MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Another week, another bad offensive performance for the Miami Dolphins in Sunday's 43-0 loss to the New England Patriots.
Nothing described the day better than Ryan Fitzpatrick's last pass, a short swing pass to running back Kalen Ballage who bobbled the ball a few times directly into Patriots linebacker Jaime Collins' hands for a pick-six. It was a comedy of errors for an offense that couldn't get of its own way Sunday.
It was a historically bad performance for the Dolphins, who totaled 184 yards and just 11 first downs. Late garbage-time stats let them barely surpass franchise lows in yards (88) and first downs (six). It also served as an early warning sign of just how bad the Dolphins offense could be throughout the rest of the season. Think worst-offense-ever bad.
The Dolphins point differential for the season is -92 after being outscored 102-10 in their first two games. It is the worst point differential since the 1973 New Orleans Saints were outscored by 92 points in their first two games. Miami also matched those 1973 Saints for the second most points allowed through two games (102) behind the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons (116).
Two words to describe the game: Belabored agony. The Dolphins were a lot more competitive to start the game than last week's 59-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens creating a false illusion that the result might be somewhat different, but it was just belabored agony. The Dolphins look nowhere close to competing for a win, and the coming weeks will carry a lot more pain.
QB breakdown: We got bad FitzMagic on Sunday. Very bad. His three interceptions were returned for a combined 123 yards. Fitzpatrick threw for 89 yards. He endured a lot of punishment behind Miami's makeshift offensive line and Josh Rosen came in for garbage time for the second consecutive game.
The question must be asked soon, is it time for Rosen to start in Miami. What else do they have to lose?
Silver lining: Brian Flores had his defense ready to play until the wheels fell off toward the end. His group allowed 29 points, a noticeable improvement over the 59 allowed last week. Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard largely kept Josh Gordon in check and linebacker Jerome Baker flashed throughout the game showing there are some young defensive pieces here to build around.