PHINMANIACS.COM
Menu

Miami Dolphins' inconsistent defense vs. Vikings a cause for concern? 

12/22/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Despite a thrilling 37-35 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Dolphins were eliminated from the playoffs. The defense wasn’t stellar against the purple and gold allowing 15 points in a 15-second span − a factor which almost cost them the win.  The sub-par performance on that side of the ball has caused concerns for some time now. 

The steady decline began after a pair of strong outings versus Jacksonville and San Diego. After two pick-six’s versus the Jags, the Phins shutout the Chargers at home. Then, the team suffered an agonizing last-second loss to Detroit as the defense surrendered a fourth-quarter touchdown. Two weeks later, the team allowed 39 points to Denver in a week 12 loss. A season-ending week-14 ACL injury to safety Louis Delmas did not help as Baltimore basically ended Miami’s playoff hopes with a 28-13 victory in South Beach.  

On Sunday, the Dolphins were exposed by a rookie quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater passed for 259 yards and two scores nearly leading his team to a fourth-quarter, come-from-behind victory. 

“There were some missed tackles but again, football is a team game,” said Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin. “Sometimes the offense has to step up, and like you said we scored in the second half on every possession and that’s what we needed to do. We’ll take a look at the tape and make the corrections.”

Known for his premier pass-rushing abilities, Cameron Wake returned to his old form registering two sacks in the game. No. 91 is still graded as the best 4-3 defensive end in the league by Pro Football Focus this season − earning a mark of 29.8, which is just over seven points higher than the next best end − despite his lack of production in previous weeks logging just one quarterback hurry against the Ravens (PFF) in week 14. 

“It was important,” Philbin stated when asked about Wake’s production. “It was big. Those are big plays. They can ignite a football team and provide momentum and energy, not just for the defense but the offense, so I thought they were big and important.”

Wake’s presence helped the Dolphins regain footing in a game they found themselves down early. The Vikings posted two quick touchdowns in the first half before Miami found an answer. 

“We just understood the situation that was in front of us,” said defensive end Dion Jordan. “We had to make plays, stop them from running the ball, and pretty much force them to pass. Then at the end of that last drive, that’s exactly what we did. We got a couple stops, we got some timeouts, had a timeout in our back pocket and on that last third down, Cam (Wake) was able to put a good rush on and get the sack.”

After quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the offense tied the game at 35-all, it was time for the special teams to step up. Defensive end Terrence Fede blocked a punt attempt and the ensuing safety gave the Dolphins the win what turned out to be a tumultuous contest. 

“I think we did a good job,” said linebacker Jelani Jenkins. “It wasn’t pretty. We had some ups and downs, but overall I felt like we just kept fighting. We were able to get a three and out late to get the offense a chance to get the ball again, but (DE) Terrence Fede made a great play on that block to seal the game.”
 
The win gave Dolphins owner Stephen Ross just enough to bring back the coaching staff for another season as Philbin and company were notified. Now, it’s up to Philbin and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle to ensure the defense sees progression come 2015. 

“We got put in some tough positions and they got some great field position off turnovers and off special teams plays, but we were able to withstand,” said Jared Odrick.  “We were able to win the game. The W is what counts, especially in December football.”

This story was written by Steven Wilson. Follow him on Twitter: @StevenJWilson11
  


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Latest Dolphins News

    Story Archives

    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014


    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Miami Dolphins Articles
  • About Us
  • BetUS - PROMO CODE "PhinManiacs"
  • PROP BETS
  • MERCH!!!!!!!!!!
  • Home
  • Miami Dolphins Articles
  • About Us
  • BetUS - PROMO CODE "PhinManiacs"
  • PROP BETS
  • MERCH!!!!!!!!!!