MIAMI — The bye week is typically used as a period of self-assessment and evaluation.

Teams generally self-scout themselves as if they are Sunday’s opponent, figure out their strengths and weaknesses, and then ideally grow analyzing that self-scout, making adjustments, corrections, and being more proactive about the team’s issues.

There are plenty of easily identified reasons the 2024 Miami Dolphins got off to a rough start (2-3) before this week’s early bye. The biggest mystery is whether or not head coach Mike McDaniel and his staff can figure out solutions to this team’s problems before it’s too late.

Here’s a look at five Dolphins issues that require fixing:

1. Quaterback play has been tragic

Most teams utilizing the backup quarterback, especially when he’s not a former NFL starter such as Sam Darnold (Minnesota) or Joe Flacco (Indianapolis), are going to struggle. The Dolphins are on the team’s No. 3 passer, and he will have all of 13 practices (walk-throughs don’t count) with the team under his belt by the time Miami lines up against the Indianapolis Colts after the bye. This is the best Miami can do until Tua Tagovailoa, who owns a team-high 78.9 passer rating) gets clearance to play in two or more weeks. However, Miami’s coaches could be a better job simplifying the offense, and creating a game plan, a strategy that is custom-made for Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, the team’s starter. Miami failed to utilize Huntley’s legs last week against the Patriots, and it felt like a wasted opportunity.

2. Run game is struggling

Before gaining 193 rushing yards on 41 carries against the Patriots, the Dolphins’ run game was on life support, averaging 97.8 rushing yards per contest and 3.7 yards per attempt. The fact Miami’s run game was struggling threw off the offense, which is fueled by the play-action game. The return of Raheem Mostert, who gained 80 rushing yards on 19 carries, and Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead revitalized Miami’s outside zone rushing attack. Now the question is whether the Dolphins can continue to turn up the volume on the ground game, especially in the stretch of games Miami might be forced to play without De’Von Achane, who sustained a concussion against New England. Jaylen Wright, the rookie Miami selected in the fourth round, has been promising (4.8 yards per carry average), but we will soon learn what Mostert can do when healthy.

3. Penalty-plagued play

The Dolphins are the second-most penalized team in the NFL, trailing only the Baltimore Ravens. Whether it’s illegal procedure, holding calls or special teams errors, the Dolphins have been one of the NFL’s sloppiest teams in 2024. And this has been a consistent theme during the Mike McDaniel era, where his team has been the second-most penalized team in the NFL since 2022. While every player needs to take personal responsibility for his mistakes, having an undisciplined team, one that has committed 51 penalties that have cost the team 390 yards, and consistently stifled drives, is on the coaching staff. There needs to be greater consequences for error-prone players. Problem is, McDaniel wants to be everybody’s buddy, and he can’t become a tough guy overnight like Tony Sparano was. During Sparano’s reign over the franchise Miami fired a special teams coach during the season following a Patriots game where his unit got embarrassed, and players who made costly mistakes in games got released the following Tuesday. During Adam Gase’s era the offensive line’s performance improved the week after Gase released three young draftees. McDaniel needs to find a way to remind players there are consequences to sloppy play.

4. Defense can't stop the run

The Dolphins defense has been leaking rushing yards for weeks, but the dam broke against a Patriots team with an anemic passing game, and playing it’s third-team center. New England gained 151 rushing yards on 19 carries. That’s a whopping 7.9 yards per carry, which increased Miami’s yards-per-carry average to 4.7 yards per attempt on the season. That ranks Miami 19th against the run, allowing 125.8 rushing yards per game, heading into this week’s games. The problem is, there’s no clear cut fix because better nose tackles aren’t just waiting at home, looking for work. Chop Robinson, who replaced Jaelan Phillips as the edge player opposite Emmanuel Ogbah, needs to improve his edge setting, but it won’t happen overnight. The biggest problem presents itself in the red zone, and the goal-to-go area, which is where this Dolphins defense is among the worst in the NFL. Only seven teams are worse in the goal-to-go area, and four team are worse in red zone defense.

5. Special teams leakage

It’s time we end the excuse-making for Dan Crossman, whose unit consistently struggles for a game or five each of his previous five seasons. The Dolphins have been penalized 12 times on special teams this year. Miami had a punt blocked and botched a snap from Blake Ferguson on a field-goal attempt against the Patriots. Last year the excuse made was that Miami didn’t spend enough time practicing the third phase of the game during practice, and when backups had to be elevated into starting roles because of injuries special teams paid the steepest price. Well, that got addressed this season with more practice time being dedicated to special teams, and now we’re still having special teams mishaps? While it’s a player here, and a player there that makes errors each week, at some point Crossman needs to take accountability for how his unit performs. At some point the Dolphins must realize they aren’t a talented enough to survive average special teams play.

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