Dolphins forced to switch quarterbacks again in loss to Vikings, third consecutive defeat
The Dolphins’ three-game losing streak has come just as swiftly as their 3-0 start and each defeat has taken on the same painfully ironic fashion.
For the third consecutive game, the Dolphins had to make a change at quarterback because of an injury. And despite the unforeseen circumstance, the team again had an opportunity to take a lead in the fourth quarter, only to fall short.
The means by which the Dolphins have replaced their starter and battled to a tight fourth-quarter score have been unique each time, but the final result hasn’t changed.
On Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, with Teddy Bridgewater stepping in for injured rookie Skylar Thompson, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle caught a pass right outside the red zone with the Dolphins trailing 16-10 and about four minutes remaining. But safety Harrison Smith stripped the ball from Waddle as he tried to pick up additional yards, and safety Camryn Bynum made the recovery.
Two plays later, running back Dalvin Cook, a Miami Central alum who had just 17 rushing yards up to that point, broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown with 3:15 left in the game, sealing an eventual 24-16 defeat for the Dolphins.
“I’m going to demand that the team does not point at that to be a reason for what’s happened or a reason for the loss,” Dolphins coach McDaniel said of the Dolphins having to make another quarterback switch. “I think that’s the easy thing to do. I think that’s the path of least resistance, and generally the path of least resistance doesn’t lend the results that an ambitious, convicted, all-in players’ team, organization wants. Yeah, there’s always difficulties and adversity within NFL football games. I thought we had the capability to overcome that, and we didn’t.”
As the Dolphins (3-3) seek to get above .500 in a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Sunday Night Football” — a celebration of the franchise’s undefeated 1972 team and a reunion with former head coach Brian Flores — they’ll likely do so with starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was cleared of the NFL’s concussion protocol Saturday morning but held out due to limited practice reps.
However, even with the return of the third-year quarterback who showed promising signs before he was sidelined, the Dolphins will have to address problems that supersede him and mounting injuries that cost them against the Vikings (5-1). The Dolphins doubled the Vikings in first downs — 23 to 11 — and almost did the same in total yards — 458 to 234 — but often had nothing to show for it.
Thompson, the seventh-round pick making his first NFL start, injured his right thumb early in the second quarter, which thrust Bridgewater back into the lineup after he was sidelined in the team’s Week 5 loss to the New York Jets because of concussion protocol.
“It’s just our luck that the guy who didn’t get to prepare as a starter has to go in the game and play most of the game,” said Bridgewater, who completed 23 of 34 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. “But man, this game is so crazy. It just applies to life, also. You wake up one morning prepared to do one thing, and boom, something happens, and how do you adjust. And I think this team has responded well to adversity, to the bad luck in the quarterback room, if you want to call it that.”
Thompson, who completed seven of 13 passes for 89 yards before his injury, looked more comfortable in his limited action than in his NFL debut in East Rutherford, New Jersey. However, the Dolphins’ offense left points on the board while he was on the field, struggling to execute in Minnesota territory.
On the first possession, the offensive line, playing without bookend tackles Terron Armstead (toe) and Austin Jackson (ankle) failed to pick up a four-man rush on third down, knocking the team out of field goal range. On the second drive, the offense committed five penalties, many of them negating chunk plays and forcing the Dolphins to punt again.
“It was a flag fest,” said McDaniel, whose team committed a season-high 10 penalties. “When I watch the film, I’m anticipating people or players potentially doing too much, which is a common, very common thing when you lose a couple games in a row.”
On the third, Thompson took a hit on third down from inside linebacker Jordan Hicks that ended his first NFL start prematurely.
With a patchwork offensive line and a new quarterback in the game, the defense stepped up with some of its most encouraging play all season.
Quarterback Kirk Cousin was sacked three times. The Vikings punted on their first four possessions and a season-high 10 times. But after a 44-yard field goal by Jason Sanders gave the Dolphins a 3-0 lead in the second quarter, the Vikings worked their way down the field with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Irv Smith Jr.
Starting cornerback Nik Needham was carted off the field on the first play of the drive with what a league source said is a season-ending Achilles injury. Not too long after, fellow cornerback Keion Crossen left the game with a knee injury and did not return, further depleting an injury-riddled secondary.
The Dolphins, though, trailed 10-3 at halftime only after Waddle (six catches, 129 yards) bobbled a pass with the first-half clock ticking down. Smith made a diving interception and Minnesota made a field goal as time expired.
The second-half script followed a similar theme as the first. A failed fake punt on the Dolphins’ opening possession preceded six consecutive punts from both teams before the Vikings started to separate. A 47-yard reception by wide receiver Justin Jefferson closed the third quarter and Cousins found wideout Adam Thielen in the back of the end zone for a 2-yard score, putting the Dolphins behind 16-3.
As desperation seemed to kick in, the Dolphins’ offense showed signs of life. Bridgewater engineered a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped with a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Gesicki, who finished with a season-high six catches for 69 yards and two scores.
The Dolphins’ defense forced another punt and Bridgewater converted a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill (season-high 12 catches, 177 yards) on fourth-and-5 to cross midfield with under six minutes remaining. The momentum had seemingly shifted at Hard Rock Stadium but three plays later, it mercilessly swung back with Waddle’s fumble, the last of three turnovers. The Dolphins failed to force a takeaway for the third consecutive game.
“The number one indicator in wins and losses has been and forever always will be turnovers,” McDaniel said.
As Waddle slowly walked back to the team’s sideline, his frustration was palpable. He grabbed his helmet and several defensive players consoled him as they jogged onto the field.
But moments later, Cook was celebrating in the end zone at the expense of his hometown team, continuing a string of bitter losses for the Dolphins.
This story was originally published October 16, 2022 at 1:12 PM with the headline "Dolphins forced to switch quarterbacks again in loss to Vikings, third consecutive defeat."
