The Miami Dolphins have officially lost three games in a row after being defeated by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 24-16, at Hard Rock Stadium.
The biggest headline in this game will likely be the injuries that Miami suffered. At different points in the contest, Mike McDaniel’s team had Skylar Thompson, Keion Crossen, Nik Needham, Emmanuel Ogbah, Trey Flowers and Jaylen Waddle go down with injuries. Ogbah and Waddle returned to action.
However, injuries weren’t what cost them the game.
Miami’s undisciplined play was the difference. They were penalized 10 times for 97 yards, as they were pushed out of field-goal range twice due to stupid mistakes. One drive, in particular, had four offensive penalties on the Dolphins that brought them to first-and-30 and, eventually, fourth-and-28.
Josh Boyer’s defense actually stood strong for most of the game, holding the Vikings to just 10 points for the first three quarters, but they broke late, allowing two touchdowns in the final period. That’s not terrible considering Xavien Howard had Noah Igbinoghene and Justin Bethel opposite him at times.
Offensively, Teddy Bridgewater, who replaced Thompson after a thumb injury, performed adequately, considering the circumstances. He completed 23 of his 34 attempts for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The big men up front weren’t doing him any favors, as Greg Little and Liam Eichenberg were constantly allowing pressure from his blindside, and Connor Williams was delivering high snaps consistently.
On top of all the struggles Miami had in the two main phases, Jason Sanders, once again, missed a field-goal attempt that was certainly makeable.
The Dolphins, having dropped their last three games, have a .500 record entering Week 7.
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