Why There Needs To Be Immediate Improvement For Miami's Run Defense

There are a lot of factors that could be pinned as to why the Miami Dolphins lost to the Las Vegas Raiders to start the season, but one that needs to be addressed real quickly is their run defense.

It might be too early to make assumptions, considering it's currently Week 2 of the NFL season. However, it already looks like this group is being considered one of the worst run defenses in the league. We knew it was going to be a challenge to contain Ashton Jeanty, and we weren't proven wrong.

That said, there are real reasons why Miami's run defense struggled the way it did. Even more importantly, there's a big reason they need to find answers, thanks in part to who they have to play next.

Memories Of Boise State Jeanty

Having given up 130 rushing yards to Las Vegas, the Dolphins currently have the 23rd-ranked run defense. Jeanty specifically clocked in 102 yards on 23 carries, though his longest rush of the game was only 15 yards.

For the most part, Jeanty kept his run routine simple. Being a physical bruiser, he spent most of his handoffs running right up the middle with the occasional dash to the edges of the field. He was then assisted by an exceptional performance from his offensive line, creating gaps that any running back could take advantage of.

While Jeanty's top speed isn't impressive, he has great acceleration as soon as the play starts. As soon as Kirk Cousins handed Jeanty the ball, Miami's defensive linemen were locked in battles with the Raiders' offensive line, who were physical enough to push them around.

Even when Miami's defensive line was able to get by their matchups, Jeanty was darting past them, leading to them having to tackle him from behind and plenty of missed tackles as a result. While Jeanty is 5-8, he has a wide frame and the ability to shake off defenders with a stiff arm unless defenders are going straight for the legs.

No Breakout Runs, No Problem

"I think early on, we kind of dipped our toe in the water, and we kind of played it safe," Hafley said. "We weren't as downhill; we weren't tearing off blocks. We were just kind of playing it safe. We had some misalignments and some fronts. We had some misrun fits early on. I think it came – we were just a little tentative, and I think we were trying to be too safe. I think as we got going a little bit, we were more downhill; we were tearing off blocks, and we were just more physical."

Of all the matchups in the trenches that didn't go Miami's way, Jordan Phillips especially struggled against Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum, conveniently leaving the most wide-open gaps for Jeanty to run through right up the middle. Zeek Biggers wasn't any better in his matchup against Spencer Burford.

Miami mainly relied on a Cover 3 setup, sending three defenders deep behind the linebackers, leaving only them to make the final tackle against Jeanty and Washington in the trenches. If not, then the safeties were forced to come in and limit the damage, but not before solid gains that set up the play-action pass on second or third down, with a lot of them going back to Jeanty.

Cover 3 did make breakout runs impossible, which is why there was no run over 20 yards. However, the Raiders were so consistent with 8-10 yard bursts that it didn't matter. Look at every drive in which the Raiders scored a touchdown. They began with respective 11-, 8-, and 5-yard runs, setting up short-yardage second downs or moving the chains as soon as a drive started.

Slight Improvement To No Avail

With a comfortable 17-6 lead at halftime, the third quarter featured some of the Raiders' best work on the ground - 12 carries for 62 yards, averaging 5.2 yards a play. Aside from just helping them score 10 more points in the quarter, they killed the Dolphins in terms of time of possession, ending the game with a 34:53 to 25:07 advantage.

"In the second half, it was impressive how we played against the run," Hafley said. "It was really a tale of two halves. So hopefully they got that out of their systems, and we build off of it, but there's some coaching there too now. We got to make sure we're lining up in the right spots and that we're seeing things the right way and fitting in the right areas. So we'll get back to work and improve that."

Interestingly, Hafley noted the "second half" as the point when the run defense improved. The real improvement came in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.

The Raiders played conservative football, simply looking to drain as much time off the clock as they could. With how badly Miami's offense struggled to move the ball down the field, it led to the fourth quarter featuring five punts and three turnovers.

You're Not Gonna Like Who's Next

Up next for the Dolphins is the San Francisco 49ers, who happen to feature Christian McCaffrey, considered one of the best running backs in football. However, not all the spotlight will be on CMC, with rookie Kaelon Black playing just as big a role in their running game.

For most of his Hall of Fame career, McCaffrey has dominated the outside edges, but it looks like he's finding new success going between the tackles in his tenth year in the NFL. In their win over the Los Angeles Rams, he ran through the middle in seven of his 10 carries, posting 54 of his 68 yards doing just that.

This could be because he's not as fast as he once was now that he's 30 years old, but he's just as physical and agile as ever. Black, meanwhile, was their go-to runner for most of the first half and ended up with four more carries in the game than McCaffrey (14 to 10). They kept CMC rested and ready to do most of his work in the second half.

San Francisco had complete success with this duo on the ground, totaling 174 rushing yards against the Rams. There's no reason they wouldn't continue with this pattern against the Dolphins. Miami needs to ensure they can stay physical and alert against San Francisco's offensive line early, but based on their inability to contain Jeanty, it might be more of the same against Black and McCaffrey.

The Dolphins maybe caught a break with Black sustaining a groin injury in practice Thursday, though his status for the game is uncertain and it's not like facing McCaffrey with any other running back will be a picnic.

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