Professor Will's Report Card

Breaking down the Fins-Ravens

MIAMI – The Dolphins lost their 2nd game in a row on Sunday, but unlike the loss to the Saints on Monday night, Miami had a legitimate chance to win this one.  In the end, the Dolphins fell to 3-2 on the season with a 26-23 loss.  Not surprisingly, much of the problems started on offense.  So let's hand out some grades.

Offense- D

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I was tempted to give them an F, but Ryan Tannehill did enough under pressure to save this mess.  The offensive line is so bad right now that I don't know where to start.  Let's begin with pass protection.  Tannehill was sacked six times by the Ravens, and he's now been sacked 24 times this season.  That is a ridiculous number.  To make things even worse, the o-line couldn't open up holes in the run game, and the Fins ran for just 22 yards on 11 carries.  You combine that with a handful of dropped passes, and the Dolphins are lucky they were even in the game late.

Defense- C+

The defense was far from perfect, but they weren't put in great positions by the struggling offense.  They also caused two turnovers and one turned into a touchdown.  They also made a key stop late to force the Ravens into a field goal try.  It gave the offense one last chance to come back.  One of Baltimore's TD drives was also aided by two questionable pass interference calls.  Overall, the gave up a few big plays, but they weren't the problem in this one.

Special teams- B

I know Caleb Sturgis missed the potential tying 57 yard field goal in the final moments, but that's a lot to ask for any kicker to make.  Sturgis hit his three other attempts, and Brandon Fields averaged over 50 yards a punt.

Coaching- C

A coach doesn't drop passes or miss blocks, but Joe Philbin and his staff have to find ways to get this team to stop shooting themselves in the foot.  Some shuffling will need to be done during the bye week to find a way to keep Tannehill off the turf.  Right now this team is at a crossroads heading into the bye week.  They're very much in the playoff race, but things can turn quickly if they don't start protecting Tannehill.