The Miami Dolphins finally won a game when it felt like both teams couldn’t stop shooting themselves in the foot. The Dolphins kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 29-17 win against the San Francisco 49ers, bouncing back from last week’s loss to Houston.
Miami didn’t play particularly well on either side of the ball.
Despite holding the 49ers to 17 points, the defense put up little resistance for most of the game as ugly tackling practices reared their ugly head — again. On offense, it was a modest game for Tua, but he was sabotaged by Tyreek Hill a few times.
The big story on that side of the ball was actually the return of the running game. De’Von Achane finished with 120 yards on 17 carries, marking the first time he’s rushed for more than 100 yards in a game this season. As a team, Miami finished with 166 yards on the ground.
This week’s article will focus on a facet of the running game and on a hard conversation about one of Miami’s cornerstone pieces on defense. Let’s dive in.
Dolphins All-22 Review
Liam Eichenberg vs. Isaiah Wynn
The Dolphins decided to rotate the right guard spot between Liam Eichenberg and Isaiah Wynn on Sunday. I could write an entire column about why I think that strategy is ridiculous, but I’ll hold off.
Instead, it’s more prudent to evaluate Eichenberg and Wynn’s performance to see which player deserves more reps going forward. Eichenberg has started every game this season, but his play has taken a dip in recent weeks, so going to Wynn makes plenty of sense.
Wynn played well enough in his first game back. He didn’t make any awful plays, but I’m not sure I’d call him a plus, either.
This play early in the game, where he pulled out into space and got enough of Dre Greenlaw, was a good start. His block bought De’Von Achane several easy yards.
Threading some Wynn clips for later pic.twitter.com/A3L4bzHifN
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) December 23, 2024
As my friend and colleague at The 33rd Team, Kyle Crabbs, pointed out, the Dolphins run game was better with Wynn on the field. Miami averaged 6.3 yards per carry with Wynn and just 4.8 with Eichenberg.
Achane’s long run in the fourth quarter to seal the game likely contributed to a lot of that. To be fair, Wynn does make a nice block on this play, sealing his man to the interior and giving Achane easy access to open space.
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) December 23, 2024
In pass protection, Wynn held up mostly fine. He was tasked with helping Kendall Lamm with Nick Bosa quite a bit, so he didn’t take too many 1-on-1 reps. Still, reps like this one where he loses on the initial move and then recovers to prevent a pressure are encouraging.
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) December 23, 2024
However, he had his fair share of quick losses, too. On this rep, his hands got swiped away way too easily, allowing for immediate pressure on Tua.
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) December 23, 2024
Tagovailoa gets the ball out so quickly that it doesn’t matter (rough drop here, too), but these are the types of reps that make me hesitant to be even a little bit excited about Wynn’s play from Sunday.
Was he better than Eichenberg? Sure, I guess? Eichenberg played fine (compared to last week) on Sunday, and Wynn looked a little more consistent in that he wasn’t on the ground for 30% of his snaps.
Miami should let Wynn continue playing to see if he can serve as a backup next season, but the real takeaway is that this team needs guard help in a big way next season. Neither Eichenberg nor Wynn should get the majority of those snaps in 2025.
It’s Time to Talk About Jevon Holland
2024 was a crucial year for Jevon Holland. It’s the last year of his rookie contract, meaning a strong season would’ve earned him a ton of money this offseason. Suffice it to say that things have not gone as planned for Holland.
By most metrics, Holland is having the worst season of his career in 2024. His coverage grades are the lowest they’ve ever been, he’s allowing a career-high 115.9 passer rating, and he has his highest missed tackle percentage (16.4%).
It’s not like he’s making big plays, either. He has just three PBUs (would be a career low) and zero interceptions (also a career low). His poor play continued on Sunday, as Holland missed several important tackles that cost the Dolphins points.
He missed a critical tackle on Deebo Samuel on this third and 10 play late in the first quarter. Holland is sitting in zone coverage and has a perfect opportunity to cut Deebo down, but can’t make the play.
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) December 23, 2024
A few plays later, Holland has an opportunity to stand Deebo up near the goal line but gets run over for a touchdown instead. The original missed tackle by Jordan Poyer, who has actually been worse than Holland, is pretty brutal, but Holland should’ve stopped him.
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) December 23, 2024
Holland’s lack of physicality and sloppy play have been a theme all season. What makes that even more frustrating is how outspoken Holland has been about the defense’s past failings.
He tweeted the “kick rocks” video after Vic Fangio left during last offseason and has tweeted multiple shots at fans this season. Holland is talking the talk, but he’s not walking the walk.
So, should the Dolphins bring him back? Before the season, I would’ve said Holland should be a priority, but I’m not sure that’s the case anymore.
Holland likely wants to reset the safety market, meaning a contract north of 45 million guaranteed and 21 million AAV, which Antonie Winfield received from the Buccaneers.
That would be way too much money for how Holland has performed this season. Even Budda Baker’s recent extension from the Cardinals (17M guaranteed, 18M AAV) feels like too much.
If Holland is willing to sign for something in the 13 million to 10 million range, aligning him with players like Justin Reid, Grant Delpit, and Julian Love would be reasonable.
It just doesn’t seem likely for Holland to take a discount, and he’s been bad enough this season that Miami shouldn’t overpay just to keep him in-house. It sucks to see home-grown talent leave, especially when Holland has shown strong play in the past.
However, Miami has a lot of holes to fill this offseason, so spending money on a player who has played with such poor effort in such an important season is a tough sell.
Post Game Wrap Up Show: Dolphins Beat 49ers to Keep Hope Alive
