The Miami Dolphins couldn't have thought up a much worse start to the season.
They were crushed in Week 1 by the Indianapolis Colts. They floundered late in a Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots. And although they hung around with the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, that ended with a loss, too.
There are many reasons for this. Much of the focus has been on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel's offense, and rightfully so.
But there's a more unbelievable stat at play here.
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NFL analyst Brett Kollman shared this on X:
"I don't think I've ever seen this before but the Dolphins have the highest blitz rate in the NFL while also being 32nd in pressure rate."
That shouldn't be possible.
Blitzing should create the odds of getting pressure. And yeah, if a blitz doesn't get home, it can create other problems on the back end of the defense.
But if the blitz doesn't even get near the quarterback, what's the point?
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No one was particularly enthused about the Dolphins' defense heading into the season. But this is even worse than anyone would've imagined.
No matter what the offense does, if the defense can't reverse this trend, it'll be tough to win a bunch of games.
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