The Tape Don’t Lie: Miami Dolphins lose to Washington Redskins, a review

MIAMI GARDENS — The Dolphins almost won a game, which, depending upon whom you ask would have been a really good thing, or a really bad thing.

Look, the Dolphins can probably afford to win one or two games this season and still secure the first overall pick in the next NFL Draft. But maybe it’s better if those one or two wins comes against an opponent not also contention for worst overall.

Still, you could sense how badly Brian Flores wanted this game. He turned to Ryan Fitzpatrick late and was rewarded. He went for a two-point conversion to win the game (you play to win the game, remember?) and came up short.

The player most upset in the locker room after the game was defensive captain Bobby McCain. And you know what? That’s great. It shows how much he cares. And how important this is to him. That will be helpful, with 11 games left.

Ask almost any NFL coach or player and they’ll concede: “The tape don’t lie.”

So each week, I’ll give the Dolphins game tape a closer look. Here are some things I noticed after re-watching Miami’s heart-stopping (OK, the final five minutes were) 17-16 loss to Washington on Sunday:

• We get it. We get it. Ryan Fitzpatrick delivers energy, spunk and hutzpah.

We are advocating for Josh Rosen to start the remaining games of the 2019 season, because it is imperative to attain a thorough evaluation of a quarterback you yielded a second-round pick for.

But yes, we get why Fitzpatrick is so popular in his locker room. And we get why he brings all sorts of positive vibes into the huddle and injected some juice into the Hard Rock Stadium crowd on Sunday.

If this was a normal season, yes, we would advocate turning the keys back over to Fitzpatrick. But it’s time to see if the 22-year-old Rosen can improve his driving skills before the test is over.

All that said, Rosen needs to watch Fitzpatrick make quicker decisions, and see how that helps out an undermanned offensive line.

Rosen needs to see how Fitzpatrick carries himself as though he has not a care in the world, and try, somehow to emulate that a bit. Fake it till you make it, if necessary.

And Rosen needs to study how Fitzpatrick seems to trust his teammates to make plays for him, even if, as we saw with Mike Gesicki, DeVante Parker and Preston Williams in the fourth quarter, they may actually seem covered.

Fitzpatrick, with less natural talent than Rosen, just seems to lift his teammates. Some of that is cerebral, as Fitzpatrick just has much more experience. But some of that is innate. Fitzpatrick is a natural-born leader. And Rosen is developing those skills.

At times, Rosen appears skittish or unsettled. Which is understandable. He’s been beaten up. He’s been thrown down. He’s been hit way too many times.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO GALLERY: Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins

Miami tried a bunch of screen passes to help Rosen and Fitzpatrick and that was largely effective.

The Dolphins tried to use Isaiah Prince as a sixth offensive lineman (and, despite a key penalty) that did create some positive plays.

Rosen holds the ball too long. Rosen takes too many coverage sacks. And this probably annoys his offensive linemen, since it primarily goes on their resumes.

The gist of the whole game changed when Fitzpatrick entered in the fourth quarter. And we get it. It’s fun to watch.

It was fun to see Fitzpatrick trust Mark Walton and and then Gesicki deep over the middle and to scramble for a first-down and to deliver a strike to DeVante Parker for what could have been the game-winning touchdown.

Ryan Fitzpatrick trouve DeVante Parker pour un TD à 5 secondes de la fin ! Mais la 2pt conversion ne passe pas ... #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/w0mdB5P4KG

— NFL France - firstdownfr.fr (@SecondDownFR) October 13, 2019

And it’s good for Flores to know he can go to Fitzpatrick again, say in the fourth quarter, two or three or four times before this season is over, if that is warranted. But this season is, more than anything, about determining Rosen’s value.

That conclusion can’t possibly have been reached. Rosen must start. Even if he is nowhere near as prepared to lead a victory on Sunday as FitzMagic.

• Mark Walton and Kenyan Drake are both legitimate rotational backs.

The Dolphins were probably sending both Walton and Drake a message by starting Walton and going with him for two series at the start of this game.

Walton has probably practiced well. Heck, he’s played well when given the opportunity. Both in the preseason and in the previous game.

Walton is slippery. He’s quick. He’s an effective receiver. Much more effective than Kalen Ballage. And probably an even more consistent pass-catcher than Drake.

In the first quarter, Walton looked impressive on a screen, though he did fail to pick up a rusher on a sack of Rosen.

In the second quarter, Walton exhibited burst on a run and patience on another effective screen. Later, he showed off strong vision on a cutback.

Nice to see a pair of guards out in space making key blocks. Good patience by Walton to set them up. pic.twitter.com/yUWhR5FW1q

— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) October 13, 2019

And Walton was involved in what could have been a game-winning drive. It was good to see Walton and Drake in Miami’s backfield together.

It was good to see Walton or Drake paired in the backfield with tight end Mike Gesicki, too.

Walton, a very good roster addition, can be a legitimate backup running back or at worst a very good third-down back on a good NFL team. We still believe Drake can be a solid lead back, though many will say he’s a very, very good change-of-pack or third-down back.

The Dolphins have had trouble rushing the ball this season. But I really don’t blame them.

• No, the two-point conversion attempt was not a bad call.

The reason Drake was on the field, and not Walton, for a two-point play that Walton had practiced all week was that Walton had been banged up.

Coach Brian Flores said that Drake had practiced that screen play behind bunched receivers before, though, and it’s one many other NFL teams, notably the Patriots, have used with much success.

If Drake catches the ball, he has a chance to score. It’s not as clear as it may have first seemed that Drake would have been tackled. It’s possible he beats a linebacker who at first glance seemed well-positioned to make the play. And, as we know, Drake can make tacklers miss.

WHAT A WIN BY THE DOLPHINS

2019 TANK BOWL CHAMPS!pic.twitter.com/jqfX4g4VqU

— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) October 13, 2019

It’s one of the things Drake does best.

We also can’t blame Flores for going for the win. All week Flores and his coaches had repeated the words “fundamentals” and “execution” to their players, and there were poor fundamentals and poor execution on the most critical play of the game.

• Extra Points

— The Dolphins need left guard Michael Deiter to be better in pass protection. Working alongside a different left tackle a few times this season clearly hasn’t helped matters. But there are some players general manager Chris Grier and his scouts really, really need to pan out as linchpins for the extreme makeover roster. Deiter must develop into at least an average guard, ideally an above-average guard. In this game, Deiter was involved in two sacks allowed. Incidentally, though Jesse Davis might be able to fill in capably at tackle in a pinch, we still prefer him at right tackle. Which means, yes, Miami will very likely need to add a top-flight left tackle and right tackle in the 2020 draft and/or free agency.

This is Washington’s... I don’t know 5th or 6th best pass rusher... just whipping Michael Deiter. pic.twitter.com/UtRSgIfK2g

— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) October 13, 2019

— Vince Biegel was more noticeable than Taco Charlton as a pass-rusher. This is good news for Biegel, who has shown more speed and strength than expected. And not so great news for Charlton, who is next up in the every-opportunity-to-prove-something rotation. Charlton was positioned ahead of Charles Harris in this game, but didn’t flash too much as a rusher. He did create one pressure and seems to set a decent edge aginst the run. Biegel has actually applied consistent pressure and found a way to post quarterback hits in limited snaps.

— Eric Rowe showed improvement. And Jomal Wiltz and Nik Needham had a few positive moments, too. So did Bobby McCain, despite being involved in one touchdown allowed. Overall, Miami’s defense showed improvement in this game. Of course, it was against Washington. And there were some moments where the rush defense seemed a bit out of alignment or a tackle that could have been made was not. But overall, it seemed to be a well-called game by defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. A few times Miami used one down defensive lineman on third down, with players moving around at the line to cause confusion for the opponent. And it was executed successfully.

— DeVante Parker is tied for seventh in the NFL with 17.6 yards per catch. Parker thought it was interesting that he’s tied with his former locker neighbor, Jarvis Landry, who now plays for the Cleveland Browns. Parker has two touchdowns catches and it has gone a bit under the radar that he’s made some clutch catches. Not to jinx things, and I’m sure I just did, but Parker has been healthy, too, so it seems whatever positive steps he took the offseason have aided his body.

— Reshad Jones could help some team with its playoff push. It’s a shame his contract makes him difficult to trade. And he has truly expressed a desire to stay in South Florida, at least for the remainder of this season. But in any other sport, don’t you get the feeling Jones would be moved before the deadline, at the end of this month? Jones had a tackle for loss on Sunday.

— Mike Gesicki had arguably the biggest catch of his career, a 30-yarder in the fourth quarter, from Fitzpatrick. On the play, Gesicki demonstrated outstanding leaping ability, athleticism, and body control. Those are all the things that should make Gesicki a more consistent target for Miami quarterbacks for the rest of this season. That performance must have given Gesiski some confidence.

mike gesicki made a dope catch. pic.twitter.com/9okgFe4mDo

— josh houtz (@houtz) October 13, 2019

— Albert Wilson still doesn’t look fully healthy. Or explosive. Raekwon McMillan looks healthier. And more explosive.

— Kudos to special teams coach Danny Crossman, whose units are off to a good start. Crossman prepared Kalen Ballage and his teammates for a successful fake punt in which the ball was direct snapped to an in-motion Ballage. Matt Haack has had a solid season and struck a key punt down to the 1-yard line on Sunday. Miami’s special teams has a legacy of success and Crossman has kept things on track.

Dolphins generating a first down from the punt team. pic.twitter.com/92IFybHFBH

— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) October 13, 2019