Yesterday, the Baltimore Ravens took care of the Miami Dolphins by a final score of 28-6. With that one in the books, the Ravens find themselves in the middle of a two-game winning streak and have a 3-5 record. Meanwhile, the 'Phins are now 2-7 on the season. With last night behind us, we have takeaways for both Baltimore and Miami.
BAL: Lamar Jackson is still a top-five quarterback in the NFL.
In his first game back in four weeks, Lamar Jackson had no problem making the Miami Dolphins look foolish. He completed 18 of 23 passes last night for 204 yards, 14 rushing yards, and four passing touchdowns for a 143.2 passer rating. Jackson used a national stage to remind us all that he is a two-time MVP, a frontrunner for the league's MVP award this season, and one of the best quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen.
Even though he missed three games, he is still at or near the top of several key passing categories. He is second in touchdown-to-interception ratio (14:1) behind only Jalen Hurts, who has just one more passing TD than Jackson despite having started three more games. Jackson is also 11th in passing touchdowns with 14 on the campaign. That's more TD passes than Baker Mayfield, Daniel Jones, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, and Josh Allen, all of whom are playing like MVP candidates. Most importantly, Lamar Jackson leads the league in passer rating by a wide margin. His 136.7 passer rating is 18 points higher than the next closest player (Drake Maye - 118.7).
It's certainly possible that Lamar Jackson was robbed of the NFL's MVP award last season. After all, his passer rating was significantly higher than Josh Allen's. In all likelihood, Lamar Jackson will not be the MVP this season because he missed multiple games due to injury. Regardless, he is still one of the best quarterbacks playing football today and one of the best QBs in NFL history. Last night reminded us all of that fact.
MIA: There is not one person who shoulders all the blame for this disaster.
Before we dive into the various issues the Miami Dolphins have, we have to accept that this season has been a disaster in Miami. You'll be hard-pressed to find anybody who thinks differently. Over their last 17 games, they have a 7-10 record, with all of their wins coming against teams with losing records. They have completely dropped the ball after finishing last year strong, and there are multiple people to blame for this dog sh*t season.
Head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa share equal amounts of blame for the Dolphins' 2-7 record. Miami leads the league in giveaways (15), which is a sign of poor coaching and bad preparation. At the same time, Tua Tagovailoa has accounted for almost 75% of the team's turnovers and leads the NFL in interceptions with 11 on the campaign. Two plays from last night perfectly encapsulated the incompetence of both of these guys. At the end of the first half, Tua Tagovailoa was unable to get a pass off on a Hail Mary attempt and instead took a sack, which led to boos raining down from fans throughout the stadium. A little while later, while facing a 3rd and 17 at their own six yard line, Mike McDaniel dialed up a short pass in the flat to the running back, which wouldn't have come anywhere close to a first down. Between the poor quarterback play and the lack of preparation, McDaniel and Tua have emerged as the ringleaders of this circus.
Several other people deserve some blame for this disaster. General manager Chris Grier should have done a better job of addressing the team's needs in the secondary and along the defensive front after multiple key players went down with injuries during training camp and the preseason. Though this is his first time serving as a defensive coordinator at the NFL level, Anthony Weaver has failed to meet expectations, which would explain why his unit has allowed the third-most total yards in the league this season. On top of that, the offensive line is tied for the ninth-most sacks allowed. Countless people have created a toxic environment in South Beach, Florida.
There are only two people who are actually playing well for the Dolphins. Running back De'Von Achane has been electric and ranks ninth in the NFL in scrimmage yards per game (98.7). We also have to give credit to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who has stepped up tremendously after wideout Tyreek Hill went down with a season-ending knee injury. Since Week Four, Waddle is averaging 79.6 receiving yards per game, which would rank ninth as things currently stand. Outside of those two guys, though, there are plenty of people who can be blamed for the incredibly disappointing season the Miami Dolphins are having.
