Throwback uniforms weren't able to help the slumping Miami Dolphins play like champions on Sunday. They're regressing by the week, and head coach Brian Flores has some explaining to do.
Since beating the New England Patriots on the road in Week 1 and losing starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to injury in Week 2, the Dolphins have dropped three straight games -- they scored only three first-half points in a 27-17 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Their impressive season-opening win now forgotten.
"Look at the Dolphins last year, they won a lot of games on defense and on special teams. Year over year, that's not the way it works," former NFL lineman and current podcast host Geoff Schwartz told The DA Show on Monday. "Their offensive line isn't good. They've spent a lot of draft picks on offensive linemen, and I appreciate their effort... but they just haven't coached them up. They haven't developed, they haven't made them better...
"There was a four-game stretch last year where they won four games and the offense scored, like, 21 points. Their defense scored every game and special teams added a touchdown, like, twice. And that's not how you win football games, year over year... They probably have to spend another draft pick on a quarterback. They have to fix their offensive line. But they've spent resources there... At some point, you have to coach them up."
The Dolphins entered Week 4 with a minus-37 point differential -- ranked 29th in the NFL -- and backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett was unable to improve that number against the Colts. He threw for just 199 yards on 20 completions, along with two touchdown passes that didn't come until the fourth quarter.
Through four weeks, their offense ranks 31st in the league in average points (15.5) and average yards (252.0). To make matters worse, Miami's defensive unit has grossly underperformed, as it ranks 25th in average points allowed (27.3) and 24th in average yards allowed (388.3). Tagovailoa, who was placed on injured reserve after fracturing ribs back on Sept. 19, is expected to return on Oct. 17, when the Dolphins face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
Miami (1-3) will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) in a Week 5 matchup on Sunday, Oct. 10. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Dolphins have just a 16-percent chance to reach the playoffs and a 5-percent chance to win the AFC East.
The entire NFL conversation between Schwartz and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The DA Show on Twitter @DAonCBS and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.
