Dolphins’ Pass Rush Could Be an Issue
If ever there was a game for the Dolphins defensive ends to take over, it was Sunday. The Titans were without their starting right tackle. They had their starting left tackle knocked out of the game — and literally knocked out for a moment. Their starting quarterback left the game with an elbow injury.
Those are the ingredients for defensive end Cameron Wake and crew to take over and absolutely dominate. But that’s not what happened.
Even with both starting tackles missing significant portions of the game, and even with the team employing a healthy rotation to keep everyone fresh, the Dolphins pass rush struggled to get home. The team came out of Sunday’s game with zero sacks and plays against the passing game to speak of. Of course, there were pretty extreme circumstances — two weather delays amounting to nearly four hours — at play that likely had an effect on the unit’s play, but it’s still not a great sign moving forward.
Notable #Dolphins defensive snap counts from Week 1 (out of 69 plays)
Bobby McCain – 69
TJ McDonald – 69
Xavien Howard – 69
Reshad Jones – 63
Raekwon McMillan – 61
Minkah Fitzpatrick – 44
Robert Quinn – 41
Cam Wake – 38
William Hayes – 32
Jordan Phillips – 31#TENvsMIA #FinsUp— PFF MIA Dolphins (@PFF_Dolphins) September 10, 2018
This is only the first week of the season, and with delays like we saw Sunday it has to be difficult for anyone to get into a rhythm.
I’m not sounding the alarm on the Dolphins pass rush just yet. But it is something I’m going to be keeping a watchful eye on as we turn our attention towards Week 2 and a matchup with division rivals, the New York Jets. New York looked great in its opener, but the Jets have a rookie at the helm, Sam Darnold, at quarterback.
Rattling him early and often should be a point of emphasis in the game plan.
Next Page: Tight End Issues Persist
