The good: The defense. If you didn't watch the game then you probably think I'm crazy, but those who watched it will agree with me. The run defense was stifling, picking up right where it left off last year in holding Arian Foster and Ben Tate to 2.4 yards yards per carry. Consider this, 24 of Houston's 30 points came off Dolphin turnovers in which the Texans average starting position was the Fins 31 yard line. Can't blame the defense there.
The bad: The pass blocking. It was simply not good enough today. Ryan Tannehill had passes deflected all day long, and quite frankly he's lucky only two of them were intercepted. No, this isn't completely the line's fault, and I'll get to Tannehill in a minute, but it's their job to not only protect Tannehill (something they also did a poor job of today as he was sacked three times), but to also protect his passes, and the deflections were a drive killer all day long.
The good: Special Teams. Marcus Thigpen returned a punt 72 yards for a TD early in the third quarter to give the Fins some life, and also had some respectable kick returns. Dan Carpenter hit his only field goal try of the day, and the kickoff and punt units constantly had the Texans starting deep in their own territory.
The bad: Redzone offense. The Fins failed to put the ball in the endzone all day, but it was especially demoralizing in the fourth quarter, where they had drives stall inside the Texans ten yard line on back to back drives. Ryan Tannehill has got to find a way to get the ball in the endzone, plain and simple.
The good: Reggie Bush. He looked fast today, he looked especially quick, and he looked well rested. Had the Fins not had to abandon their running game in the second half I'm confident he would have easily had a 100 yard game, and he was also utilized nicely in the passing game.
The bad: Third down conversions. This goes for both the offense and the defense, as both units were poor in this category today. One stat says it all here- The Texans converted 41% of their third downs, the Dolphins converted only 20%. Enough said. The defense has to get off the field, and the offense has to do a better job of staying on it.
The indifferent: Ryan Tannehill. The rookie had his highs and lows today, and as I've said before, that was to be expected. He looked composed, in control of the offense, and under control all day, and with a rookie QB that's half the battle. Two of his interceptions came off tipped passes, and the other came off a slant pass that was just undercut by a Pro Bowl corner. The balls batted at the line, while not all Tannehill's fault, still fall on his shoulders because of two things: His eyes, and his inability to create passing lanes. The rookie must, MUST, learn to look off cornerbacks and not stare down receivers, or the interceptions are going to start to pile up. He also has to learn to step up into the pocket and create a passing lane for himself, otherwise the tipped passes will be a reoccurring thing week after week.
Overall, what folks must understand is this Dolphins team is incredibly young and inexperienced, from their coach down to their QB. They had eleven rookies active today, two of them starting on offense, and there is clearly going to be a learning curve. Ryan Tannehill showed flashes of brilliance today, the defense looked in midseason form, and the running game was a force. Yes, the Fins lost by 20, but the positives must not be lost, especially with so much season left and such a young team.
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