Indianapolis, IN – We had some hope for a moment in that game. Then everything went wrong for the Miami Dolphins as their 10-0 lead went up in smoke. Combine that with an injury to Tyler Huntley, and the Dolphins had a disappointing 16-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Not Your Usual Suspects
Miami’s offense still looked as stagnant as ever. At this point, the lack of usage for playmakers like Tyreek Hill (TWO TARGETS, one catch for eight yards) and Jaylen Waddle (TWO TARGETS, one catch for 11 yards) is disturbing. It’s a stretch to say these players are on the trade block. But the way they’re being misused makes you wonder if there’s something the front office is planning.
Instead of Hill or Waddle, we saw extensive usage of (FIU legend) Jonnu Smith, which I’m not mad about. It’s refreshing to see a reliable tight end being used in the playbook. Smith was a crucial player with 96 yards and their only touchdown.
.@Easymoney_81 weavin' thru traffic for 6️⃣!
📺: #MIAvsIND on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/tEIoP4Uzmh
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 20, 2024
That score came on an 11-play, 59-yard drive, spearheaded by a solid running game. It makes sense to rely on the running backs with Huntley running the show, and that was on full display. A healthy combination of Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane led the way, with a good amount of passes to Smith as well.
Unfortunately, that was the only drive for Miami that looked great from beginning to end. The rest of Miami’s drives consisted of six punts, two lost fumbles, a successful field goal, a missed field goal, and a turnover on downs to end the game.
Despite Miami establishing a running game early on, Indianapolis’s defense adjusted. As the game went on they limited big-time plays in crunch time. The only time Miami strung together a good-looking drive in the second half, Alec Ingold fumbled the ball.
Miami brought out Jaylen Wright in the third quarter and impressed with 33 yards on five carries. However, he was apparently benched. He wasn’t injured, nor did he commit a penalty. But we didn’t see him after the third quarter, and the reason why is a headscratcher to me.
They Can Only Do So Much
Miami’s defense had the fortunate break of not dealing with Jonathan Taylor, but still gave up 51 yards and a score to backup Tyler Goodson.
In all seriousness, their defense was fine. They limited Indy to three points in the first half. While they gave 13 points in the latter half, they also set up Miami’s offense with seven Indy punts and a forced fumble recovered by Miami.
Most underrated defensive player in football…
Zach Sieler recovers the fumble‼️😤pic.twitter.com/Ao0o4cXqS1
— The Kevin Harlan Effect (@KevHarlanEffect) October 20, 2024
Even with key players out due to injury, Jordan Poyer and Calais Campbell stepped up among others. Zach Sieler stopped an otherwise good-looking drive from the Colts with a fumble recovery without his helmet.
The whole unit struggled with penalties. Six penalties totaling 50 yards are a little less than usual, but that included a holding call that negated a 32-yard run from Mostert in the second quarter.
The QB Carousel Continues
In the third quarter, Tyler Huntley went down with an injury to his shoulder. It was likely caused by being tackled on his side while on the run. While he didn’t impress before that, he was having a decent game – doing more than enough to win at that point in the game.
Tim Boyle stepped in and had a mediocre performance, going 8-13 with 74 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. They utilized their running game anyway, but when Boyle needed to make a clutch play on fourth down to continue their final drive of the game, he threw it out of bounds.
The one slimmer of good news is the latest report that Tua Tagovailoa might be returning next week. He looks to have cleared concussion protocol and will start for Miami in their game against Arizona.
Tua Tagovailoa is back. The Miami quarterback is set to practice this week and the hope is he will start in week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, per sources.
Here’s more on Miami and more intel around the league:https://t.co/gx67zF8xfy pic.twitter.com/k7ZeesIFtJ— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 19, 2024
The stats show how much Tua means to this offense. If he utilizes Hill and Waddle in ways that Huntley never did, that’ll prove the point. But it’ll take a lot to fix how this offense has looked. Can Tua do it practically by himself? We’ll see.
Miami stands with a 2-4 record, currently in third place in the AFC East. They’ll have an out-of-conference matchup at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, October 27th at 1 pm against the Arizona Cardinals.
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