2026 Miami Dolphins quarterly report card: Where is the offense growing versus regressing?
The second quarter of the Miami Dolphins’ 2026 campaign is in the books. How did Miami’s performance on offense evolve?
The Miami Dolphins have officially reached the halfway mark of the 2026 season. And with the game starting to pile up, it marks a chance for us to assess signs of progress.
With the Dolphins essentially meeting the end of the second quarter of the season against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, we can now compare two separate blocks of four games. The stated objective is to be playing the best football of the season at the end of the year. Is the Dolphins’ offense really on their way to meeting that goal? Here’s where things stand in comparison to the first and second quarter of the year.
2026 Miami Dolphins quarterly report card: Offense
Overall offense
Points (Games 1-4): 46 points
Points (Games 5-8): 80 points
20 points per game isn’t going to set the world on fire, but it is certainly better than the 11.5 points per game that Miami posted through the first four games of the season. The Dolphins are going to see things soften up a bit in the weeks ahead relative to the fierce schedule they’ve played thus far…but not by much. So getting the offense to a point where they can reliably go up into the 20-point range will be key to trying to steal some upsets.
Verdict: Improved
Yards per game (Games 1-4): 267.5 yards per game
Yards per game (Games 5-8): 297.0 yards per game
Nearly 30 additional yards per game is a nice bump, but it is more of an indication of how low the bar was set in the first four games of the season. The Dolphins seem to have found their offensive identity in recent weeks, although that endured a setback against the Lions in Week 9
Verdict: Improved
Efficiency metrics
Yards per attempt (Games 1-4): 6.9 yards per attempt
Yards per attempt (Games 5-8): 6.9 yards per attempt
The big change for the Dolphins in this statistic is not the actual output but more so where they are trying to throw the football. The Dolphins have shortened the average depth of target for quarterback Malik Willis in recent weeks, which has helped to spur some more efficient play. That, again, did not show up in Week 9 against the Lions. But that was a byproduct of plenty of variables, not just the execution of the quarterback.
Verdict: Neutral
Yards per rush (Games 1-4): 4.3 yards per rush
Yards per rush (Games 5-8): 4.4 yards per rush
The Dolphins have found space to run harder to come by the last two weeks, but they are still a run-first offense. The Dolphins have seen a marginally better average when running the football in the second quarter of the season, thanks in large part to the emergence of running back Ollie Gordon II. But Miami does not have a second face in the backfield that they can rely on and quarterback Malik Willis’ running contributions have waned thanks to a groin injury. Nevertheless, this number is up.
Verdict: Improved
Negative plays
Sacks taken (Games 1-4): 11
Sacks taken (Games 5-8): 13
Miami has allowed multiple sacks in seven of eight games this season. Willis has been sacked five times in a game twice: most recently against New England in Week 8. The groin injury he’s playing with contributed heavily to the three sacks he took against the Lions in Week 9 — but this was always a part of the concern for a quarterback playing with such an inexperienced and unproven supporting cast around him. Miami needs to get the run game on track to help bring this number back down.
Verdict: Regressed
Giveaways (Games 1-4): 5
Giveaways (Games 5-8): 5
Five in each block. It’s not a devastating number, but it can be the difference in some of the close games the Dolphins have played this season. Miami can ill-afford a possession to be ended with a poor decision. These are collective issues, too — Willis was hit on a pass that led to the interception against New England and one of the interceptions against Cincinnati saw the receivers get wires crossed in a scramble drill. There’s plenty of blame to go around for why the turnovers have popped up.
Verdict: Neutral
Expected Points Added
Offensive EPA (Games 1-4): -22.16 EPA
Offensive EPA (Games 5-8): -4.42 EPA
The Dolphins have dramatically improved here. In games 5 through 8, the Dolphins rank in the middle of the pack offensively — and that’s with the frustrating day against Detroit. It’s good to see this number climbing. Hopefully that trend will continue. Miami needs it to if they’re going to have a breakthrough win somewhere along the line.
Verdict: Improved
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