NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins - NOTES, QUOTES
--Coach Joe Philbin chose to spike the ball and kill the clock in a crucial fourth-down situation on Sunday against Baltimore, and it's driving fans crazy.
It was first-and-10 at the Ravens' 34-yard line. The Dolphins had just completed an improbable 46-yard, fourth-down pass from Ryan Tannehill to Brandon Gibson with 1:01 left, and trailing, 26-23.
Instead of running a play, the Dolphins, who were out of timeouts, opted to spike the ball.
Tannehill took a five-yard loss on a sack on second down, which turned a 52-yard field-goal attempt into a 57-yard attempt, and threw an incomplete pass on third down. On fourth down they tried the field goal but it was wide left.
Philbin said it he stands behind that decision.
"I do," he said. "And I was the one who made the call."
--The Dolphins head into the bye week with a leaky offensive line and a sub-standard running game. But Philbin said his team won't necessarily search the waiver wire with more vigilance this week.
"I don't know if there is any more vigilance, no," he said. "I think that's a continual thing. We are always evaluating personnel at all points of the season."
--The Dolphins had two questionable pass interference calls work against them on Sunday, and both contributed to a Ravens touchdown that tied the game at 13 in the third quarter.
On the first, cornerback Nolan Carroll was called for a violation against Deonte Thompson. It was a close play and it appeared Carroll might have gone over Thompson's back in an attempt to make a play on the ball. On the second, cornerback Brent Grimes was flagged in the end zone for a play against Torrey Smith. It appeared Grimes had inside position and Smith possibly committed an infraction going for the ball.
Either way, Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said he's not overly concerned about either play.
"Those plays hurt us in the opening drive (of the third quarter)," Coyle said. "They took a little momentum away from us, but the game, we had many more opportunities as that game unfolded at the end to win the game, and we have to come up with those plays."
NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins - STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
--DE Dion Jordan played 21 snaps and might have had his best game yet. He ended with one tackle and one pass defended. But he hit Ravens' QB Joe Flacco's arm, leading to safety Reshad Jones' 25-yard interception return for a TD. He also contributed to a sack made by DE Olivier Vernon, and dropped a potential interception.
--LT Jonathan Martin struggled again, giving up two sacks. He's now allowed six through five games.
--RT Tyson Clabo struggled. He allowed one sack and has now allowed five through five games.
--WR Mike Wallace (seven receptions, 105 yards) was targeted a season-high 16 times and became a factor in the offense early, mostly on intermediate and short routes. He had two dropped passes, which has to be fixed, and only had one reception for six yards in the second half, but it was a good game Sunday.
--DE Derrick Shelby (three tackles, one QB hit) continues to play well against both the run and pass. He's been a good fill-in while DE Cam Wake (knee) has been out the last two weeks.
--LB Philip Wheeler had a team-high 10 tackles and didn't have trouble covering tight ends in passing situations. That's a change from previous games.
--CB Brent Grimes shadowed WR Torrey Smith, a change in philosophy, but it didn't do much good. Smith had six receptions for 121 yards, which is by far the best anyone has done against Grimes, the Dolphins' best cornerback.
--QB Ryan Tannehill didn't have a turnover for the first time all season. He now has five TDs and eight turnovers (five interceptions and three lost fumbles) for the year.
--TE Charles Clay continues to impress. He had three receptions for 52 yards against Baltimore, including a 45-yarder.
INJURY IMPACT
--DE Cam Wake (knee) played one series against Baltimore and left the game and never returned. The bye week comes at a good time. His status for the Buffalo game is uncertain.
--LB Dannell Ellerbe (shoulder) left Sunday's game in the second quarter and didn't return.
--CB Nolan Carroll (ankle) left Sunday's game briefly in the third quarter but returned.
--LB Koa Misi (shoulder) had a postgame X-ray but never left Sunday's game. Misi originally sustained his injury two weeks ago.
--CB Dimitri Patterson (groin) has missed four games but there's a thought he might return for the Buffalo game in two weeks.
REPORT CARD VS. RAVENS
PASSING OFFENSE: D -- Pass protection is the reason this grade is so low. The Dolphins allowed a season-worst six sacks against Baltimore and had some dropped passes at crucial times. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was good (307 yards passing, one touchdown) but he couldn't cover the deficiencies in this area, and they mostly weren't his fault.
RUSHING OFFENSE: F -- This is a bad area of the offense. The Dolphins rushed for 22 yards on 11 carries. Lamar Miller rushed for 15 yards on seven carries. This can't continue. Part of the problem was the blocking. But mostly it's Miller.
PASS DEFENSE: C -- Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (six receptions, 121 yards) had his way with cornerback Brent Grimes, the Dolphins' best in coverage. And not having defensive end Cam Wake hurt the pass coverage. But overall things were OK. Safety Reshad Jones returned an interception for a 25-yard touchdown and the pass rush was good.
RUSH DEFENSE: B -- The Ravens rushed for 133 yards on 40 carries, but only averaged 3.3 yards per carry. Baltimore's Ray Rice (27 carries, 74 yards) didn't crush the Dolphins. Overall, things were fairly good in this area, which is to be expected considering the defensive line is the best unit on the team.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B -- Kicker Caleb Sturgis inexplicably had a kickoff go out of bounds in the fourth quarter (Baltimore didn't score) and he missed a game-tying 57-yard field goal. That's understandable. Overall, the rookie was solid, hitting three field goals. Punter Brandon Fields flipped field position, and coverage and return units were good.
COACHING: C-minus -- They couldn't figure out how to protect Tannehill or get the running game going. And spiking the ball on first down with 1:01 remaining at the Ravens 34-yard line remains a questionable strategy. Personnel was limited by injuries, so that has to be taken into account. But overall, the coaches have to find a way to make this team perform better and that didn't happen on Sunday.
