Miami Dolphins: Passing game must improve immediately

If the Miami Dolphins are going to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season, both the offense and defense have to improve in the passing game.

The 2017 NFL season is only two weeks old for the Miami Dolphins, but as the team prepares to square off against the New Orleans Saints, a disturbing trend has already begun to develop. On both sides of the ball, the Dolphins are struggling with the passing game. Not a good omen when you’re facing one of the most prolific passing attacks in the entire NFL. If the Dolphins have any chance of pulling out a win on Sunday, and of making the playoffs for the second season in a row, they’re going to need a quick turnaround.

The Dolphins offense is loaded with weapons. Jarvis Landry is arguably one of the league’s top possession receivers, though he’s not much of a weapon from a scoring standpoint. That’s where the Dolphins other receivers come in. Kenny Stills is a deep-threat specialist, averaging over 17 yards a reception and bringing in nine touchdowns last season. Opposite Stills is young receiver DeVante Parker. Everything coming out of Dolphins camp this offseason said the Parker was in for a career year — that he was finally developing into that true No.1 receiver that the Dolphins have lacked for years.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, none of that seems to be panning out thus far. Stills has only caught six passes on the season for 88 yards and only one touchdown. That brings his average down more than two yards from last season. Parker has been the team’s best receiver on the season. However, that’s a relative term with only 12 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown. Landry again leads the team in receptions with 19. But he only has 126 yards for a paltry, even by Landry’s standards, 6.6 yards per reception.

Head coach Adam Gase admitted after surviving the team’s opener against the Chargers that the play calling was too conservative. However, not much changed in the team’s next game against the Jets. The Dolphins still couldn’t push the ball downfield, and got beat handily because of it. The blame doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of the play calling, however. Much of the blame can be placed at the feet of new Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler, and the offensive line in front of him.

More from Miami Dolphins

Cutler has been accurate this season, but it’s clear that he’s still kicking off the rust from spending an off-season retired. It takes a while to get back into the flow of football. Some rust was to be expected. But it’s clear to anyone watching that Cutler doesn’t have any sort of rapport with the offense around him. He’s frequently not on the same page with his wide receivers. It’s also clear that Cutler has no faith in the guys protecting him, and it’s not unwarranted.

The Dolphins offensive line has been an issue for years, and it hasn’t gotten any better this season. Cutler has already been sacked five times on the young season, and has been hit several more times. Pressure is coming at Cutler from all angles, but most of the problem lies with the interior of the line. The Dolphins guards have not played well, and injuries are already beginning to mount. It’s going to be a long season for Cutler and the Dolphins if things don’t turn around in a hurry.

On the other side of the ball, the situation has been just as dire with regards to the passing game. The Dolphins defense in 2016 was solid against the pass, ranking in the middle of the pact in yards allowed per game. A lot of that can be attributed to just how poor the Dolphins rush defense was. The Dolphins were 30th against the run on the season. Those numbers have nearly flipped in 2017. The Dolphins rush defense has shown an amazing turnaround. They come into the Saints game as the fifth best in the league against the rush.

Much like last season, however, a lot of that can be attributed to just how poor the defense has been against the pass. The Dolphins come into London to face Drew Brees and the Saints as the 27th ranked defense against the pass. Miami is allowing 278 yards per game through the air, and I would expect that Brees is licking his chops at the prospect of picking apart these Dolphins linebackers and corners.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: All-offense edition

The stat that really puts it into perspective how poor the Dolphins defense has been against the pass, though, is this one: The Dolphins are allowing an incredible 79 precent completion ratee on the season. That number is a testament not only to the linebackers and cornerbacks inability to cover, but it also underscores the team’s inability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. When your corners have to cover for 5-8 seconds every play, quarterbacks are going to have a field day.

The season is still young, and the Dolphins have plenty of time to right the ship. But with the likes of Matt Ryan, Derek Carr, and Tom Brady looming in the schedule, they’re going to need to turn it around in a hurry if they want to remain contenders for the playoffs.

Home/Miami Dolphins