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What the Week 3 Film Told Us About the Miami Dolphins

Miami's continuing struggles with play-action contribute to a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tyler DeSena|
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Jaden Hicks (21) breaks up a pass intended for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (21) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Jaden Hicks (21) breaks up a pass intended for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (21) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Miami Dolphins played their most complete game of the season so far, but lost against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3. The All-22 tape tells a story of frustrating turning points, as well as a reason for excitement.

The Rookie’s Big Play

Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez snagged his first career interception on Sunday, and it was no easy feat. The tape shows Rodriguez’s instincts and athleticism that led him to the football, despite starting on the line of scrimmage.

Rodriguez begins bluffing a blitz up front, but at the snap, he bails out to become the deep-middle defender in a Tampa-2 coverage. He’s fluid and quick enough to match the route from speedster Xavier Worthy for long enough that Mahomes moves to the back side.

The Chiefs’ passing concept puts Rodriguez in a bind. As Worthy’s route leaves the middle, Rashee Rice fills the vacated space. Mahomes, who is moved off the spot by a game between Zach Sieler and Jordyn Brooks, leaves the ball behind Rice, and it’s tipped up into the air. Rodriguez, who doesn’t change directions until the ball is out, is still able to make his way across the hashes and make an acrobatic catch.

This play marks a potential glimpse into the future for the Dolphins. Rodriguez has provided some highlight moments through the first three weeks of his career, and when supplied a complementary rush, he has the athleticism to make big plays for Jeff Hafley’s defense.

Play-Action Struggles

For the second week in a row, the Dolphins’ defense allowed the highest total EPA on play-action passes. In Weeks 2 and 3, Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes combined for 19 of 21 passing for 310 yards and two touchdowns on play-action concepts, per NFL Pro.

Mahomes’ mobility got the Chiefs’ offense running early. On the first play of the game, Miami gets enough of a rush to move him off his spot. The combination of the play-action design and a new launch point put Jordyn Brooks in no-man's land, allowing the crafty Travis Kelce to find a gap in between Brooks and flat defender Jason Marshall.

Miami’s linebackers are caught in a similar bind on the Chiefs’ game-icing drive in the fourth quarter. The under-center fake and underneath routes cause Jacob Rodriguez to bite. As he attempts to gain depth in his zone drop, Mahomes steps up into an open patch of grass, freezing Rodriguez and throwing behind him for a 34-yard gain.

Miami’s zone integrity is already questionable given their lack of wins up front and young pieces on the backend who often fall for eye candy. Combining that with back-to-back duos of mobile quarterbacks and elite playcallers has put this flaw under a microscope and led to two of the worst games of play-action defense in the NFL this year.

Deep Ball Inefficiency

Miami’s passing offense was among the most aggressive in Week 3. Quarterback Malik Willis attempted nine passes of 20 or more air yards, the highest mark of the week, pending Monday Night Football. Of those, Willis only completed one.

The issues vary from play to play. On one occasion, Willis overthrew Malik Washington down the sideline, but on others to Greg Dulcich (his lone completion) and Kevin Coleman Jr., he couldn’t get as much on it as his receivers went over the top.

There were two pressures, and multiple plays where Willis held on to one read for too long and forced dangerous throws into double coverage.

With an athletic, strong-armed quarterback in Willis, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik hasn’t been afraid to dial up the shot plays, but to this point, they haven’t reached the mark. Some attempts look like chemistry issues that could improve throughout the season, but regardless Miami needs better execution, as they try to find ways to hunt for explosives without De'Von Achane.

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Tyler DeSena
TYLER DESENA

Tyler DeSena is currently a journalism student at the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining Dolphins On SI in 2026, DeSena worked with dolphinstalk.com, and created independent social media content on X, YouTube and TikTok.

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