After a historic start to the 2023 NFL season, the Dolphins offense faltered a bit in a 48-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.

Miami opened the game with a pair of touchdown drives but punted on its next two possessions. As the Dolphins’ defense struggled to stop quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills offense, the offense couldn’t go blow for blow, turning the ball over twice and then turning the ball over on downs on its final three drives.

Entering Week 5, the Dolphins still rank atop the league in many statistical categories, including points, passing yards and rushing yards. But their week of preparation ahead of Sunday’s home game against the New York Giants is key to fixing the many things that plagued them in a blowout defeat.

Immediately after the game in Buffalo, multiple players and coach Mike McDaniel pointed out two areas for improvement for the offense: communication and re-emphasizing the running game.

The Dolphins opened the season with two consecutive road games and didn’t have many presnap issues, which curtailed the unit in 2022. However, it resurfaced at a raucous Highmark Stadium. On the Dolphins’ third possession, after beginning the game with two touchdowns, the offense was flagged for illegal formation and false start on a three-and-out.

“I think communication issues start from the beginning of the week, it starts with today, Wednesday,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said after practice. “I think we had a pretty good day. There’s been a lot of things that have been installed. We’ve got to get in and out of the huddle to get the looks that we want to present the motions that we want and things like that. I think, for the most part today, it’s been a lot better.”

As for the running game, the Dolphins again rushed for over 100 yards, totaling 142 yards on the ground. Much of it came on rookie running back De’Von Achane’s 55-yard run early in the fourth quarter when the team was down by four scores. Outside of that, Achane and running back Raheem Mostert totaled 55 yards on 14 attempts. McDaniel said he didn’t commit to the run enough, which was an issue in his first season as a play-caller.

With a deficit of multiple touchdowns, the Bills defense also didn’t have to focus much on the running game. The absence of two starting offensive linemen didn’t help, and left tackle Terron Armstead is expected to miss multiple weeks because of a knee injury. Center Connor Williams, who is dealing with a groin injury, practiced today, though, and could be nearing a return. His presence would lift an offensive line that allowed four sacks against the Bills after entering the game with one.

“It’s been really good for us,” Tagovailoa said of the running game. “It’s been very helpful to offset some of the actions that we do in the pass game. And then off those run-actions, we can marry some of the ways we motion and do our action fakes to some of the pass plays that we have. So, I think it’s been really, really good.”

A struggling Giants defense presents what could be a favorable matchup to the Dolphins’ explosive offense. New York is allowing the third-most points per game (30.5) and is the only team in the league that doesn’t have a takeaway through the first month of the season. And while the Bills played a lot of two high-safety coverages with little blitzing to deter deep passing, the Giants have the second-highest blitz rate in the NFL at 51.2 percent. They also play the sixth-highest rate of Cover 1, man-to-man coverage with one deep safety.

This could offer a prime opportunity to get the ball in the hands of playmakers such as wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

“Knowing that those two guys, as well as our backs, are really the backbone of the team, we’ve just got to stay connected,” Tagovailoa said. “And when there is space, space is our friend. We try to use that to our advantage. If they pressure, we’ve got to have answers quick, get the ball out quick and allow our guys and our playmakers to make plays.”

McDaniel said the team must also be ready for the Giants to attempt to replicate a successful Bills game plan.

“The objective on all three phases is that you’re good enough at your craft so that the norm is unexpected,” McDaniel said.

He added: “People generally don’t change their DNA. We’ll definitely see some stuff that we haven’t seen. But that’s something that you hope to experience and get good at because if you’re having the appropriate success that you’re trying to work for, that is quite literally the norm. Every single game, we’ve had a little bit of nuance to each defense that we weren’t really expecting, or had seen. The hope is to have more of that, but you have to earn that and you have to earn that through real execution of stuff.”

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