Miami Dolphins fall apart late as they lose to division rival New York Jets

We all came into this week expecting a big answer from this Miami Dolphins team I try to love. Unfortunately, we got much more of the same as they lose to the division rival New York Jets 40-17 to make it two losses in a row after a 3-0 start. It's always going to hurt when you watch your team on the wrong end of a big loss, but this game was much closer than the final score shows.

Now it would be impossible to talk about this game without mentioning the first play of the game for the Miami Dolphins. First off after Zach Wilson and the Jets offense fails to get through our defense, punter Braden Mann makes a perfect kick and starts us off on our own 8 yard line. This isn't the most ideal situation to start your day off but you got to think to yourself "veteran QB Teddy Bridgewater, the best backup in the league, has been here before, we'll be just fine". Well the NFL and their brand new concussion protocol had different ideas. Bridgewater snaps the ball and drops back into the end zone off a play-action set, and an unmarked defender delivers a brutal hit as he tries to hit his receiver. To make matters worse the referees would rule intentional grounding, which resulted in a safety.

Now on the tackle Bridgewater definitely hits the turf hard and looks shaken up, but after taking a few seconds to get up he gives a thumbs up to the coaching staff and is ready to keep going. However, with the new protocol in place a spotter placed by the NFL noticed a "stumble" from Bridgewater and put him into concussion protocol immediately. This would now force the Dolphins to bring out 7th round rookie Skylar Thompson for his debut showing in a hostile environment. This was definitely a controversial topic throughout the NFL community and the more I look at it the more it looks like the NFL and NFLPA trying to send a message to the Miami Dolphins for getting them in this mess and exposing their poorly written concussion protocols. As a fan it was hard to watch, as the game hadn't even gotten started and our backup was already taken out of the game and we're down 2-0.

The start of this game was a tough one to get through, but the offense actually performed pretty well in the first half as they scored 14 points and stayed within striking distance of the Jets. Biggest positive from the offense is the emergence of Raheem Mostert and the Dolphins running game. Mostert finished with 18 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown, which included a 12 yard rushing TD early in the 2nd quarter that showcased the speed that makes him special.

QB Skylar Thompson was able to get down the field at times, but his ability to read the game and make the right decision just isn't there yet as he was 19-of-33 for 166 yards and an interception. To be fair, the interception wasn't his fault entirely as Mostert ran into RT Greg Little on the play, which freed up the defender who got in the way of Thompson making that strike to River Cracraft for the first down. Regardless, it was a tough showing from the passing game all game long, which had to have been expected considering the circumstances. Now I'm sure I don't have to say it, but man does this team miss Tua. Those first three weeks of the season were as much as I can remember having as a Dolphin fan.

While many Dolphins fans have been asking for defensive coordinator Josh Boyer to get fired. I honestly don't find that to be the best solution. I believe that continuity, chemistry and structure goes a long way into building a Super Bowl contending team and I could see that in this team even in the losses. Plus, the defense is dealing with injuries to their two star cornerbacks in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones among others. Jones hasn't played all year, but with Howard now dealing with an injury the holes in the secondary are getting even bigger. He's already been ruled out against the Vikings while Howard's status is still uncertain for Sunday's matchup.

So, it's important to take a step back and remember that the Dolphins are 3-2 and have a huge opportunity to make it into the playoffs this year. I honestly forget to remind myself when I'm thinking back on how poorly things have gone for us these passed few weeks. We have to look at the positives like Tua not being put on IR and possibly being available in one of the upcoming games, Byron Jones and Xavien Howard should be healthy and on the field together soon and combining that with the emerging running game from this passed Sunday. I like our chances this season.

The Miami Dolphins will look to turn things around against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6 at 1PM. No matter who is out on that field I'll be expecting an all out effort from Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins to get this season back on track.