There have been many highs for the Dolphins so far this season bus Sunday night was not one of them. Against arguably the best team they’ve faced all year the Dolphins wilted under the pressure and their depth in key areas was dramatically on show.
So how worried should Dolphins fans be? Let’s take a look
DOLPHINS RUNNING GAME DISAPPEARED
One of the keys to Miami’s impressive season has been the balance between passing and rushing, incredibly leading the league in both. That seemed unbelievable on Sunday night as the Eagles held Miami to an appalling -7 yards rushing in the first half. The Dolphins ended the game with only 3 rushing first downs and a total of 45 yards, giving us horrific flashbacks to previous seasons.
HC Mike McDaniel struggled for any balance, and largely for any offence as the Eagles kept Miami off balance. The Dolphins only ran the ball 12 times on the night, easily their lowest total of the year. In fact their second lowest carries of the season came in Buffalo which may tell us something.
THE OL DEPTH IS TROUBLING
Part of the problems the Dolphins faced in Philadelphia was the absence of Terron Armstead and Connor Williams. Liam Eichenberg continues to prove that he’s in need of a lot of development if he’s to become an NFL player. There was also a new injury for Isaiah Wynn that meant Lester Cotton taking a lot of snaps at LG.
The problem is that when you sign players with an injury history you can’t be surprised that they have an injury history. OL Coach Butch Barry has done a great job so far this year, but you have to wonder if the lack of resources spent on the line will end up derailing a very promising season.
CAN THE DOLPHINS BEAT GOOD TEAMS?
As much as we would like to avoid it, Miami haven’t beaten anyone this season just like the media says. Obviously you can only beat what’s in front of you, but the teams the Dolphins have beaten are 8-30. While the teams lost to have a combined record of 10-4.
Or put another way, every time the Dolphins have played a team with a winning record they’ve lost by multiple scores.
It’s the kind of statistic that shouldn’t be ignored, and has to be improved on if this team has genuine Super Bowl aspirations.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 12 | 26 |
| Passing 1st downs | 9 | 11 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 3 | 12 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 0 | 3 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 4-11 | 4-12 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-2 | 4-4 |
| Total Plays | 48 | 68 |
| Total Yards | 244 | 355 |
| Total Drives | 8 | 10 |
| Yards per Play | 5.1 | 5.2 |
| Passing | 199 | 256 |
| Comp-Att | 23-32 | 23-31 |
| Yards per pass | 5.5 | 7.5 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 4-17 | 3-23 |
| Rushing | 45 | 99 |
| Rushing Attempts | 12 | 34 |
| Yards per rush | 3.8 | 2.9 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 0-1 | 4-6 |
| Penalties | 10-70 | 0-0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 1 | 0 |
| Possession | 23:17 | 36:43 |
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