On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins fell to 0-5 with a 31-24 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.
While Miami scored their most points this season, and had more than one touchdown for the first time in five games, the team’s passing game in particular left a lot to be desired.
At one point late in the first half, Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis had thrown more interceptions than completions. While Willis would eventually find his rhythm, it was still an inconsistent performance from the quarterback that Miami gave $45 million guaranteed this offseason.
After the loss, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley shared his thoughts on Miami’s passing game.
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Calls Out Malik Willis and Passing Game
Following the game, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said, “We’re going to need better consistency in our passing game, overall, in order to take the next stop offensively.”
Miami struggled passing the ball on Sunday, as they totaled only 114 passing yards. The Dolphins nearly doubled that amount in the rushing game as they totaled 217 rushing yards.
Quarterback Malik Willis is not the sole person responsible for Miami’s failures in the passing game. Willis said after the game, “We have to figure out a way to get guys on the same page.” He did take some responsibility for his performance as he stated that it was a bad play by him to take a sack when Miami was in Cincinnati’s red zone, which led to a field goal attempt after originally having the ball at the half-yard line.
Willis finished 15-for-27 with 137 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He added a season-high 74 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown and one fumble.
Malik Willis Called “Disappointment”
Regarding Willis’ performance, Dolphins on SI’s Alain Poupart described him as the biggest disappointment during the team’s loss against the Bengals. Poupart wrote: “The biggest disappointment of all was the play of quarterback Malik Willis, who turned the ball over three times on a day when the margin for error against Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Willis is in a tough spot with a young wide receiver corps that could be good in time but certainly isn’t there yet and with consistent pressure, but it never justified all the miscues and it certainly wasn’t the case on this day. And Willis repeated a mistake he had made earlier this season when on a second-and-goal from the 3 he took an unnecessary and ridiculous 8-yard sack when he rolled out of the pocket and just didn’t chuck the ball out of bounds for an incompletion before he was taken down.
Pressure or not, regardless of wide receiver play, that’s the kind of mistake that Willis has got to stop making.
The Dolphins don’t have to make any determination about their quarterback situation until the next offseason, but all the folks calling for the team to spend their first-round pick on that position sure got some good arguments for their case on this day.”
Next, Miami will go on their bye week. Hopefully, Willis is able to find his rhythm once the Dolphins return in Week 7.
Dolphins Head Coach Doesn’t Hold Back on Malik Willis After Loss vs. Bengals