The Miami Dolphins’ defense has been a component of their early-season success. Statistically speaking, the numbers are not impressive. However, with a high-powered offense, the numbers do not need to be.
A component of Early-Season Success is the Dolphins’ Defense
As of this writing, the Miami Dolphins are in first place in the AFC East. They are currently 4-1 heading into a game against the winless Carolina Panthers. The Dolphins do not have the best defensive statistics in the league (23rd in Total Defense; 20th against the pass, and 18th against the run). They have, however, done enough to help the team rise to first place in their division.
Buy the Numbers?
Numbers and rankings are not predictors of success; they can be. However, they do not have to be. Numbers and rankings can better be described as indicators of success. When divided into the sub-group of “defense”, it would appear to indicate the Dolphins have been unsuccessful, as a team. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although they rank in the lower 50 percent in the aforementioned defensive categories, they still have managed to find their way to the top of the AFC East. The Dolphins currently find themselves tied for the third-best record in the NFL, trailing the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers; the one-loss Kansas City Chiefs; and are currently tied with the Detroit Lions.
Opposites Attract
Yes, the old cliché holds up. A part of the reason the Dolphins’ defense has been successful at doing just enough to “get the job done,” is because their offense is ranked first in Total Offense and three of the four major offensive categories. The Dolphins defense may not be looking nearly as good if it were not for their offense. Thankfully, the offense has provided the defense with the performances it has needed to do enough to get the “W” four out of five times this season.
Players Are Re-Emerging
To say some defensive players looked like shells of their former, one-time promising selves, would be an understatement. Prior to this season, Andrew Van Ginkel looked as though he had been supplanted by Jaelan Phillips on a permanent basis. Xavien Howard had looked as though he had lost a step. This season however, Van Ginkel has taken advantage of Phillips being sidelined with an oblique injury and is having (“statistically speaking”), his best season in the NFL thus far. Howard has looked faster and appears to have reverted to the big playmaker he had been before last season. The re-emergence of these two players has helped the defense to be “good enough”, this season.
But What About Buffalo?
There is a reason no team has gone undefeated and won a Super Bowl (and won a Super Bowl, New England Patriots); it is nearly impossible to do. In their game against the Buffalo Bills the Dolphins defense gave up a season-high in points (48). The offense could not bail out the defense this time. Kader Kohou had his worst game as a Dolphin. That same Bills team lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars the very next week. That same Bills offense that put up 48 on the Dolphins, only managed to put up twenty against Jacksonville. The point here is, the Bills can be beaten. The Dolphins have to go back and see why they could not stop the Buffalo offense, and how the Jaguars were able to stop that same offense before the Bills come to Miami on January 7th.
The Defense Will Only Get Better
The Dolphins have been without arguably the best corner in the NFL in Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey injured his meniscus during preseason. While the consensus was he would not return to the team until mid-December, recent reports have suggested that he could be back a lot sooner than that. With Ramsey returning, the defense can only get better.
Takeaway
Though the Dolphins’ defense is not performing up to par, “statistically speaking”, they are fighting and doing what it takes to win games. Part of the reason for the team’s overall success is their ridiculously high-powered, league-leading, offense. The offense allows the defense to just enough to win games. Aside from a terrible showing against the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins’ defense has done enough to win games, largely because of the re-emergence of players like Andrew Van Ginkel and Xavier Howard. With the impending return of both Jaelan Phillips and Jalen Ramsey, the defense can only continue to improve.
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