Four Winners And Four Losers From Week 4 Dolphins Loss

In their third road contest in four games, the Miami Dolphins had one of their best chances to win this season, but could not get the job done, falling to Minnesota 15-10.

It feels like there was genuine progress made by Miami. After being blown out by Las Vegas and San Francisco, the Dolphins hung around longer than expected against Kansas City and were a TOE away from a possible win against the Vikings.

Bottom line? This "progress" is too slow, and even though the list of winless NFL teams is shrinking, the Dolphins are firmly on that list no team wants to be on. Some players stood out for the Dolphins on both sides of the ball for good and bad reasons, but the same problems persist.

FOUR WINNING EFFORTS, FOUR LOSING EFFORTS

Loser - WR Chris Bell

The biggest what-if of the season occurred in the second quarter when Bell caught a 68-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins the lead — except it didn't count because Bell BARELY stepped out of bounds before catching the ball, leading to an illegal touching penalty and wiping the score off the board.

Knowing how the game transpired, it's a brutal mistake for Bell to make. Every play matters more in a game that was this close. But if you were to take away that play, Bell was still a non-factor in this game, targeted three times but not recording a single catch. He was expected to build on a solid performance against Kansas City, but it didn't come close to happening.

Winner - DT Zach Sieler

One of the biggest negatives of Miami's season up to this point was the lack of a pass rush; opposing quarterbacks' jerseys were way too clean. However, the Dolphins found their groove against the Vikings, and Sieler was the poster boy of the group with three tackles, two tackles for loss, and, most importantly, TWO SACKS.

It's his best overall performance this season, hands down. He set the tone with his first sack, which came on the first play of the game. There was genuine synergy between him and some of the other Dolphins in the trenches, like Chop Robinson and Jordan Phillips.

Don't think this is a sign that Miami's pass rush is "fixed," and that they can continue this moving forward. But they found success against a really solid Minnesota offensive line, and will now take on a historically shaky Cincinnati O-line back in Miami Gardens, so let's see where they go from here.

Loser - QB Malik Willis

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores had his way in terms of getting to Miami's quarterback. Willis had an abysmal 85 passing yards, lost a fumble, and was sacked twice. While he didn't throw an interception, he shucked some questionable throws that could have been picked off.

When he had some solid completions here and there, he couldn't keep it going for back-to-back plays, or there was a penalty that wiped it off the board. In terms of being a dual-threat QB, he wasn't a threat at all in the run game.

I've tried my best to keep Willis off these lists so far this season, but his performance against Minnesota was the breaking point. Miami's offense had opportunities in this game to win, but it genuinely looked like Willis held the offense back at times.

Winner - RB Ollie Gordon II

The keys to the run game were given to Gordon following Achane's injury, and he didn't disappoint with 100 yards and a touchdown off nine carries.

His 53-yard pick-up coming out of halftime gave the Dolphins the spark they needed on offense, though it sadly led to a field goal. He could have even done better if one long-distance run hadn't been called back because he was "supposedly" touched at the line of scrimmage after stumbling down, though no TV angle was provided that actually showed that.

Regardless, Gordon was electric in this game and had to put the offense on his back at times. The flashes of speed, agility, and ability to break tackles in prior games culminated in one of his best performances in the NFL, and it was well needed.

Loser - LT Patrick Paul

In Paul's defense, the officiating crew for this game didn't give the Dolphins any favors, but players eventually need to adjust when they're getting hammered with penalties. Paul did not do that and was hit with three holding penalties. He negated a few quality plays from the offense, including the best run of the game for Willis in the second quarter.

It's a shame, because Paul did look good when blocking for Gordon and company. He had a great game against Kansas City and genuinely looked like he was turning into a quality pass blocker.

However, he regressed against Minnesota and visibly looked frustrated, not just with the officiating, but also with how the O-line struggled — Austin Jackson wasn't any better; it's just the matter of three holding penalties by Paul that put him on this list.

Winner - LB Jacob Rodriguez

There needs to be a serious discussion about Rodriguez and how he deserves to be in the running for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. He's done everything asked of him by Miami and then some, and seems to only be getting better as the weeks pass.

His performance against Minnesota was his best so far—- 18 total tackles (nine of which were solo) on 78 defensive snaps, leading the team in all three categories (tied in snaps). His 18 tackles in a single game are the most by ANY defensive player in the NFL this season in the NFL so far.

Rodriguez always seems to find his way to the football. His ability to wrap up quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers is currently unmatched in the NFL, especially considering he's 24 years old. Getting by Rodriguez with the ball in your hand has become a near-impossible task, cementing him as one of the brightest spots on the team this season.

Loser - LB Jordyn Brooks

On one hand, this was a decent game for Brooks by the numbers with 13 tackles. However, this slot truly represents everyone who attempted to contain TJ Hockenson, who had one of the best games of his career. Postgame, Brooks claimed ownership of the defense's struggles to keep up with the eighth-year tight end.

With Justin Jefferson not playing, there was hope that Miami's defense could silence Minnesota's passing game, but Hockenson turned out to be the hero that the Vikings needed. He racked up 13 receptions for 119 yards, including some of their biggest plays on offense as the game progressed.

The cherry on top was the final play before the two-minute warning, with Hockenson going down at the 1-yard line to ice the game as Miami had no more timeouts. Jordan Addison and the rest of Minnesota's wide receivers had mediocre performances in comparison; Hockenson was at the right place at the right time to become one of the most unexpected reasons why the Vikings won.

Winner - LB Josh Uche

So far, Uche has had a pedestrian season for the Dolphins, but he provided solid snaps for Miami against the Vikings, finishing the day with six tackles and a sack in the second quarter.

He did some of his best work in the second half, including one of the most critical tackles of the game. On 3rd & 8, he stopped Aaron Jones dead in his tracks for a gain of three yards. Minnesota had to settle for a field goal, giving the ball back to Miami's offense, trailing by five points with just under seven minutes to go.

The Dolphins' offense didn't come through, but you can't say the defense didn't give them the opportunity needed to win the game.

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