Omar Kelly: Last year's strengths have turned into this year's Dolphins weaknesses

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins are a franchise starving for success.

Twenty-four years without a postseason win creates this kind of famine.

Two wins in a row wins has the 2024 team feeling good about the progress being made after a 2-6 start, but the season’s goal of qualifying for the playoffs isn’t within reach just yet.

“We know we dug ourselves a hole we have to come out of,” cornerback Kader Kohou said, sharing the sentiment heard from many associated with the team after Sunday’s 34-19 win against the Las Vegas Raiders, which was a performance that came close to delivering what this team is capable of.

Digging themselves out of the hole likely means the Dolphins can only suffer one more loss because the AFC’s wild card spots will likely require 10 wins based on how well the Baltimore Ravens (7-4), Los Angeles Chargers (7-3), Denver Broncos (6-5) and Indianapolis Colts (5-6) are playing.

That means the Dolphins (4-6) must find more meat on this bone, taking the team’s performance to another level in the final seven games, and that journey starts with figuring out where more can come from?

This 10-game sample size makes it extremely evident that two things, which happened to make last year’s team special — the big production from last year’s top ranked offense, and sack production on defense, which set a franchise record with 56 sacks — are missing.

While the Dolphins are feasting on efficiency — high completion percentage, high third-down conversion rate — the big play Miami lived off last season has vanished.

Jonnu Smith is having a career season, but nobody in the world expected he would be outperforming receiver Jaylen Waddle, who is on pace for a 56-catch season that produces 687 yards if he plays all 17 games.

And Smith isn’t not even the tight end who plays the most for Miami. That distinction belongs to Julian Hill, who has become one of Miami’s most inconsistent players this season.

Hill leapfrogged Durham Smythe on the depth chart because he’s a superior blocker, but his penalty-prone play has been problematic, and as of late his blocking has been hit-or-miss.

De’Von Achane, who is 121 rushing and receiving yards from his first 1,000-yard all-purpose season, is having a respectable year. But the Dolphins need to get more from Miami’s other tailbacks, and from the run game, which has produced 149 yards the past two games.

Raheem Mostert is having a disappointing season, and the hip injury he seemingly sustained Sunday likely won’t help things. While coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t seem too concerned about the latest injury, last year’s Pro Bowler has fallen short of being the reliable playmaker he has been the past two seasons.

And injuries the offensive line has endured the past two weeks — Terron Armstead (knee), Robert Jones (knee), Austin Jackson (on injured reserve because of a knee) — could have something to do with slippage.

Miami needs better depth on the offensive line, and the hope is the impending return of Isaiah Wynn, a 2023 starter, could provide a boost in time.

“It’s an us thing. We have to take pride in it and fix it, get it going,” center Aaron Brewer said about Miami, which averaged 3.2 yards per carry against the Raiders.

On the flip side, Miami needs to create more pressure on quarterbacks without having to blitz.

The Dolphins defense, which has produced 17 sacks, ranks 28th in the NFL in sacks per pass play (5.36 percent). Losing Jaelan Phillips for the season didn’t help, but the hope is a December return from Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode could provide the edge rushers some bite in time.

The Dolphins are ninth in run defense, and eighth in red zone defense. Both of those averages are worthy of a head nod because they happen to be two areas where Anthony Weaver’s defense struggled earlier this season.

But now leakage is happening elsewhere.

Miami’s safety play has been mediocre most of the season, for one reason or another.

And Jordan Poyer latest whiff on Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, who caught 13 passes and turned them into 126 yards and the touchdown he scored because of Poyer’s missed tackle, is a prime example of why Miami should consider reducing his role, or potentially replacing him with Marcus Maye, who unfortunately has made similar errors.

If the Dolphins went as far as benching, and then releasing David Long Jr., a team captain, for Anthony Walker Jr., then replacing Poyer has to be considered.

“In the National Football League, if you aren’t getting better, tick, tick, tick,” McDaniel said. “You have to continue to evolve, and that includes myself.”

Now that Miami’s offense is finally scoring 27.7 points per game, which is the Dolphins’ points average in the four games quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has played since his return from the concussion he suffered in Week 2, it’s on the defense to keep pace.

“There are things we can do better, things we want to do better,” Poyer said on Monday. “But when you give up 19 points you’re going to have a chance.”

A slim chance to save this season.

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