Well said,
@Stefan Adams. Great analysis and excellent write-up.
This was, by far, Miami's best performance since 2017. One could argue it was our only above-average performance in that time span.
The offense still leaves a LOT to be desired. One area in dire need of improvement, that I don't think you touched on, is Jarren working his check-downs effectively. He has not done an adequate job this year of hitting the open back or TE on the check downs when the play he wants downfield is covered.
There was one play, I think in the third quarter, we were in the red zone or close to it, and he had TWO guys, a RB and a TE, standing wide open in the flat to his left as he ran out of time on his progression. I think it was second and ten. If he had hit either of them on time, it's a five yard gain at worst, and likely would have been a TD or at least a first down. Instead, he waits too long and flushes the play, narrowly avoiding a sack. Incomplete pass on third down and we're kicking a 50/50 field goal instead of converting a first down, taking more time off the clock and eventually punching it in the end zone.
Dude throws a nice ball, and it's nice to see the deep shots come and connect, but as you alluded to, you have to be able to string drives together underneath when the defense does its job. Jarren has a lot to work on with his mental game. It would also be nice to see our dynamic pass-catching backs get utilized more in the checkdown game. When the D does a good job covering deep, those checkdowns can turn into big plays with selfless downfield blocking and the ankle breaking type of RB talent we have. Worst case, you have to pick up those few yards and make it easier on yourself for the next play.
This is not a situation where he can figure it out over the next ten games. If Jarren is going to accomplish anything notable during his time here, he has got to step up the urgency in fixing the glaring holes in his game.