The Miami Dolphins are already staring down an 0-1 record after getting absolutely clobbered by the Las Vegas Raiders, falling 27-13 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. New head coach Jeff Hafley’s tenure kicked off with a huge dud, and frankly, it was tough to watch. Their offense looked flat-out uninspired, special teams consistently hung their defense out to dry, and Sean Duggan’s unit? They couldn’t lay a finger on Ashton Jeanty at any point in the game. Now that the official snap counts are out, we can dig into the numbers and see what’s *really* going on under the hood.
The Offensive Struggle and Surprising Usage
Every single offensive lineman, Austin Jackson, Jonah Savaiinaea, Kadyn Proctor, Patrick Paul, and Aaron Brewer, played all 56 offensive snaps. Same goes for quarterback Malik Willis. That’s your core, but what about the guys around them? Malik Washington and Caleb Douglas were clearly the starting wide receivers, playing 98% and 91% of snaps respectively. Chris Bell got over half the snaps (52%), while Kevin Coleman Jr. was out there for about a third (29%). Here’s a head-scratcher: Miami is using a fullback, DJ Herman, on 27% of their plays. If they want to help running back De’Von Achane, who got 86% of the snaps, they might need to ramp up Herman’s usage. Tight end Will Kacmarek also only played 25% and could definitely see more time as an in-line blocker. The backup running backs, Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II, each split four reps, with Wright getting the lone carry between the two.
Defensive Gaps and Unexpected Twists
On defense, linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and Jordyn Brooks were iron men, playing 100% and 99% of snaps, respectively. Cornerback Chris Johnson also played every single snap, while Jason Marshall Jr. was only off the field for four plays. JuJu Brents rounded out the cornerback rotation at 38%. Johnson had a rough outing, allowing two touchdowns, but he also flashed with two passes defensed. The starting safeties were Zayne Anderson (78%) and Michael Taaffe (75%), with Dante Trader Jr. taking on a third safety role for nearly half the game (47%). What really jumps out on defense, though, is the pass rush rotation. Malik Herring ended up out-snapping Joshua Uche! Herring played 47% of snaps to Uche’s 43%, which is a huge surprise considering Uche was supposed to be the main rusher opposite Chop Robinson. Robinson himself played 62% of snaps, as did Zeek Biggers.
This 0-1 start is more than just a scoreboard loss; the snap counts reveal some serious questions about player usage and defensive schemes right off the bat. Will we see adjustments in who’s on the field next week? The coaching staff has to figure out how to maximize their talent and get this team moving in the right direction, fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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