The Phinsider
This is the time of year where I’d rather be watching A Christmas Story on repeat than suffering through a meaningless Dolphins game.
Alas.
Those are the only types of games we have.
Ho.
Ho.
Rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers got his first NFL start on Sunday, leading the 6-8 Miami Dolphins at home against the 4-10 Cincinnati Bengals.
So?
How did he do?
About as well as a rookie in his first NFL start.
Ewers finished the day 20/30 (66%) for 260 yds, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs.
Now, sure; the final score was pitiable. But, there was a drive derailed by a bad OPI call, then a fumble, an INT, and a failed 4th down conversion, all in a row, all leading to Bengals touchdowns.
None of that was really on Ewers.
The second interception immediately afterward was. But, hey. Who cares?
Ewers had a lot of college experience and success. I have to say, over a one game NFL sample size, he looks comfortable in the pocket: No happy feet and no panic around pressure. So, that’s cool.
He doesn’t share a lot of traits with Tua (in the sense that Ewers feels like more of a traditional pocket passer not inexorably tied to timing routes and quick release plays), so to see him in MM’s offense is fascinating.
One perspective is that the game plan should lean on the run and not ask too much of a rookie in his debut. The other is that it should call for plays that attempt to instill confidence in him (even if it’s halfway pretend) by letting him rip it since you literally have nothing to lose.
MM’s game plan kinda did a little bit of both. The team had 28 carries to 30 pass attempts, so they were well balanced, but let the guy just huck it downfield once in a while. At least it’d make it more fun to watch.
In the end, it didn’t matter whatsoever because the Dolphins love to completely melt down in the 3rd quarter of games, rendering any possible assessment of Ewers’ ability somewhat moot.
And boy, do the Fins love to be moot.
It’s true: Minkah’s absence wasn’t the only reason the defense was unpalatable.
They managed to be wholly unpretty in every which way, to the tune of surrendering 309 passing yards, 4 pass TDs, 105 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, and 45 (!) points.
Despite their record, the Bengals have some elite pass catchers (even if they push off harder than anyone in the league), so it’s a tall task to defend them all. But the Dolphins’ D really failed to live up to it.
Safety is a major position of need, to me. Ashtyn Davis isn’t good, Ifeatu Melifonwu isn’t good, and Dante Trader is the worst of the young guns so far.
Speaking of young guns, I can at least try to slap some Maybelline on...
