The Dolphins might actually be getting worse under interim coach Dan Campbell.
There’s little reason to believe otherwise after Sunday’s 38-20 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, a game in which the Dolphins were physically dominated.
But Campbell, who took over after Joe Philbin was fired following the Dolphins’ 27-14 loss to the Jets in October, said he sees development from his team since that game.
“I see progress,” Campbell said, whose record is now 3-4. “Now, after what happened today I don’t have a leg to stand on. There’s nothing I can say that’s going to make that look any better. We got whipped.
“We got whipped the first time [against the Jets], we got whipped the second time. Those are the facts.”
Here’s another fact: The way things are shaping up this might be the Dolphins’ most disappointing season since 2007, when they went 1-15. This Dolphins team, now 4-7, was being talked about as a playoff contender before the season started.
Yet they’re on the brink of their second losing season in the last four years. To avoid that the Dolphins must win four of their last five games.
But even that wouldn’t be enough salve to soothe the wound left by a season that’s gone awry in almost every way.
“It’s mind-blowing, it’s frustrating, it’s disappointing, it’s tough to find enough words to describe it,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said of the season. “It’s hard. It’s hard to take a real look at where we’re at and see why we’re here.”
Injuries played a big part in this game. Center Mike Pouncey (right foot), wide receiver Rishard Matthews (chest, ribs), defensive tackle C.J. Mosley (calf), defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (calf) and linebacker Jelani Jenkins (ankle) all left the game with injuries.
Jenkins returned, but the others didn’t. Jenkins eventually left the game for good in the fourth quarter.
Beyond the aches and pains, the list of inadequacies for the Dolphins is a long one:
– Miami allowed more than 30 points for the third time in five games. They lost each one of those contest.
– The Dolphins allowed nine plays of 16 or more yards in the first half, two of which went for touchdowns, and 11 plays of 16 or more yards in the game.
– Miami was 0-for-8 on third down conversions midway through the third quarter (when they trailed 21-0). They finished 4-for-15 on third downs.
– The Dolphins had a season-low nine carries for a season-low 12 yards rushing as a team. This was the fourth game in which the Dolphins had 14 or fewer carries this season, and the second game they rushed for fewer than 20 yards. Miami had 13 carries for 15 yards in their 36-7 loss at New England.
– The Jets rushed for 137 yards, making them the seventh opponent to rush for more than 100 yards against the Dolphins, who entered the game with the league’s 31st-ranked rushing defense at 138.6 yards allowed per game.
Miami is still mathematically alive in the AFC wild-card race, but for all intents and purposes they’ve been done for a few weeks.
The Dolphins are now 0-5 against AFC East opponents and 2-6 against AFC opponents. The Dolphins’ last chance to win a division game comes in the season finale against New England.
The Dolphins have only lost all six division games once since the current alignment went into place in 2002, and that came in the 1-15 season of 2007.
This one was over quickly. The Jets took a 21-0 lead before the Dolphins got on the scoreboard. By the time the Dolphins scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to Jarvis Landry (13 receptions, 165 yards, one touchdown) in the third quarter, there was little hope for a victory.
Miami scored its final touchdown with 5 seconds left on a well-thrown 33-yard pass from Tannehill to wide receiver DeVante Parker, the first-round pick in the 2015 draft. But the final indignity came when kicker Andrew Franks missed the extra point.
“The game certainly didn’t go as we had planned,” Campbell said.
