The Miami Dolphins have gone right back to leaving one on the table.
Miami led New England 13-3 at halftime at Hard Rock Stadium before giving up 21 unanswered points in a 24-19 loss.
There were encouraging individual performances, particularly from some of the Dolphins expected to eventually beome foundational pieces.
But there were also penalties, stalled possessions and coverage breakdowns
Quarterback: C+
Malik Willis finished 21-of-32 for 211 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He didn't offer much as a runner this time, rushing for just 2 yards on one carry.
He looked encouraging in the first half while completing 12 of 15 passes for 112 yards and helped Miami finish the half with a touchdown after zipping a pass to Malik Washington in the goal line.
The second half wasn't as smooth however, with 73 of his 99 second-half passing yards coming on the final touchdown drive.
His interception came after an unfortunate ricochet off a defensive lineman's helmet, but he threw another one that was erased by an offside penalty. The passing game needed more consistency before the deficit reached 11.
The next step in Willis' development may require a few more uncomfortable seconds in the pocket. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik's slower-developing play-action concepts, particularly those sending only two receivers downfield, require patience. The defensive backs need to show their hand, and at times that means open routes won't show up until the last second.
Ollie Gordon II finished with 69 yards on 19 carries, averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. Jaylen Wright added 5 yards on two carries, and Miami managed just 74 rushing yards overall.
Bobby Slowik keeps trying to find small ways to change the picture for opposing defenses, like offsetting Gordon farther to the right in the backfield instead of just stacking him behind the quarterback. This time, his creativity wasn't rewarded.
The bigger problem was Gordon's third-quarter unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which turned a manageable third-and-5 into third-and-20. Miami punted, and Gordon's frustration spilled onto the sideline.
Willis later said he told Gordon he was "dead ass wrong."
Wide Receivers: B
Kevin Coleman Jr. continues developing and showcasing the route-running ability that can make him a reliable fixture in the receiver rotation
On his 35-yard touchdown, Coleman sold the out before turning upfield, giving Charles Woods a taste of the turf.
He caught all three of his targets for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Malik Washington continues to produce at a steady clip, with Miami putting his skills to use near the goal line on a short motion that created a matchup against safety Kevin Byard III, and Washington stopped on a dime before sprinting to the flats and catching a 1-yard touchdown.
Washington finished with five catches for 40 yards. Caleb Douglas added four for 43, while Chris Bell caught four for 31.
Tight Ends: C+
Greg Dulcich followed his season-high performance against the Jets with four catches for 43 yards.
His 19-yard reception on third-and-8 helped keep Miami's touchdown drive alive before halftime.
The blocking looked rough, though.
New England kept generating pressure through matchups against Miami's tight ends, primarily Will Kacmarek, who had difficulty holding up against Gabe Jacas and Elijah Ponder, most notably on a failed cutblock midway through the first quarter.
The first two sacks weren't necessarily examples of terrible blocking. They were longer-developing plays where nobody was open before somebody eventually got free.
Jonah Savaiinaea, however, had a couple of reps that didn't require much explaining.
With 7:45 left in the first quarter, he reached with his hands, leaned too far forward and absolutely whiffed as Christian Barmore knocked his punch away. Barmore and Gabe Jacas finished the sack.
At 5:05, Savaiinaea was driven backward by Cory Durden, who helped blow up Gordon's run for a 3-yard loss. Savaiinaea also committed a holding penalty before halftime.
Miami was without Kadyn Proctor, with Jarrett Kingston starting at left guard. Still, five first-half sacks and 74 rushing yards make it difficult to be generous with this grade
Defensive Line: B
Josh Uche has pretty much defined serviceable this season.
He might not be keeping offensive tackles awake at night, but he generally does his job.
On a misdirection run, much of the defense followed Corey Kiner's jet motion. Uche stayed home and was able to corral Rhamondre Stevenson. He also finished with four tackles and a third-down sack that dropped Maye for a 10-yard loss.
Chop Robinson added two sacks and showed some versatility beyond rushing the passer. On third-and-5 with 9:22 left in the first quarter, he bluffed a rush before dropping into the middle of the field, helping take away an option as Maye threw incomplete.
Robinson also had a chance to bring Maye down before DeMario Douglas' 48-yard touchdown and couldn't finish it.
Linebackers: B
The tackle totals are impressive, but watching Jordyn Brooks and Jacob Rodriguez help each other is becoming almost an art form.
One will step up and stonewall a blocker to clear space for the other. They're willing to do the dirty work even when somebody else gets to finish the play.
Brooks finished with 11 tackles, while Rodriguez added eight and punched the ball out of Efton Chism III's hands. JuJu Brents recovered, giving Miami the short field that produced its first field goal.
Willie Gay Jr. continues to live a life of extremes, and this time it ended badly. He bit on Drake Maye's fake pitch near the goal line, allowing the quarterback to keep it for the go-ahead touchdown.
Michael Taaffe is naturally the type of player you want to root for. A former walk-on, willing tackler, always ready to throw himself into somebody.
But, man, he keeps getting beaten in coverage.
Kyle Williams jetted across his face on the deep post for a 43-yard touchdown. New England used motion to create that matchup within Miami's Cover 3, and Williams said afterward that he knew it would be a touchdown when the play was called.
At this point, it's worth wondering how much Miami can hide those weaknesses by walking Taaffe closer to the line and giving him more work against the run.
JuJu Brents also gave up Douglas' 48-yard touchdown. Maye finished 16-of-20 for 199 yards and two passing touchdowns, completing 9 of 10 for 146 yards after halftime.
Wright continues to do more damage returning kicks than carrying the ball on offense
He returned five kickoffs for 142 yards, including gains of 43 and 36 yards. He did, however, failed to make the simple play of stepping out of bounds while fielding a kickoff near the sideline in the fourth quarter, which would have resulted in a New England penalty and Miami getting the ball at its 40. Instead, there was a holding penalty on the play and Miami began that drive at its 12.
Zane Gonzalez connected from 31 and 52 yards, but missed a 43-yard attempt with 6:41 remaining that would have cut Miami's deficit to eight.
Bradley Pinion averaged 45.8 yards on four punts, with a 37.0-yard net, while Miami allowed Marcus Jones a 26-yard punt return.
There was some improvement in the return game, but another missed opportunity when Miami needed points.
Miami built a 13-3 halftime lead, then went right back to getting in its own way.
This team plays hard for Jeff Hafley, and while it may sound like a consolation prize, it should be the most encouraging sign of this entire process so far.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/onsi as Dolphins Week 8 Report Card: Front Seven Earns Highest Marks .
