All of those questions about Chad Henne’s potential. All of those wonders about this year’s offense. All of those expectations for this Dolphins defense. Turn all of it around. And some of it upside down.
On a night that shredded most every hypothesis about this season — except the one about struggling to cover tight ends — the Dolphins surely managed to spin the heads of a fan base wondering what to take from a 38-24 loss to the Patriots.
Was this version of Henne, often decisive and sharp, the version to expect every week? Is this secondary, the one that gave up more than 500 passing yards, really going to provide this many issues moving forward?
“We didn’t execute well at all today on our side of the ball,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “The offense played outstanding — and we let them down.”
This game wasn’t just baffling in many capacities. It was also historical.
Never have two teams combined for more net passing yards (906) than Tom Brady and Henne managed Monday. The game broke a 1986 record when the Dolphins and the Jets combined for 884 passing yards in a Jets 51-45 overtime win.
Unacceptable dayThis time, the outcome also favored the opponent.
“He had how many yards?” cornerback Sean Smith asked about Brady’s career-high numbers, which were the fifth-highest in NFL history. “He had 517? I definitely didn’t know it was like that. I knew they were getting chunk plays, but 517 yards is unacceptable.”
Regardless of the air show both quarterbacks conducted, hundreds of fans were clearly more concerned about the defensive concerns than the offensive success. Many shuffled out of the stadium with 9:49 remaining in the game despite a deficit of only 14 points.
Maybe they knew what was coming next.
Those departed fans managed to miss out on an incomplete pass on fourth down from the 1, when the Dolphins called a failed fade route to receiver Brian Hartline.
Those fans also managed to miss the following play, when the Patriots took over on downs and Brady completed a 99-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker. As for the remaining fans, they couldn’t get out fast enough.
“They didn’t do anything we didn’t see on tape,” linebacker Kevin Burnett said. “They executed better than we did.”
Brady finished 32 for 48 with four touchdowns and an interception. He shredded the Dolphins with nearly every one of his weapons, but he mostly utilized his tight ends.
The tight end combination of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski combined for 189 yards on 13 catches with three touchdowns, causing continued concern about the Dolphins’ ability to cover a position that has given the team fits for years.
But the coverage of the tight ends wasn’t the only issue. The cornerbacks also struggled, as both Vontae Davis and Sean Smith dealt with cramping issues in the second half. And the pressure on Brady was often also insufficient.
The struggles on defense certainly came as a considerable surprise, given the team returned 10 of 11 starters after ranking sixth in the NFL last season. True, the Patriots are expected to have one of the most powerful offenses in the league. But more than 500 passing yards powerful?
The dismal defensive performance drowned out most of the optimism that Henne managed to muster for the offense. If his Monday performance is any indication, though, the Dolphins should be able to put up far more points this season.
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