Dolphins-Chargers Week 14 Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out
The Miami Dolphins suffered their second consecutive loss when they dropped a 23-17 decision against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday night.
Ahead of the matchup, we offered our weekly ranking and analysis of the five biggest storylines and now it's time to revisit those to see how they played out.
1. The Tua-Herbert Showdown
BEFORE THE GAME: Yes, this game is about more than QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, the fifth and sixth picks in the 2020 NFL draft, but this obviously is the biggest sub-plot of this game. The game shouldn't be seen as a referendum on the two QBs, but it's also clear that each has the ability to deeply impact the outcome of this matchup.
DURING THE GAME: It's Tua who has had the better 2022 season and is the one in the NFL MVP conversation, but at least on this night it obviously was Herbert who was the better player. In fact, he was as big a reason as any that the Chargers won, passing for 367 yards despite rarely having the ability to settle in the pocket before the pass rush was in his face. On the other side, it was a second consecutive sub-par statistical performance for Tua, who completed a career-low 35.7 percent of his passes. But it needs to be said that he didn't have open receivers on a lot of throws and there seemed to be confusion on the part of his receivers on more than one occasion.
2. Armstead, Fisher and the Offensive Line
BEFORE THE GAME: The Dolphins not making any moves related to their offensive line Saturday suggests that Terron Armstead will be back in the starting lineup, which obviously will be a major boost for Tua and the offense. Newcomer Eric Fisher also figures to be active, though whether he's in the starting lineup remains to be seen. Regardless, the offense should be closer to looking like the unit that was humming before the hiccup at San Francisco last week.
DURING THE GAME: Armstead indeed did start at left tackle for the Dolphins and he looked solid as usual, though he did get beat by veteran linebacker (and former Dolphins player) Kyle Van Noy for a sack in the second quarter. Fisher ended up not playing despite being inactive, as the Dolphins went with the same starting five up front of Armstead, Robert Jones, Connor Williams, Robert Hunt and Brandon Shell. While the Dolphins managed only 219 total yards on offense, the line wasn't the major issue. Tua was sacked twice and hit four times and the running backs averaged 4 yards per carry, a respectable if unspectacular number.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Phillips, Ingram and the Pass Rush
BEFORE THE GAME: There's a homecoming element for both Jaelan Phillips and Melvin Ingram in this game, with Phillips going back to his native Southern California and practicing all week at his first college (UCLA) and Ingram facing the team with which he spent his first nine NFL seasons. Those two (along with Bradley Chubb) could have a major impact in this game if they can get pressure on Herbert, disrupt his timing and even create a turnover or two.
DURING THE GAME: Despite the outcome and Herbert's big passing numbers, the pass rush certainly was noticeable in this game and it was Phillips who led the way. Phillips had one of the team's four sacks and had a second stolen by a ridiculous roughing-the-passer penalty when he gently (as gently as possible) landed on top of Herbert. While not really noticeable during the game, stats showed Chubb with three quarterback hits, so at least Herbert knew he was there. Ingram, though, was invisible on the field and on the stat sheet (he was not credited with a tackle, assist or QB hit in 37 snaps).
4. Spotlight on the Special Teams
BEFORE THE GAME: When the Dolphins defeated the Chargers in the teams' last meeting in 2020, the kicking game made a major difference, starting with a punt block by Andrew Van Ginkel that was recovered at the Chargers 1-yard line and paved the way for a quick 7-0 lead. The Dolphins special teams have not had a great season, but if this game turns into the shootout that easily could materialize, it could come down to a big play on special teams.
DURING THE GAME: This game almost did come down to special teams, if only the Dolphins had been able to recover the final onside kick after it bounced off the leg of Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer. And it was Jason Sanders being able to make a 55-yard field goal that kept the Dolphins' hopes alive until that onside kick. Beyond Sanders' long field goal, the only play of consequence on special teams was a 23-yard punt return by the Chargers' DeAndre Carter, which helped them start their first touchdown drive at the Miami 43-yard line.
5. Bold Coaches Face Off
BEFORE THE GAME: When Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had the Dolphins go for the first down on fourth-and-1 from the team's own 19 down only six with almost 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, it was reminiscent of the flurry of bold moves made by Chargers head coach Brandon Staley last year. Staley has chilled out a bit on the ultra-aggressive decisions in 2022, but would it really surprise anybody if we saw some of those from either McDaniel or Staley in this game and that one of them could become a determining factor in the outcome?
DURING THE GAME: Staley was faced with two critical decisions on fourth-and-goal situations on the Chargers' first drive of the game and on their last drive of the first half, and he went the aggressive route both times. The Dolphins stopped the first fourth-down attempt and almost had running back Austin Ekeler stuffed on the second one as well until he was able to bounce off Zach Sieler and fall into the end zone. For his part, McDaniel didn't really face any legitimate fourth-down decisions. The closest might have come early in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins were at the Chargers 45, but it was fourth-and-11 and they were within six points. Had he known the Chargers would put together a 17-play drive to extend their lead to nine points while chewing 8:39 off the clock, McDaniel obviously would have gone for the first down, but that's too easy to do after the fact. The bigger issue when it came to the coaching battle was the defensive scheme the Chargers put together to combat the Dolphins passing game, with L.A. pressing the wide receivers and dropping their linebackers deep into coverage. The idea was to not let Miami's speedy receivers run free in the secondary, and it obviously worked on this night.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.
