Dolphins film study: How Miami’s offense can do it all in the red zone

Scoring is down across the NFL and red-zone efficiency has suffered, too. However, the Dolphins are the league’s best offense when inside an opponent’s 20-yard line.

Miami has converted 21 of its 26 red zone opportunities into touchdowns. That 80.8 percent rate would be the highest by a team since at least 2000, according to TruMedia.

The Dolphins were 5 of 5 in their red zone opportunities in their 42-21 win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 6. With a condensed area to work within, offenses need pinpoint execution to reach the end zone. And Miami has gotten that with creative play-calling and playmaking from its stars.

On the Dolphins’ first touchdown, a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to running back Raheem Mostert, purposeful pre-snap motion gave Mostert a free lane to the end zone. Miami was lined up in a condensed 2x2 pistol formation. Tight end Durham Smythe, in a tight alignment on the left side of the formation, began to sprint to his left as if he were executing the team’s exit motion. But he then reversed course into orbit motion, circling into the backfield behind Mostert.

At the snap, Smythe continued to work his way to the flat and Mostert ran a swing route behind Smythe. The design of the play essentially made Smythe a lead blocker for Mostert, and Smythe was able to impede an incoming defender as Mostert raced to the end zone.

The Dolphins’ No. 1 offense has been a balanced unit, leading the league in passing and rushing, and that has been present in the red zone, too. Of Miami’s 21 red zone scores, 11 have come on runs and 10 on passes. Mostert scored on a pair of short runs against the Panthers and running back Salvon Ahmed reached the end zone late on a 9-yard score.

“I think if you’re running the football well down there, then you can dictate a little bit of the coverages that you may see,” tight ends coach/assistant head coach Jon Embree said last week. “So you may get more man coverage and less zone. Or if you’re going to get zone, it’s probably going to be quarters so the safeties can support quicker. So it gives you an opportunity to maybe dictate the terms a little more down there.”

Last week, Embree, who works with coach Mike McDaniel and offensive coordinator Frank Smith on red zone strategy, gave some insight into how that particular game plan is formulated.

“Different things you saw, why you liked this play. You hope you get some of your plays in,” he said of the discussions. “[McDaniel is] really good about putting them in but then he’s going to dress it up. He’s going to have a lot of formations, a lot of different shifts and motions and all that. So, that’s where he comes in and does all that to try to help dictate the terms further.”

Even with innovative designs, sometimes things can break down in the red zone and you need your best players to create out of structure. On Tagovailoa’s 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, Miami motioned fullback Alec Ingold from the left side of the formation to the right and faked an outside toss to Mostert before Tagovailoa rolled to his left.

The Panthers didn’t bite hard on the fake or motion, though, and cornerback Donte Jackson came in on a blitz from Tagovailoa’s blind side. But Tagovailoa evaded the pass rush as Waddle and wideout Tyreek Hill were running short crossing routes in the end zone. And he was able to extend the play just long enough to throw the pass across his body to Waddle before the closest defender could react and make a play on the ball.

Speaking on Mostert’s career-high 11 touchdowns, McDaniel pointed out his work in the red zone, too.

“Down around the goal line, a lot of times the perfect play doesn’t exist,” he said, “and it’s a battle of wills, and he’s not a guy that a lot of people want to tackle. I’m happy for him, as always. He was a big player for us today and will continue to be such moving forward.”