reputation in the playoffs: They really need their sack-happy defense to complement their fast-break offense against better teams. The Dolphins can outrun everyone, however, and they look more like the 2019-22 Chiefs than the ’23 Chiefs do. They may be longshots, especially after some late-season losses, but Hill’s presence makes a postseason run plausible.