Dolphins Show Browns What a Contender Looks Like

The Cleveland Browns went to Miami in hopes of proving they're improving, a team with which to be reckoned, but the Dolphins took them apart while showcasing themselves as a real threat for the Super Bowl.

Coming off a dominating victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and the bye, the Cleveland Browns traveled to Miami to face off against the Dolphins in an effort to build momentum, but they wilted under the spotlight and the Florida sun.

The Dolphins dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball from start to finish and the Browns simply weren't good enough to overcome that disparity. When the Dolphins made the trade to acquire defensive end Bradley Chubb, they expected to unlock the full potential of their talented defensive front and reduce the need for them to blitz. If this game is any indication of the return the Dolphins can expect, he transformed their defense and has them looking the part of a Super Bowl contender.

Chubb dominated left tackle Jedrick Wills which created opportunities to generate pressure for his teammates. On the other side, Jack Conklin had the worst game of his career with the Browns. When Wills and Conklin weren't allowing quarterback Jacoby Brissett to get drilled, it was often because they were holding.

The Dolphins were happy to keep more defenders back which bolstered their numbers in coverage and allowed them to dedicate more attention to Nick Chubb. They were able to limit Chubb to 63 rushing yards on the day including a lost fumble and 33 of those yards came on a second half touchdown run when the game was largely out of reach. 

That put the game in the hands of Brissett and while he had his share of successes early, he wasn't able to overcome the sheer amount of problems the Dolphins defense was able to create.

The Browns were able to drive right down the field on the first drive of the game and score a touchdown. The script worked beautifully, starting with a charge in the form of a 48-yard opening kick return from Jerome Ford. Almost just as quickly, Brissett found tight end Harrison Bryant in the end zone for a touchdown.

The next three drives the Browns would get the ball to the Dolphins end of the field, they lost a fumble, turned the ball over on downs and kicked a field goal. On the fourth down attempt, the Browns were unable to compete a pass intended for Donovan Peoples-Jones covered by Kader Kohou. Four trips into the Dolphins end of the field netted the Browns just 10 points.

Defensively, the Browns hoped the game against the Baltimore Ravens and Bengals were a sign they had figured out their major issues. But for all the areas the Browns had improved in those performances, the most glaring issue, defensive tackle, had nowhere to hide.

In an attempt to deal with the heat, the Browns rotated their defensive line throughout the game. Unfortunately, the Browns don't have a secret stash of good defensive tackles they could draw from and that rotation often left the defensive end position compromised.

The Browns went into this game trying to make sure Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, two of the best wide receivers in the league, didn't beat them. In that, they were reasonably successful. The two would combine for nine receptions for 110 yards.

Unfortunately for the Browns, the Dolphins simply used that opening to dominate the Browns with their ground game and quick passing to their other receiving options. Jeff Wilson led the way with 119 yards on just 17 carries while former Brown Raheem Mostert chipped in eight carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. However, receivers like Trent Sherfield, Alec Ingold and Mike Gesicki were able to provide enough plays to extend drives and keep up the scoring.

An all too familiar sight, the Browns defensive interior was consistently blown off the ball allowing Dolphin linemen to overwhelm the second level defenders, creating seams for the Dolphins speedy backfield duo to exploit. While the Browns were content to allow the Dolphins to matriculate down the field in an effort to outlast them and find ways to generate stops, they weren't suffering cuts. The Dolphins gashed and did so repeatedly.

The Browns defense found itself once again compromised by the fact they struggle to defend both the run and the pass at the same time. The Ravens were one dimensional in that they almost completely relied on the run. The Browns were good enough stopping the run early against the Bengals, they completely abandoned it.

The Dolphins were able to consistently keep the Browns off balance, using the run to set up the pass and mixing in play-action to cause them a ton of problems. Tua Tagovailoa was outstanding with his accuracy and made multiple throws where Browns defenders made the right reads and were in decent position, but the pass was simply too good. That combined with the fact Tagovailoa got rid of the ball on time throughout the game negated any meaningful pass rush effort from the Browns. He completed 25 of 32 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

It's a shame because the Browns secondary did look like they were capable of playing with the Dolphins receivers early. However, they also were stretched too thin when asked to also be a critical part of their run support.

Grant Delpit was flying down hill, showing off range and making 6 solo tackles on the afternoon, but too often they were already five and ten yards down the field. Denzel Ward, who had missed three games due to a concussion, might have had the best game of his season.

The fundamental flaw in the Browns defense continues to be defensive tackle, which limits what this team can accomplish. It doesn't help that the Browns are so young on the edges behind Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, but it's difficult to argue that any of the defensive tackles on the current roster should be back on the team in 2023. They still have eight games to try to strengthen their case. Some will be in training camp for next year to see if they can improve, but the Browns will have to consider starting from square one. That could include rookie Perrion Winfrey who was inactive for this game in what appears to be continued issues regarding professionalism.

Speaking of professionalism, the Browns were thoroughgoingly dominated by a professional outfit. The Dolphins are intent on contending this year and the addition of Bradley Chubb looks to be a massive upgrade for a team that already had championship aspirations. The Browns are a team hoping to improve this year so they can be in that position next year. This game showed how significant that difference is.