December 21, 2025 • 31 mins
Recapping a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Travis takes you through what went wrong, a positive start, the starting debut for Quinn Ewers, five big picture takeaways, individuals standouts and much more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
What is up Dolphins and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast.
I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show,
a tough showing as the Bengals blow out the Fins
forty five to twenty one here at hard Rock Stadium.
We'll tell you how the game got there. We'll go
through the pregame checklist, the themes, the story of the game,
the standouts, to takeaways, all of that and more from
the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.
(00:33):
This is the Draft Time Podcast. The story of the
game was the third quarter undid a really inspired first
half performance, as it kind of has for the entire
season and going back a few years now. Quite frankly,
the Dolphins had ideal balance and enough pressure in plays
to get a dynamic offense off the field a few
(00:54):
times in the first half, but it all came crashing
down when that balance was reduced because of four to
third quarter turnovers, some bad tackling, not such great effort
on a few plays, bad rush lane contained in that
third quarter which bled over into the fourth, and the
game got completely away from the Miami Dolphins. It was
seventeen fourteen Dolphins football at the minus forty yard line
(01:16):
with a buck forty to play in the second quarter.
By thirteen thirty two in the fourth quarter, it was
forty five fourteen and the game was pretty much over.
And it's just kind of been that type of season
for the Miami Dolphins. Like obviously being six and nine
after a two and seven start as well doesn't bring
a lot of moments to cheer about as a fan, right,
And I was just thinking about this, like every time
(01:37):
we've had a chance to sneak back into it and
watch the Isotown.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Scoreboard, it doesn't go our way.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
It's just been one of those years where, like you
don't extract a ton of enjoyment from it, and sometimes
you get those seasons for the Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
This year it appears to be that way.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Let's go ahead and get into the pregame checklist here
of things I was looking for going into the game
and whether or not they were satisfactory or checked or exes,
whatever you want to say about that. So I was
first curious about what the offense might look like with
a new quarterback. We've seen this offense with Tua and
it has been pretty much every time that he wasn't
in the lineup a thirty second ranked offense, and some
(02:15):
of the challenges to me were amplified when Tua's regression
returned this or this season became a thing, and the
offense kind of looked like it did with other quarterbacks
in the lineup. With QB one in the lineup, would
it be same or different for quinn Ewers? And I
think it was pretty much the exact same offense. That's
kind of why I think quinn Ewers was an attractive
(02:37):
option for the Miami Dolphins of brass this offseason, running
a similar type of timing mechanism offense with motions and
shifts and a power orsh I should say, a zone
run game mixed in with that back at Texas, and
what more could you have wanted than a fifteen runs
thirteen dropback start in the first half for a rookie
quarterback making his debut as a starter debut is like
(02:59):
dubious when we are tenuous when you think about like
playing back in Cleveland. So if I say it was
his debut, just know that I know he played in
the game in Cleveland, but it was really a nice
mix of some inside power at least a little bit right,
maybe could have used a little bit more, But the
outside run game was clicking, The outside quick game was
in the lineup or in the game plan, i should say,
in the call sheet. And then once you got the
flow of those things working, the middle of the field
(03:21):
passing game that had kind of evaporated over the course
of the first you know, thirteen fourteen games of the
season returned. We saw waddle catching passes and windows and
running full speed. Haven't really seen much of that this year.
Darren Waller catching passes on crossers, are making plays. Greg
Doles has showing grown man strength and run after the catch,
despite one costly fumble that was really the beginning of
(03:43):
the avalanche that happened in that third quarter. But as
far as what the offense looked like, a lot more
of the same. But then also once you had to
get into your drop back game, it was a lot
more of the same, which of course is an issue,
right and this is something we'll talk about here plenty
in the podcast. I was curious how a quarterback making
his starting debut would fair the Quinn commentary here, and
(04:06):
I thought the conviction talk really checked out. He made
a handful of throws in the first half that went incomplete,
or I should say there was two throws that went
incomplete in that first half, but he threw a lot
of them on time and in rhythm. Even if there
was a double clutch or a ball to the wrong shoulder.
You could see the process there for him, which I
think is a great thing to look at and build
(04:26):
on over the three starts that he should be getting here.
We'll see McDaniel mentioned he's leading towards Quinn as the
starter next week. I imagine you probably see him make
a declaration of that at some point this week. If
that's the case, and you saw him start to find
it within the game. I thought his rip late second
quarter to Waller into the second window where he had
to put some sauce on that thing and did it
(04:47):
with the proper zip and authority, that was nice to see.
Then he had a nice rip on a corner to
Wattle who was pretty much wide open. Then another dart
on a crosser to Wattle where he led him into
space for that long catch and run after he got
past the hookbacker, and you look up and he's nine
for eleven in the first half, and I thought the
two misses he had were also available for him in
the passing game. And look, this is a Bengals defense
(05:08):
that ranks thirty second and just about everything. They're one
of the worst defenses statistically of all time. But I
think you saw the conviction and the playing on time,
which is something that Texas I thought wasn't a strength
in Quinn's.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Game, so to see him grow in that area.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And we'll do a lot more on this on the
film review podcast tomorrow, But I thought live watching it
like there was something to work with there for this quarterback.
And there was one instance where I thought he didn't
really see it but still got the ball into that
second window and play convicted. So a sharp half for
the rookie. And then the scramble at the end of
the first half, like that was a scramble for five yards.
(05:43):
The part that most impressed me was the fact that
he got up off of the turf and the next
play was snapped with thirty seconds in the playclock. Nice
urgency there for the rookie to get his team lined
up and get going. Now the second half, the swing
play to start the second half was a difficult call
on Theowies, but after that it kind of became an
avalanche in the wrong direction, right turnover to begin in
(06:04):
the half. Then three consecutive throws that Bengals defenders got
hands on, including one tipped pass that got picked off.
Then it became the true dropback situation part of the game.
And it wasn't like there was a lot of pressure
or him getting hit from multiple angles, but it was
three straight hands on footballs, including a pick a good
pocket to throw from. I liked the conviction, but the
corner was all over him, bats it up for the pick.
(06:25):
He takes a chance to waddle on a similar throw
to the chance he took to Waller on the first
or second drive of the game that was a twenty
four yard completion to Waller, and this one does get
picked off. So some to work with, some to get
better at for quinn Ewers, all things told, not the
worst debut for a Rockie quarterback. I was also tracking
the workloads and the games of the guys that have
been these fringe snap takers for a long time. Dante Trader,
(06:49):
Jalen Wright, Ollie Gordon, Jason Marshall, Junior, Cameron Good.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
They promoted the Owies.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I was just curious to see if there would be
personnel changes from the last few weeks. Minka was down,
so that means that gets bumped into a more significant role.
He winds up running with the big nickel role as
Jason Marshall plays the starting nickel position, So those guys
kind of split that platoon to that position, if you will.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
But more.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Ashton Davis and if em lafanmu right, I wonder if
you see a change on that next week, because Ashton
Davis to me, continued to really struggle this season as
he has for really the first fifteen games. We Sea
was up, Westbrook a Keena down, and that's been something
we've been tracking here as Dolphins fans, as the Dolphins
could by taking Westbrook a Keene off the field, manage
the compensatory pick formula that is supposed to mathematically bring
(07:39):
back a fourth round draft pick in twenty twenty seven.
It's a valuable pick, man, It's a possible top like
one to fifty pick in the draft right there. So
I think when you're out of it, to put a
guy on the shelf who hasn't performed well this year
and get a look at a rookie who had a
really rough day today. I think you do that because
the fourth round pick is more valuable than anything you
can learn on the field over the final two games.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
But we's got some run.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Ali Gordon got the one carry that was only when
he got all day back to the bench after that
for him. Jalen Wright got some run in garbage time duty.
Not a lot of run early on in the game,
So those guys saw some time. And then the usual
rookies that we've seen lots of this year played their football,
and quite frankly, I thought the defensive line had some
really good stuff done in this game before the kind
(08:20):
of thing the turn happened in that third quarter. So
some caveats here and there, but I thought Kenneth Grant,
Zeke Biggers, and Jordan Phillips continue to show you that
they are going to be players in this league for
a long time and hopefully for your Miami Dolphins. I
was also finally curious to get the last check mark
in here the run game. Would it stay attached to blocks?
I'm curious to track after a game where I thought
it was a bit of a struggle and in the
first half it was night and day. I mean ah
(08:42):
Chan was hitting explosives. He had the forty eight yard
touchdown run. There was attachments down the field, hitting a
crack toss run for forty eight yards of the house.
Jalen Wright had a run on a reverse and a
dive lead play up the middle. It just continued to
hit thirteen first half runs. A Chan had sixty eight
yards in the first half, the leak Washington a ten
yard touch do run, but then you get behind by
three scores, so it was not allowed to materialize from there.
(09:04):
But I thought the ability to stay attached to blocks
was a lot better, a lot different in this game
than it was on Monday night. Some game themes here
and look like I'm not blind to what we saw
out there, Like it wasn't good enough. The third quarter
woes continue to bite you in the butt. The effort
on a lot of plays wasn't there. So look, I'm
not naive to what you saw on that field and
(09:28):
what you fans might want from that action. And I
tend to kind of side with you there because to me,
it wasn't an acceptable performance whether or not you're in it,
whether or not you're out of the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Whether it's rookie quarterback.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Much too much got off the rails here for the
Miami Dolphins in this game, and I think it sets
up for important games over the final two because that
can't happen three games in a row. It just can't, right,
So that's what we'll say about that. The game themes
in this one. I thought the Bengals offensive game plan
fit the way this matchup went so well. I mean,
(09:58):
they were exposed gaps in the defense, and sometimes there's
nothing you can do to stop that. Because if you're
gonna play a lot of you know, eighty percent zone coverage,
you're gonna play some soft like shells and keep the
roof on the defense, You're gonna have to have vulnerabilities.
You can't cover every blade of grass with eleven guys,
and what your vulnerabilities typically are in this defense and
most defenses, is the short outside part of the game.
(10:20):
But the Bengals did a good job when they got
some of those looks of taking advantage of one on
ones and got the ball down the field on the perimeter,
and you can send the big bodies, whether it's Jose
Watch or Gasiki down the seam. Once you show the
ability to threaten the perimeter. Once you get those guys
down the seam, then you can start lifting that hook zone.
Then you let the best receiver in football or one
(10:41):
of them, run those incuts. The square ends, the digs,
the dagger concepts where you get that vertical seam and
the number one receiver runs that dig route. It creates
these vacated hook zones where Tyrrel Dotson's running around trying
to figure out who to cover. With an elite quarterback
who sees it and feels it and can manage time
in the pocket when they get that rolling after kind
of going on top of Jack Jones's had a couple
(11:02):
of times, there's not much you can do to stop it.
And that's what I've been saying for so long on
this show, and it's kind of changed this year. Is
an elite offense when it's clicking, like Dan Marino had
it going back in the eighties and nineties, when Peyton
Manning had it going back in the early two thousands,
when Tom Brady had it going for thirty five friggin years,
when Joe Burrows got it going, when Tua and the
(11:22):
Dolphins offense had it going in twenty two and twenty three.
There's not much you can do to stop it when
it's going that good, and we saw that in this game.
They got joseavash on a two way go situation on
Jason Marshall on the slot to move the chains on
third and one, and it's easy as you like, pitching
catch for twenty one yards. With that same concept, they
put Higgins and Chase on the outside and let him
go to work out there against one on one coverage.
(11:44):
They began to attack that the overplay the results of
those completions over and over again, which again the area
of the scheme invites the short stuff to the outside,
throwing it underneath those cloud corners, and Rasul Douglas was
on top of it early in the game, kind of
closing down, reading, anticipating and driving on some passes and
making plays that way. But tip of the cap to
(12:05):
the Bengals offense for finding what they could get and
capitalizing on all those third core turnovers. Miami had four
turnovers in the third quarter, one on downs, one fumble,
two interceptions, and the Bengals just kept attacking what was
working in Miami's defense had no answers and quite frankly
looked like they kind of threw the towel there in
that third quarter. So Bengals offensive game plan set up
a script to blow us out in the second half.
(12:26):
The second theme was the Dolphins offense displaying balance and
dominance to the point of attack and the catchpoint until
they didn't. And that was the case last week too.
Tail of two halfs for this football team, which has
been the case for this football team for years now.
And you got angry Mike McDaniel at the press conference
the podium at his postgame press conference because he too
couldn't really see through the red of what they experienced
(12:46):
in that third quarter. But in the first half, there
was surge, there was movement, there was downfield connectivity in
the passing game, there was some building easy throws for
the rookie quarterback and when he had to make dropback
throws on third and mediums, he had been get and
the support from the surrounding cast. Darren Waller two third
down catches on balls that were off of his frame. Right,
he was nine for eleven, but that kind of prayer
(13:07):
throw on the first drive he threw a speed out
to Waller on one of the later drives. That was
way off frame when he caught that one, and then
he kind of got warmed up on that second touchdown drive.
Miami's balance exploiting those young Bengals linebackers misdirection. We saw
both Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter kind of out of
position in this game, which was a big key for
me going into it, and it all played together as
(13:27):
they took a fourteen to ten lead. This was a
forty five to fourteen game. The Bengals scored five straight
touchdowns unanswered in this game at one point, and when
you punch him in the mouth, it opens up the
wide running game, it opens up the passing game inside
off that play action game. It's a well coordated symphony.
And the Dolphins found it after the first drive, but
got away from the second half because well, that's kind.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Of who they've proven to be.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Once we have the kind of wrinkle off of the
opening script game plan. The Bengals had that same concept
and they just kept adjusting and kept attacking and kept
going going. Miami hasn't had that for a while now.
I mean, you know, I talked about in the podcast
last week eighth in EPA per play offensively in the
first half of games, going back to twenty twenty two,
(14:09):
twenty second in the second half of games.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
It's a tough way to make a living.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Even in some of the games they would blow teams out,
like the Houston Texans game back in twenty twenty two.
That game was with thirty to nothing at halftime, and
it ends like thirty three to fifteen, like it's been
a thing for a while now, and you saw it
play out in this game and the second half struggles.
I mean, the stats this season had just been stark man,
you know since twenty twenty two. We entered this game
four and twenty two when trailing at halftime, it was
(14:35):
a seventeen to fourteen deficit, and again nothing new offensively,
the EPA p per half breakdown, and that includes two
years as a top five offense. But he began the
same way, right, But the offense goes three and out
a fumble on third down play. The Bengals take it
down the field and score in five plays where the
tackling and the angles of attack and the want to
to disengagement blocks wasn't really there. And after that you
(14:57):
had wondered, how might the scoreboard you know, Dick, take
the game plan. Look, they're seven and a half minutes
to play in the third quarter, you're down by ten points,
and it's pass pass, pass, two batted balls, then a
pick and it was over after that, right and after
the third quarter, after just a cavalcade of Bengals dominance.
The Dolphins end of the third quarter today with a
(15:18):
negative sixty five point differential in that quarter, that's the
worst in the NFL this season, and a negative seven
hundred and twenty three yardage discrepancy in that third quarter.
That's second worst in football. And it was the same
win on the winning streak the Saints game. It turned
out that way. The Commander's game, it went that way.
The Jets kind of got some stuff going a little
bit in the second half. The Ravens blew the doors
(15:39):
off the Dolphins in the second half. So it's been
an issue all year long, and McDaniel certainly felt that
it was something they need to get fixed here in
the final two games of the season.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
As we all do.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Let's go ahead and take a break right there, come
back and break down the critical moments. We'll talk about
the standouts and stand downs and do five takeaways all
that next Draft Time podcast brought to you by AutoNation.
Second segment here a Sunday night recap episode Dolphins Fall
forty five, twenty one to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. And
you know, I'm always trying to find ways to improve
(16:09):
the show and make some tweaks and changes. Those diehard
fans of the podcast know that a change from what
it was last year. I totally remade the model of
this and I'm happy with where it's been in twenty
twenty five. But I think on the critical Moments breakdown,
I kind of got too bogged down on just third
down attempts, so changed that today to make it more
reflective of the biggest moments of the game. And perhaps
this should get bumped up ahead of some of the
(16:30):
other segments as well. We'll tinker with that here in
the coming weeks on the off season, but here for me,
the third down stop on the opening Bengals drive was
a Zach Sealer sack. He aligns as a four eye
technique that's on the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle,
and he runs what he always runs when he gets sacks,
the pick stunt as Bradley Chubb playing that six technique
right off of his right Chubb or rather Sealer essentially
(16:53):
just splits the tackle in the guard, but he does
it in a way that you want to bump the
tackle and try to kind of really get him off
of his spot, and it creates that loop and window
for Bradley Chubb to work back around. But Steeler's so
good at it that he knocks those guys off balance.
He stays on balance, angles back to the quarterback, and
he winds up dumping Joe Burrow. He's got four and
a half sacks in three weeks. Three of those sacks
(17:15):
are on pick stunts. I asked Weaver about that. I
couldn't find the quote. It wasn't available to me when
I looked for it.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
But he talked about the.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Time on task with these younger players and playing together
and how it can improve past rush games. And you've
seen that play out here over the final over the
last couple of weeks. So I think that with Steeler
and the young guys is something to kind of to
think about going into the offseason if you want to
hang your hat on a positive. T Higgins at the
catch point on the Bengals first touchdown drive.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Jack Jones.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
I think he's had a great year for US, A
good year for US, I should say, But he had
a tough matchup today and it was one of those
Jimmy and Joe's versus X's and O's. Just throw it
high and away and he's not going to compete and
rebound against a guy that has, you know, five inches
of height on him and some of the best ball
skills in the league. He high points a thirty five
yard play to open the drive and scores in a
back shoulder throw on a nine yard touchdown to close
the drive. Makes it seven to seven eight Chan No,
(18:04):
ten to seven, right, yeah eight. Chan goes for forty
eight yards in the first quarter. A well coordinated, executed,
explosive touchdown run for one of the game's best players,
led by one of the best players in the league,
also in aarn Brewer and Brewer on this play seals
and finishes a block fifteen yards down the field. It
was all pro stuff from your should be all pro
center Patrick Paul climbs up and wives out the sam
(18:25):
linebacker Jonas andvit Yanaia overtakes the three technique and seals him.
Jillen Waddle cracks the force defender and Alec Ingle gets
a kickout block and eight Chan does the rest. As
Miami takes a lead in the first quarter. Rasuell Douglas
another third down stop the end of the first quarter
for him man same as the opening drive. He falls
into the cloud position and drives on that route before
(18:46):
the quarterback throws it makes a play short of the sticks.
He had four plays in the game at that point,
and he has just been He's been awesome. I think
he's been a really good player this year. And I
would say that a cornerback gets on the wrong side
of thirty who you think doesn't have much left in
the tank, he's got He's got more ball ahead of him,
in my opinion. Joe Burrow gets sacked on a second
nine with six point forty to play in the second quarter,
(19:07):
and this is a Kenneth Grant and Chop Robinson gap
discipline and off script sack.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
We're here.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
The play exhibits the further growth of Kenneth Grant, who
I thought had some more reps in this game, where
he is showing you what he can be when he.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Realizes his full potential.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
He attacks the right shoulder, he's the nose tackles zero
technique head up over the center, and Chop is condensed
into a three technique position, a spot he almost never plays,
so they're trying to get more run with him at
different spots. But Kenneth Grant's entire job here because they're
gonna blitz Tyrel Dotson in the a gap off of
his right, so he wants to attack the right shoulder
of the center and open that a gap to that
(19:42):
side and really threaten that with pass rush, and he
does it. The center has to get all the way
over to pick it up. It creates a lane for
Tyrel Dotson to run down the alley, and then from
there Kenneth Grant, because he has put so much stress
and gotten the balance out of whack for that center,
is able to disengage the block and go attack the
quarterback with Chop Robinson and who also gets off his block,
and Joe Burrow runs right into both of them for
(20:03):
a half sack apiece. So good rushing integrity, and in
that first half, with the balance of the offense and
the way the defense is rushing the quarterback, it felt
like Miami might have a chance in this game, but
then they would not get to that point. But before that, though,
they took a lead fourteen to ten with a second
touchdown drive in the first half. A thing of beauty,
a good mix of run and pass, but the spacing
(20:23):
and the passing game with the crossers, a little post
corner from Waddle for a twenty two yard completion, then
going to work on misdirection, taking advantage of the best
center in football. Jermon bush Rod in the press box
is raving about this next to me, about the patience
that Brewer has on the Malak touchdown and a round
touchdown run where he gets penetration from the zero technique
(20:44):
over the center and just is patient and holds him
off and prevents further penetration. And then once he sees
its time to go, like ditches him because you're not
gonna get them leak from that position anyways, ditches him
and gets out wide, locates the forced defender, stays inside,
widens the block and gives Malik a cutback angle to
get a touchdown run. Bengals answer back from third to
(21:04):
ten at the plus thirty eight forty three to play
in the half. We had the pressure, but Burrow just
makes one of those eyes in the back of his
head type of plays, one of the one just off
from Lake Willis last night, by the way, and finds
his release valve who was on the other side of
the formation behind of walla bodies running away from him.
Just a crazy improvisational play from Burrow to get the
Bengals back into a touchdown or into a series that
(21:27):
was about to be a sack and maybe out of
field goal range into a first down.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
It becomes a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
They take a seventeen to fourteen lead, and then the
Dolphins get it back in the third quarter, down by three,
rather down by ten at this point because the Greg
Dulsitch fumble after the Theoiz offensive pass interference was actually
where I want to start here. So Weiz has this
natural rub to spring eight chan but you see him
like attack the middle linebacker and then runs out of
(21:53):
his way and the middle linebacker runs into Wise and
he gets the flag drawn for OPI. McDaniel was pretty
hid after the fact about it, and yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
You can see why.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
But Greg dolsuch is catching fumble on the next play,
and you have the biggest momentum swing of the entire game.
In turns of win probability. You go from a possible
because Han had like a forty yard game up to
like the Bengals thirty yard line or something to that effect,
and it turns into a Greg Dolsitge fumble and the
Bengals now have it and plus territory. So you go
from a three point game in scoring range to a
three point game where the Bengals have it in scoring range.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
And then that's when the wheels fell off.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
That's when Jordan Poyer's famous comment about the Dolphins and
once you get him down, you can kind of bury him.
And Mike McDaniel talked about this in his post game
The response mechanism from the team wasn't where it needs
to be. And I'm like, that's how it's been the
whole time. I mean, you go back to a lot
of the big games. I'll never forget, you know, the
twenty twenty two West Coast swing the Chargers and the
Bills and the Niners, like zero to three in those games,
(22:49):
the twenty twenty three Week four against the Bills after
a seventy point output, the forty eight to twenty a blowout,
the Chiefs game in Germany, a chance to possibly get
into the mix for the one seed, and it's one
nothing by the halftime break. The Ravens game, a chance
to really solidify the one seed going into Week eighteen
fifty six to nineteen.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
The ensuing Buffalo game. You lose that one as well.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
The Buffalo game in the next year in twenty twenty four,
thirty one to ten. Going into the fourth quarter of
that game, you get back into things and you play
the Packers thirty seventeen. That game was thirty to three
at one point. So it's just as it's been this way,
right and you saw it in this game. It was
turnover Cincce Night touchdown, turnover, Cincinnati touchdown, turnover, Cincinnati touchdown, turnover,
(23:30):
Cincinnati touchdown, and before you could look up, it was
forty five to fourteen. So it's a theme that you
don't love, but it's a theme that you've had to
accept here over a couple of years. And you've said
to this today as the Dolphins lose forty five to
twenty one to the Bengals, let's go ahead and take
our last break right there. Come back on the other side,
talk about the standouts and stand downs and five big
picture takeaways from this loss. That's Next Draft Time podcast
(23:53):
brought to you by AutoNation. A lot of these individual
standouts come from the first half of the game because
that's when it was going well. After that, not so much,
But I thought devon a Chan continues to find creases.
That crack toss play that almost got cut down for
a loss. He makes a couple of guys miss and
goes for forty eight yards.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Just every game man, all.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Game, with the opportunities, continues to find creases and find yards.
He's special man. He is certainly special.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Aaron Brewer.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
This some of the blocks you can hit, some of
the calls you can make with him, that patience in
the fifteen yard wall off down the field, hits that
block and finishes it. I always tell you guys how
hard it is to evaluate offensive line play live at
the stadium.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
But every time I.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Watch fifty five, after a play, he's throwing somebody on
the ground. So he has that finishing mentality, the elite
athletic ability. He is everything about an All Pro center
of this year in my opinion. Darren Waller, a couple
of plays on third and six is one for twenty
four catching a prayer of a throw and another ball
that was way on the inside shoulder that had to
go back over a defender reaches over him and snatches
it for a first down. Couple more plays for Waller
(24:56):
in this game. He balled out in this one. Jille
and Waddle in the first quarter could have had like
sixty some yards, but he was missed on a comeback
route that was wide open. He also had a corner
route that both went to the wrong Both those balls
went to the wrong shoulder, but he caught that little
wrap on the inside slat caught a crosser for a
big catch and run got open on the corner route.
Jillian Watta had five for seventy two in this game.
I think he could add one hundred yards with a
(25:18):
few more better throws in this one. Defensively, Rasul Douglas,
the eyes and the physicality makes such a good fit
in this defense. Two run stuffs in the first drive,
broken up pass anticipating a hook zone throw from the
zone turn firing off his spot before Burrow let it go.
He is outstanding. I thought Kenneth Grant played really well.
I broke down his sack, but he just continues to
get under guys. And kind of drive them with leverage
(25:39):
and pad level. It's been fun to watch his growth
this year. Jordan Brooks, he got caught in a couple
of rough spots in coverage, But how about that coverage
rep Twenty five yards down field of Mike Gasicki where
he dives and damn near gets an interception. I mean,
he also had multiple ailments on the injury report this week,
was questionable to play, didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday. Plays
in a game that doesn't mean anything outside of the
(26:00):
the team obviously meet things that means something, but as
far as playoff consideration goes, and he just covers twenty
five yards down the field on the tight end, makes
a tackle in pursuit on an insane Joe Burrow twenty
seven yard ex extension play. I just love everything about
this guy, and I would build my entire program around
the way Jordan Brooks.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Is and operates.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Stan Downs, I thought quinn ewers up and down, but
he was kind of the one guy in here, I thought, struggled.
I'll get to the tape tomorrow and give you some
more on this, because I'm not really sure on the
offensive line, tight ends and receivers in the blocking game.
Who was and who wasn't great in this one. Defensively,
Jack Jones just didn't make plays in the football.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
He was in a good position. But Tie Higgins got
the best women in this game.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Jason Marshall Junior, I thought I had some tough asks
and didn't really answer the bell on those. Tyrel Dotson
not finding buys in the hook zone and coverage is
a kind of a week to week thing with this guy.
But he shot the wrong gap on the Bengal second
touchdown as well. Just some up and down play there
from Dotson, but he too, Jones I thought got washed
down on the touchdown run after the first turnover. He's
been kind of replacing the rotation but still gets some reps.
(26:57):
But he gets bounced out a lot in those plays.
As Davis the prayer chase to Jamar chase thirty one
to fourteen game, Jack Jones is there, the safety coming
over the top, tried to like bracket and double him.
He runs through the bracket, then Davis just like runs
by the play. It's been kind of similar that way
all year. Stealer had that ny sack on the pick stump,
but had some really rough reps in this game, and
the same was the case with Quinton Bell. I thought
(27:20):
my five big picture takeaways Number one, halftime and the
third quarter is where this team has struggled to figure
out who they are all year, but really for almost
a half decade now, I mean, it's been an unfortunate theme.
The numbers on both sides of the ball have not
been good, even over the winning streak. The record over
the last four years when trolling at halftime is four
and twenty two. We had the ball in a three
point deficit and go turnover touchdown. I covered it already
(27:44):
forty five fourteen the next time you look up, and
after it became a two score game, three straight dropbacks,
all three got tipped the Chase Brown run, Like there
was not a lot of effort on that play. The
first three drives were lost, four drives lost, fumble, interception,
turnover on downs, interception again and again the defense just
kind of checked out. I thought on that Chase Brown
(28:04):
touchdown run number two was the concerning you know, want
to on those drives. I mean, the offensive attack doing
what it always does doesn't surprise me, but I didn't
love seeing the defense kind of saying like forget this
on the Chase Brown touchdown run. You could see it's
on the tape. And they also just attacked our weaknesses
with no resistance, getting those perimeter shots, and the big
(28:25):
receivers versus smaller cornerbacks getting those inside matchups with two
way goes, finally stopping the run, getting lop set out
on the scoreboard. It just got ugly in that third
quarter number three. I thought quinn Ewers showed that he
has some stuff to work with. Nothing crazy. I mean,
I know his pass writing wasn't very good, but I'm
not much for stats and telling you about the results
of the game. I thought quinn Ewers showed some stuff
in this game. Good conviction on the middle of the field,
(28:47):
timing strikes which had sort of disappeared from an offense
that thrived on them for years, a nice dart on
a few of those throws. He missed a few, of
course every quarterback does, but he showed some good feel
and quicks getting off the spot. I love the operation
getting back to the line scrimmage on that scramble after
the two minute drill. I do think we'll get to
the tape and see how soft this Bengals defense is
because it's one of the worst statistically of all time.
(29:08):
But I'm still encouraged what I saw. I think two
more of those games could put him in the mixed
next season, probably not to be the favorite, but in
the mix in the quarterback room.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Now. The third quarter was as ugly as it.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Gets, and I don't think it's indicative.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Of how he played.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
I just thought, you know, just as I thought some
of the plays in the first half that he kind
of got lucky on, it kind of went the other
way back on him and it all evened out in
that third quarter.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Number four.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
I do think there is something to say about the
improvement of the pass rush and Zach Seeler and the
pass rush games and the connectivity up front, because Joe
Burrow is tough to get and he made some plays.
But you also saw another pick stunt have an impact.
You saw Kenneth Grant have a great rush to open
up a lane on a delay blitz or green dog
blitz by Tygrell Dotts and then disengage. It was one play,
(29:52):
and sure they made their plays, the Bengals did, but
you've seen it a few times over the last few weeks.
And I think with KG, Biggers and JP continue to
find the rhythm in this league the rest of the
way and into twenty twenty six is something to possibly
look at as a big jump forward for the Dolphins
next season, and then the fifth takeaways off of that,
there is no juice off the edge right now, and
(30:13):
your fore man rushes are just wanting in a big way.
We've done a good job getting pressure through games and
pick stunts and twists and blitz and sim pressures, but
you trade away Jalen Phillips and the four man pass
rush just has really no juice to it, whether it's
Chubb or Chop. Judon got cut because of his performances
last week. You know, Cam Good, Quentin bell I didn't
think had ad a good showing, but just across the board,
(30:34):
Man Burrow was able to evade and create and do
his thing. Because I think Miami's one of the biggest
offseason needs is gonna be finding a pass rusher and
it's tough to find those guys, so that'll be a
big to do this offseason. All right, there you go,
let's get out of here, go home and call to day.
We'll be back on the film review podcast tomorrow. We're
gonna have a different week this week. We'll have a
Wednesday podcast that is kind of a midweek show, then
(30:56):
no show Thursday. We'll have the Bucks preview on Friday
after Christmas. So we'll be with you guys up until then.
But you guys all please be sure to subscribe to
the podcast, leave us a rating, leave us a review.
You can follow me on social at Monville, NFL, the
team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the YouTube channel for
Dolphins HQ, Media availabilities, and so much more, and last
but not least, Miami Dolphins dot com.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Until next time, fins up, Caroline, Cameron and Willow. Daddy
is coming home.
This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
What is up Dolphins and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast.
I am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show,
a tough showing as the Bengals blow out the Fins
forty five to twenty one here at hard Rock Stadium.
We'll tell you how the game got there. We'll go
through the pregame checklist, the themes, the story of the game,
the standouts, to takeaways, all of that and more from
the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.
(00:33):
This is the Draft Time Podcast. The story of the
game was the third quarter undid a really inspired first
half performance, as it kind of has for the entire
season and going back a few years now. Quite frankly,
the Dolphins had ideal balance and enough pressure in plays
to get a dynamic offense off the field a few
(00:54):
times in the first half, but it all came crashing
down when that balance was reduced because of four to
third quarter turnovers, some bad tackling, not such great effort
on a few plays, bad rush lane contained in that
third quarter which bled over into the fourth, and the
game got completely away from the Miami Dolphins. It was
seventeen fourteen Dolphins football at the minus forty yard line
(01:16):
with a buck forty to play in the second quarter.
By thirteen thirty two in the fourth quarter, it was
forty five fourteen and the game was pretty much over.
And it's just kind of been that type of season
for the Miami Dolphins. Like obviously being six and nine
after a two and seven start as well doesn't bring
a lot of moments to cheer about as a fan, right,
And I was just thinking about this, like every time
(01:37):
we've had a chance to sneak back into it and
watch the Isotown.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Scoreboard, it doesn't go our way.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
It's just been one of those years where, like you
don't extract a ton of enjoyment from it, and sometimes
you get those seasons for the Miami Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
This year it appears to be that way.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Let's go ahead and get into the pregame checklist here
of things I was looking for going into the game
and whether or not they were satisfactory or checked or exes,
whatever you want to say about that. So I was
first curious about what the offense might look like with
a new quarterback. We've seen this offense with Tua and
it has been pretty much every time that he wasn't
in the lineup a thirty second ranked offense, and some
(02:15):
of the challenges to me were amplified when Tua's regression
returned this or this season became a thing, and the
offense kind of looked like it did with other quarterbacks
in the lineup. With QB one in the lineup, would
it be same or different for quinn Ewers? And I
think it was pretty much the exact same offense. That's
kind of why I think quinn Ewers was an attractive
(02:37):
option for the Miami Dolphins of brass this offseason, running
a similar type of timing mechanism offense with motions and
shifts and a power orsh I should say, a zone
run game mixed in with that back at Texas, and
what more could you have wanted than a fifteen runs
thirteen dropback start in the first half for a rookie
quarterback making his debut as a starter debut is like
(02:59):
dubious when we are tenuous when you think about like
playing back in Cleveland. So if I say it was
his debut, just know that I know he played in
the game in Cleveland, but it was really a nice
mix of some inside power at least a little bit right,
maybe could have used a little bit more, But the
outside run game was clicking, The outside quick game was
in the lineup or in the game plan, i should say,
in the call sheet. And then once you got the
flow of those things working, the middle of the field
(03:21):
passing game that had kind of evaporated over the course
of the first you know, thirteen fourteen games of the
season returned. We saw waddle catching passes and windows and
running full speed. Haven't really seen much of that this year.
Darren Waller catching passes on crossers, are making plays. Greg
Doles has showing grown man strength and run after the catch,
despite one costly fumble that was really the beginning of
(03:43):
the avalanche that happened in that third quarter. But as
far as what the offense looked like, a lot more
of the same. But then also once you had to
get into your drop back game, it was a lot
more of the same, which of course is an issue,
right and this is something we'll talk about here plenty
in the podcast. I was curious how a quarterback making
his starting debut would fair the Quinn commentary here, and
(04:06):
I thought the conviction talk really checked out. He made
a handful of throws in the first half that went incomplete,
or I should say there was two throws that went
incomplete in that first half, but he threw a lot
of them on time and in rhythm. Even if there
was a double clutch or a ball to the wrong shoulder.
You could see the process there for him, which I
think is a great thing to look at and build
(04:26):
on over the three starts that he should be getting here.
We'll see McDaniel mentioned he's leading towards Quinn as the
starter next week. I imagine you probably see him make
a declaration of that at some point this week. If
that's the case, and you saw him start to find
it within the game. I thought his rip late second
quarter to Waller into the second window where he had
to put some sauce on that thing and did it
(04:47):
with the proper zip and authority, that was nice to see.
Then he had a nice rip on a corner to
Wattle who was pretty much wide open. Then another dart
on a crosser to Wattle where he led him into
space for that long catch and run after he got
past the hookbacker, and you look up and he's nine
for eleven in the first half, and I thought the
two misses he had were also available for him in
the passing game. And look, this is a Bengals defense
(05:08):
that ranks thirty second and just about everything. They're one
of the worst defenses statistically of all time. But I
think you saw the conviction and the playing on time,
which is something that Texas I thought wasn't a strength
in Quinn's.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Game, so to see him grow in that area.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And we'll do a lot more on this on the
film review podcast tomorrow, But I thought live watching it
like there was something to work with there for this quarterback.
And there was one instance where I thought he didn't
really see it but still got the ball into that
second window and play convicted. So a sharp half for
the rookie. And then the scramble at the end of
the first half, like that was a scramble for five yards.
(05:43):
The part that most impressed me was the fact that
he got up off of the turf and the next
play was snapped with thirty seconds in the playclock. Nice
urgency there for the rookie to get his team lined
up and get going. Now the second half, the swing
play to start the second half was a difficult call
on Theowies, but after that it kind of became an
avalanche in the wrong direction, right turnover to begin in
(06:04):
the half. Then three consecutive throws that Bengals defenders got
hands on, including one tipped pass that got picked off.
Then it became the true dropback situation part of the game.
And it wasn't like there was a lot of pressure
or him getting hit from multiple angles, but it was
three straight hands on footballs, including a pick a good
pocket to throw from. I liked the conviction, but the
corner was all over him, bats it up for the pick.
(06:25):
He takes a chance to waddle on a similar throw
to the chance he took to Waller on the first
or second drive of the game that was a twenty
four yard completion to Waller, and this one does get
picked off. So some to work with, some to get
better at for quinn Ewers, all things told, not the
worst debut for a Rockie quarterback. I was also tracking
the workloads and the games of the guys that have
been these fringe snap takers for a long time. Dante Trader,
(06:49):
Jalen Wright, Ollie Gordon, Jason Marshall, Junior, Cameron Good.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
They promoted the Owies.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I was just curious to see if there would be
personnel changes from the last few weeks. Minka was down,
so that means that gets bumped into a more significant role.
He winds up running with the big nickel role as
Jason Marshall plays the starting nickel position, So those guys
kind of split that platoon to that position, if you will.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
But more.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Ashton Davis and if em lafanmu right, I wonder if
you see a change on that next week, because Ashton
Davis to me, continued to really struggle this season as
he has for really the first fifteen games. We Sea
was up, Westbrook a Keena down, and that's been something
we've been tracking here as Dolphins fans, as the Dolphins
could by taking Westbrook a Keene off the field, manage
the compensatory pick formula that is supposed to mathematically bring
(07:39):
back a fourth round draft pick in twenty twenty seven.
It's a valuable pick, man, It's a possible top like
one to fifty pick in the draft right there. So
I think when you're out of it, to put a
guy on the shelf who hasn't performed well this year
and get a look at a rookie who had a
really rough day today. I think you do that because
the fourth round pick is more valuable than anything you
can learn on the field over the final two games.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
But we's got some run.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Ali Gordon got the one carry that was only when
he got all day back to the bench after that
for him. Jalen Wright got some run in garbage time duty.
Not a lot of run early on in the game,
So those guys saw some time. And then the usual
rookies that we've seen lots of this year played their football,
and quite frankly, I thought the defensive line had some
really good stuff done in this game before the kind
(08:20):
of thing the turn happened in that third quarter. So
some caveats here and there, but I thought Kenneth Grant,
Zeke Biggers, and Jordan Phillips continue to show you that
they are going to be players in this league for
a long time and hopefully for your Miami Dolphins. I
was also finally curious to get the last check mark
in here the run game. Would it stay attached to blocks?
I'm curious to track after a game where I thought
it was a bit of a struggle and in the
first half it was night and day. I mean ah
(08:42):
Chan was hitting explosives. He had the forty eight yard
touchdown run. There was attachments down the field, hitting a
crack toss run for forty eight yards of the house.
Jalen Wright had a run on a reverse and a
dive lead play up the middle. It just continued to
hit thirteen first half runs. A Chan had sixty eight
yards in the first half, the leak Washington a ten
yard touch do run, but then you get behind by
three scores, so it was not allowed to materialize from there.
(09:04):
But I thought the ability to stay attached to blocks
was a lot better, a lot different in this game
than it was on Monday night. Some game themes here
and look like I'm not blind to what we saw
out there, Like it wasn't good enough. The third quarter
woes continue to bite you in the butt. The effort
on a lot of plays wasn't there. So look, I'm
not naive to what you saw on that field and
(09:28):
what you fans might want from that action. And I
tend to kind of side with you there because to me,
it wasn't an acceptable performance whether or not you're in it,
whether or not you're out of the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Whether it's rookie quarterback.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Much too much got off the rails here for the
Miami Dolphins in this game, and I think it sets
up for important games over the final two because that
can't happen three games in a row. It just can't, right,
So that's what we'll say about that. The game themes
in this one. I thought the Bengals offensive game plan
fit the way this matchup went so well. I mean,
(09:58):
they were exposed gaps in the defense, and sometimes there's
nothing you can do to stop that. Because if you're
gonna play a lot of you know, eighty percent zone coverage,
you're gonna play some soft like shells and keep the
roof on the defense, You're gonna have to have vulnerabilities.
You can't cover every blade of grass with eleven guys,
and what your vulnerabilities typically are in this defense and
most defenses, is the short outside part of the game.
(10:20):
But the Bengals did a good job when they got
some of those looks of taking advantage of one on
ones and got the ball down the field on the perimeter,
and you can send the big bodies, whether it's Jose
Watch or Gasiki down the seam. Once you show the
ability to threaten the perimeter. Once you get those guys
down the seam, then you can start lifting that hook zone.
Then you let the best receiver in football or one
(10:41):
of them, run those incuts. The square ends, the digs,
the dagger concepts where you get that vertical seam and
the number one receiver runs that dig route. It creates
these vacated hook zones where Tyrrel Dotson's running around trying
to figure out who to cover. With an elite quarterback
who sees it and feels it and can manage time
in the pocket when they get that rolling after kind
of going on top of Jack Jones's had a couple
(11:02):
of times, there's not much you can do to stop it.
And that's what I've been saying for so long on
this show, and it's kind of changed this year. Is
an elite offense when it's clicking, like Dan Marino had
it going back in the eighties and nineties, when Peyton
Manning had it going back in the early two thousands,
when Tom Brady had it going for thirty five friggin years,
when Joe Burrows got it going, when Tua and the
(11:22):
Dolphins offense had it going in twenty two and twenty three.
There's not much you can do to stop it when
it's going that good, and we saw that in this game.
They got joseavash on a two way go situation on
Jason Marshall on the slot to move the chains on
third and one, and it's easy as you like, pitching
catch for twenty one yards. With that same concept, they
put Higgins and Chase on the outside and let him
go to work out there against one on one coverage.
(11:44):
They began to attack that the overplay the results of
those completions over and over again, which again the area
of the scheme invites the short stuff to the outside,
throwing it underneath those cloud corners, and Rasul Douglas was
on top of it early in the game, kind of
closing down, reading, anticipating and driving on some passes and
making plays that way. But tip of the cap to
(12:05):
the Bengals offense for finding what they could get and
capitalizing on all those third core turnovers. Miami had four
turnovers in the third quarter, one on downs, one fumble,
two interceptions, and the Bengals just kept attacking what was
working in Miami's defense had no answers and quite frankly
looked like they kind of threw the towel there in
that third quarter. So Bengals offensive game plan set up
a script to blow us out in the second half.
(12:26):
The second theme was the Dolphins offense displaying balance and
dominance to the point of attack and the catchpoint until
they didn't. And that was the case last week too.
Tail of two halfs for this football team, which has
been the case for this football team for years now.
And you got angry Mike McDaniel at the press conference
the podium at his postgame press conference because he too
couldn't really see through the red of what they experienced
(12:46):
in that third quarter. But in the first half, there
was surge, there was movement, there was downfield connectivity in
the passing game, there was some building easy throws for
the rookie quarterback and when he had to make dropback
throws on third and mediums, he had been get and
the support from the surrounding cast. Darren Waller two third
down catches on balls that were off of his frame. Right,
he was nine for eleven, but that kind of prayer
(13:07):
throw on the first drive he threw a speed out
to Waller on one of the later drives. That was
way off frame when he caught that one, and then
he kind of got warmed up on that second touchdown drive.
Miami's balance exploiting those young Bengals linebackers misdirection. We saw
both Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter kind of out of
position in this game, which was a big key for
me going into it, and it all played together as
(13:27):
they took a fourteen to ten lead. This was a
forty five to fourteen game. The Bengals scored five straight
touchdowns unanswered in this game at one point, and when
you punch him in the mouth, it opens up the
wide running game, it opens up the passing game inside
off that play action game. It's a well coordated symphony.
And the Dolphins found it after the first drive, but
got away from the second half because well, that's kind.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Of who they've proven to be.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Once we have the kind of wrinkle off of the
opening script game plan. The Bengals had that same concept
and they just kept adjusting and kept attacking and kept
going going. Miami hasn't had that for a while now.
I mean, you know, I talked about in the podcast
last week eighth in EPA per play offensively in the
first half of games, going back to twenty twenty two,
(14:09):
twenty second in the second half of games.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
It's a tough way to make a living.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Even in some of the games they would blow teams out,
like the Houston Texans game back in twenty twenty two.
That game was with thirty to nothing at halftime, and
it ends like thirty three to fifteen, like it's been
a thing for a while now, and you saw it
play out in this game and the second half struggles.
I mean, the stats this season had just been stark man,
you know since twenty twenty two. We entered this game
four and twenty two when trailing at halftime, it was
(14:35):
a seventeen to fourteen deficit, and again nothing new offensively,
the EPA p per half breakdown, and that includes two
years as a top five offense. But he began the
same way, right, But the offense goes three and out
a fumble on third down play. The Bengals take it
down the field and score in five plays where the
tackling and the angles of attack and the want to
to disengagement blocks wasn't really there. And after that you
(14:57):
had wondered, how might the scoreboard you know, Dick, take
the game plan. Look, they're seven and a half minutes
to play in the third quarter, you're down by ten points,
and it's pass pass, pass, two batted balls, then a
pick and it was over after that, right and after
the third quarter, after just a cavalcade of Bengals dominance.
The Dolphins end of the third quarter today with a
(15:18):
negative sixty five point differential in that quarter, that's the
worst in the NFL this season, and a negative seven
hundred and twenty three yardage discrepancy in that third quarter.
That's second worst in football. And it was the same
win on the winning streak the Saints game. It turned
out that way. The Commander's game, it went that way.
The Jets kind of got some stuff going a little
bit in the second half. The Ravens blew the doors
(15:39):
off the Dolphins in the second half. So it's been
an issue all year long, and McDaniel certainly felt that
it was something they need to get fixed here in
the final two games of the season.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
As we all do.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Let's go ahead and take a break right there, come
back and break down the critical moments. We'll talk about
the standouts and stand downs and do five takeaways all
that next Draft Time podcast brought to you by AutoNation.
Second segment here a Sunday night recap episode Dolphins Fall
forty five, twenty one to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. And
you know, I'm always trying to find ways to improve
(16:09):
the show and make some tweaks and changes. Those diehard
fans of the podcast know that a change from what
it was last year. I totally remade the model of
this and I'm happy with where it's been in twenty
twenty five. But I think on the critical Moments breakdown,
I kind of got too bogged down on just third
down attempts, so changed that today to make it more
reflective of the biggest moments of the game. And perhaps
this should get bumped up ahead of some of the
(16:30):
other segments as well. We'll tinker with that here in
the coming weeks on the off season, but here for me,
the third down stop on the opening Bengals drive was
a Zach Sealer sack. He aligns as a four eye
technique that's on the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle,
and he runs what he always runs when he gets sacks,
the pick stunt as Bradley Chubb playing that six technique
right off of his right Chubb or rather Sealer essentially
(16:53):
just splits the tackle in the guard, but he does
it in a way that you want to bump the
tackle and try to kind of really get him off
of his spot, and it creates that loop and window
for Bradley Chubb to work back around. But Steeler's so
good at it that he knocks those guys off balance.
He stays on balance, angles back to the quarterback, and
he winds up dumping Joe Burrow. He's got four and
a half sacks in three weeks. Three of those sacks
(17:15):
are on pick stunts. I asked Weaver about that. I
couldn't find the quote. It wasn't available to me when
I looked for it.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
But he talked about the.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Time on task with these younger players and playing together
and how it can improve past rush games. And you've
seen that play out here over the final over the
last couple of weeks. So I think that with Steeler
and the young guys is something to kind of to
think about going into the offseason if you want to
hang your hat on a positive. T Higgins at the
catch point on the Bengals first touchdown drive.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Jack Jones.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
I think he's had a great year for US, A
good year for US, I should say, But he had
a tough matchup today and it was one of those
Jimmy and Joe's versus X's and O's. Just throw it
high and away and he's not going to compete and
rebound against a guy that has, you know, five inches
of height on him and some of the best ball
skills in the league. He high points a thirty five
yard play to open the drive and scores in a
back shoulder throw on a nine yard touchdown to close
the drive. Makes it seven to seven eight Chan No,
(18:04):
ten to seven, right, yeah eight. Chan goes for forty
eight yards in the first quarter. A well coordinated, executed,
explosive touchdown run for one of the game's best players,
led by one of the best players in the league,
also in aarn Brewer and Brewer on this play seals
and finishes a block fifteen yards down the field. It
was all pro stuff from your should be all pro
center Patrick Paul climbs up and wives out the sam
(18:25):
linebacker Jonas andvit Yanaia overtakes the three technique and seals him.
Jillen Waddle cracks the force defender and Alec Ingle gets
a kickout block and eight Chan does the rest. As
Miami takes a lead in the first quarter. Rasuell Douglas
another third down stop the end of the first quarter
for him man same as the opening drive. He falls
into the cloud position and drives on that route before
(18:46):
the quarterback throws it makes a play short of the sticks.
He had four plays in the game at that point,
and he has just been He's been awesome. I think
he's been a really good player this year. And I
would say that a cornerback gets on the wrong side
of thirty who you think doesn't have much left in
the tank, he's got He's got more ball ahead of him,
in my opinion. Joe Burrow gets sacked on a second
nine with six point forty to play in the second quarter,
(19:07):
and this is a Kenneth Grant and Chop Robinson gap
discipline and off script sack.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
We're here.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
The play exhibits the further growth of Kenneth Grant, who
I thought had some more reps in this game, where
he is showing you what he can be when he.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Realizes his full potential.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
He attacks the right shoulder, he's the nose tackles zero
technique head up over the center, and Chop is condensed
into a three technique position, a spot he almost never plays,
so they're trying to get more run with him at
different spots. But Kenneth Grant's entire job here because they're
gonna blitz Tyrel Dotson in the a gap off of
his right, so he wants to attack the right shoulder
of the center and open that a gap to that
(19:42):
side and really threaten that with pass rush, and he
does it. The center has to get all the way
over to pick it up. It creates a lane for
Tyrel Dotson to run down the alley, and then from
there Kenneth Grant, because he has put so much stress
and gotten the balance out of whack for that center,
is able to disengage the block and go attack the
quarterback with Chop Robinson and who also gets off his block,
and Joe Burrow runs right into both of them for
(20:03):
a half sack apiece. So good rushing integrity, and in
that first half, with the balance of the offense and
the way the defense is rushing the quarterback, it felt
like Miami might have a chance in this game, but
then they would not get to that point. But before that, though,
they took a lead fourteen to ten with a second
touchdown drive in the first half. A thing of beauty,
a good mix of run and pass, but the spacing
(20:23):
and the passing game with the crossers, a little post
corner from Waddle for a twenty two yard completion, then
going to work on misdirection, taking advantage of the best
center in football. Jermon bush Rod in the press box
is raving about this next to me, about the patience
that Brewer has on the Malak touchdown and a round
touchdown run where he gets penetration from the zero technique
(20:44):
over the center and just is patient and holds him
off and prevents further penetration. And then once he sees
its time to go, like ditches him because you're not
gonna get them leak from that position anyways, ditches him
and gets out wide, locates the forced defender, stays inside,
widens the block and gives Malik a cutback angle to
get a touchdown run. Bengals answer back from third to
(21:04):
ten at the plus thirty eight forty three to play
in the half. We had the pressure, but Burrow just
makes one of those eyes in the back of his
head type of plays, one of the one just off
from Lake Willis last night, by the way, and finds
his release valve who was on the other side of
the formation behind of walla bodies running away from him.
Just a crazy improvisational play from Burrow to get the
Bengals back into a touchdown or into a series that
(21:27):
was about to be a sack and maybe out of
field goal range into a first down.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
It becomes a touchdown.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
They take a seventeen to fourteen lead, and then the
Dolphins get it back in the third quarter, down by three,
rather down by ten at this point because the Greg
Dulsitch fumble after the Theoiz offensive pass interference was actually
where I want to start here. So Weiz has this
natural rub to spring eight chan but you see him
like attack the middle linebacker and then runs out of
(21:53):
his way and the middle linebacker runs into Wise and
he gets the flag drawn for OPI. McDaniel was pretty
hid after the fact about it, and yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
You can see why.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
But Greg dolsuch is catching fumble on the next play,
and you have the biggest momentum swing of the entire game.
In turns of win probability. You go from a possible
because Han had like a forty yard game up to
like the Bengals thirty yard line or something to that effect,
and it turns into a Greg Dolsitge fumble and the
Bengals now have it and plus territory. So you go
from a three point game in scoring range to a
three point game where the Bengals have it in scoring range.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
And then that's when the wheels fell off.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
That's when Jordan Poyer's famous comment about the Dolphins and
once you get him down, you can kind of bury him.
And Mike McDaniel talked about this in his post game
The response mechanism from the team wasn't where it needs
to be. And I'm like, that's how it's been the
whole time. I mean, you go back to a lot
of the big games. I'll never forget, you know, the
twenty twenty two West Coast swing the Chargers and the
Bills and the Niners, like zero to three in those games,
(22:49):
the twenty twenty three Week four against the Bills after
a seventy point output, the forty eight to twenty a blowout,
the Chiefs game in Germany, a chance to possibly get
into the mix for the one seed, and it's one
nothing by the halftime break. The Ravens game, a chance
to really solidify the one seed going into Week eighteen
fifty six to nineteen.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
The ensuing Buffalo game. You lose that one as well.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
The Buffalo game in the next year in twenty twenty four,
thirty one to ten. Going into the fourth quarter of
that game, you get back into things and you play
the Packers thirty seventeen. That game was thirty to three
at one point. So it's just as it's been this way,
right and you saw it in this game. It was
turnover Cincce Night touchdown, turnover, Cincinnati touchdown, turnover, Cincinnati touchdown, turnover,
(23:30):
Cincinnati touchdown, and before you could look up, it was
forty five to fourteen. So it's a theme that you
don't love, but it's a theme that you've had to
accept here over a couple of years. And you've said
to this today as the Dolphins lose forty five to
twenty one to the Bengals, let's go ahead and take
our last break right there. Come back on the other side,
talk about the standouts and stand downs and five big
picture takeaways from this loss. That's Next Draft Time podcast
(23:53):
brought to you by AutoNation. A lot of these individual
standouts come from the first half of the game because
that's when it was going well. After that, not so much,
But I thought devon a Chan continues to find creases.
That crack toss play that almost got cut down for
a loss. He makes a couple of guys miss and
goes for forty eight yards.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Just every game man, all.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Game, with the opportunities, continues to find creases and find yards.
He's special man. He is certainly special.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Aaron Brewer.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
This some of the blocks you can hit, some of
the calls you can make with him, that patience in
the fifteen yard wall off down the field, hits that
block and finishes it. I always tell you guys how
hard it is to evaluate offensive line play live at
the stadium.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
But every time I.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Watch fifty five, after a play, he's throwing somebody on
the ground. So he has that finishing mentality, the elite
athletic ability. He is everything about an All Pro center
of this year in my opinion. Darren Waller, a couple
of plays on third and six is one for twenty
four catching a prayer of a throw and another ball
that was way on the inside shoulder that had to
go back over a defender reaches over him and snatches
it for a first down. Couple more plays for Waller
(24:56):
in this game. He balled out in this one. Jille
and Waddle in the first quarter could have had like
sixty some yards, but he was missed on a comeback
route that was wide open. He also had a corner
route that both went to the wrong Both those balls
went to the wrong shoulder, but he caught that little
wrap on the inside slat caught a crosser for a
big catch and run got open on the corner route.
Jillian Watta had five for seventy two in this game.
I think he could add one hundred yards with a
(25:18):
few more better throws in this one. Defensively, Rasul Douglas,
the eyes and the physicality makes such a good fit
in this defense. Two run stuffs in the first drive,
broken up pass anticipating a hook zone throw from the
zone turn firing off his spot before Burrow let it go.
He is outstanding. I thought Kenneth Grant played really well.
I broke down his sack, but he just continues to
get under guys. And kind of drive them with leverage
(25:39):
and pad level. It's been fun to watch his growth
this year. Jordan Brooks, he got caught in a couple
of rough spots in coverage, But how about that coverage
rep Twenty five yards down field of Mike Gasicki where
he dives and damn near gets an interception. I mean,
he also had multiple ailments on the injury report this week,
was questionable to play, didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday. Plays
in a game that doesn't mean anything outside of the
(26:00):
the team obviously meet things that means something, but as
far as playoff consideration goes, and he just covers twenty
five yards down the field on the tight end, makes
a tackle in pursuit on an insane Joe Burrow twenty
seven yard ex extension play. I just love everything about
this guy, and I would build my entire program around
the way Jordan Brooks.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Is and operates.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Stan Downs, I thought quinn ewers up and down, but
he was kind of the one guy in here, I thought, struggled.
I'll get to the tape tomorrow and give you some
more on this, because I'm not really sure on the
offensive line, tight ends and receivers in the blocking game.
Who was and who wasn't great in this one. Defensively,
Jack Jones just didn't make plays in the football.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
He was in a good position. But Tie Higgins got
the best women in this game.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Jason Marshall Junior, I thought I had some tough asks
and didn't really answer the bell on those. Tyrel Dotson
not finding buys in the hook zone and coverage is
a kind of a week to week thing with this guy.
But he shot the wrong gap on the Bengal second
touchdown as well. Just some up and down play there
from Dotson, but he too, Jones I thought got washed
down on the touchdown run after the first turnover. He's
been kind of replacing the rotation but still gets some reps.
(26:57):
But he gets bounced out a lot in those plays.
As Davis the prayer chase to Jamar chase thirty one
to fourteen game, Jack Jones is there, the safety coming
over the top, tried to like bracket and double him.
He runs through the bracket, then Davis just like runs
by the play. It's been kind of similar that way
all year. Stealer had that ny sack on the pick stump,
but had some really rough reps in this game, and
the same was the case with Quinton Bell. I thought
(27:20):
my five big picture takeaways Number one, halftime and the
third quarter is where this team has struggled to figure
out who they are all year, but really for almost
a half decade now, I mean, it's been an unfortunate theme.
The numbers on both sides of the ball have not
been good, even over the winning streak. The record over
the last four years when trolling at halftime is four
and twenty two. We had the ball in a three
point deficit and go turnover touchdown. I covered it already
(27:44):
forty five fourteen the next time you look up, and
after it became a two score game, three straight dropbacks,
all three got tipped the Chase Brown run, Like there
was not a lot of effort on that play. The
first three drives were lost, four drives lost, fumble, interception,
turnover on downs, interception again and again the defense just
kind of checked out. I thought on that Chase Brown
(28:04):
touchdown run number two was the concerning you know, want
to on those drives. I mean, the offensive attack doing
what it always does doesn't surprise me, but I didn't
love seeing the defense kind of saying like forget this
on the Chase Brown touchdown run. You could see it's
on the tape. And they also just attacked our weaknesses
with no resistance, getting those perimeter shots, and the big
(28:25):
receivers versus smaller cornerbacks getting those inside matchups with two
way goes, finally stopping the run, getting lop set out
on the scoreboard. It just got ugly in that third
quarter number three. I thought quinn Ewers showed that he
has some stuff to work with. Nothing crazy. I mean,
I know his pass writing wasn't very good, but I'm
not much for stats and telling you about the results
of the game. I thought quinn Ewers showed some stuff
in this game. Good conviction on the middle of the field,
(28:47):
timing strikes which had sort of disappeared from an offense
that thrived on them for years, a nice dart on
a few of those throws. He missed a few, of
course every quarterback does, but he showed some good feel
and quicks getting off the spot. I love the operation
getting back to the line scrimmage on that scramble after
the two minute drill. I do think we'll get to
the tape and see how soft this Bengals defense is
because it's one of the worst statistically of all time.
(29:08):
But I'm still encouraged what I saw. I think two
more of those games could put him in the mixed
next season, probably not to be the favorite, but in
the mix in the quarterback room.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Now. The third quarter was as ugly as it.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Gets, and I don't think it's indicative.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Of how he played.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
I just thought, you know, just as I thought some
of the plays in the first half that he kind
of got lucky on, it kind of went the other
way back on him and it all evened out in
that third quarter.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Number four.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
I do think there is something to say about the
improvement of the pass rush and Zach Seeler and the
pass rush games and the connectivity up front, because Joe
Burrow is tough to get and he made some plays.
But you also saw another pick stunt have an impact.
You saw Kenneth Grant have a great rush to open
up a lane on a delay blitz or green dog
blitz by Tygrell Dotts and then disengage. It was one play,
(29:52):
and sure they made their plays, the Bengals did, but
you've seen it a few times over the last few weeks.
And I think with KG, Biggers and JP continue to
find the rhythm in this league the rest of the
way and into twenty twenty six is something to possibly
look at as a big jump forward for the Dolphins
next season, and then the fifth takeaways off of that,
there is no juice off the edge right now, and
(30:13):
your fore man rushes are just wanting in a big way.
We've done a good job getting pressure through games and
pick stunts and twists and blitz and sim pressures, but
you trade away Jalen Phillips and the four man pass
rush just has really no juice to it, whether it's
Chubb or Chop. Judon got cut because of his performances
last week. You know, Cam Good, Quentin bell I didn't
think had ad a good showing, but just across the board,
(30:34):
Man Burrow was able to evade and create and do
his thing. Because I think Miami's one of the biggest
offseason needs is gonna be finding a pass rusher and
it's tough to find those guys, so that'll be a
big to do this offseason. All right, there you go,
let's get out of here, go home and call to day.
We'll be back on the film review podcast tomorrow. We're
gonna have a different week this week. We'll have a
Wednesday podcast that is kind of a midweek show, then
(30:56):
no show Thursday. We'll have the Bucks preview on Friday
after Christmas. So we'll be with you guys up until then.
But you guys all please be sure to subscribe to
the podcast, leave us a rating, leave us a review.
You can follow me on social at Monville, NFL, the
team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the YouTube channel for
Dolphins HQ, Media availabilities, and so much more, and last
but not least, Miami Dolphins dot com.
Speaker 1 (31:17):
Until next time, fins up, Caroline, Cameron and Willow. Daddy
is coming home.
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