Here’s the ACR Fish Wrap for the Miami Dolphins Week 4 loss at the Minnesota Vikings.

FIRST QUARTER

• First sack of the season for the team is registered by Zach Sieler — who pretty much won the rep on his own — but it seemed post snap may have had Kyler Murray hesitate and change reads. This is a staple of what head coach Jeff Hafley‘s defense wants to do. Dolphins gave a single-high look pre-snap with a stacked box but end up sending four and dropping the rest into what looked like Split-Field Zone Match, with triangular coverage. Murray’s first read was to the left, the spot vacated by the safety and that was all he afforded.
• Malik Washington recovers his own muffed punt but Jason Marshall Jr.‘s attempt to pick it up in the end zone feeds into the “why doesn’t he stick his nose in there?” narrative that Marshall continues to build for himself.
• (11:20) Willis’ forced effort to Chris Bell missed on third down, but super fortunate it was high as the Bell was blanketed in double coverage. His checkdown — Washington — was standing alone and open on the right side but went unseen.
• Long snapper Tucker Addington has a special knack for getting lit up on punt returns. He took a hit similar to the one that nearly sidelined him in game 1.
• (8:30) Jacob Rodriguez with stops on consecutive plays — the second forcing a fourth down — and it’s noticeable that the action never stops until his man’s to the ground. Legs keep pumping to drive his man backward, same as he’s always searching for the punch or rip both plays. It’s a challenge to find flaws in his game and he’s just four into his career. Crazy.
• Illegal formation on the kick return team — special teams can’t get out of its own way this season.
• (7:20) First down run by Ollie Gordon II and the blocking popped. Saw Jonah Savaiinaea, Kadyn Proctor and Will Kaczmarek all making hey blocks while Gordon showed his burst and power. First good run of the game and encouraging play by the young guards.
• Minnesota’s upfield push seems to cause struggles for Willis as it relates to even getting through his reads. Every pass play feels stagnant thus far, even though Miami’s protection really hasn’t been bad.
• Dolphins had been pretty Shula-like in the penalties department in the first three games. Not today. 
• (4:23) The definable difference between Gordon and Jaylen Wright — Gordon’s style is north-south: see hole, crank it. Wright wants to run diagonally.
• Miami had two plays straight where Willis was given time and space. A miss to Kevin Coleman in tight coverage, then a completion to Washington, who left Byron Murphy hugging air to give Miami a reasonable third down distance.
• (3:30) Austin Jackson beat by Dallas Turner who used a grip-and-rip to get by. You can see Jackson’s crooked jersey number when he turns around.
• Special teams is cursed. Dolphins punt and Vikings defender runs into returner. Ball still bounces about eight yards in Minnesota’s favor before being downed. Cursed I say.
• (1:30) I don’t care about PFF grades or the plays he’s been credited with giving up — Chris Johnson is a dog. Hit at the sticks on Addison on third and short sounded like linebacker pads, not cornerback. Give him better corners to play with and he’ll lead back there. You can just see it in him.

SECOND QUARTER

• First play of the second quarter an incomplete pass but phew, stunt featuring Zeek Biggers from 3 tech nearly got there. His arms are ridiculously long and it showed. Hafley has been lining him up all over the more the season progresses and Biggers is improving.
• Haven’t tracked it before now but watching this game I think Miami lines up safeties based on the hash with Michael Taaffe the field safety and Dante Trader the boundary. Both solid players, but down the road a space eraser (i.e. somebody fast) will be required, especially on the field side.
• (14:51) Second sack of the day and Josh Uche beats Robinson to the QB. Credit Dolphins coverage on the play. Robinson has had his best reps of the season this game.
• (14:08) Holy smokes! Look at it yourselves but replay looked to me like Malik Washington both survived a huge hit AND never touched anything but a hand to the ground. Crazy.
• If you saw the replay that was shown, it was of Marshall losing a special teams rep then pushing his man into Washington.
• Bell touchdown nullified but the scramble and ability to find Bell was maybe Willis’ best play of the season. Rarified air to be an NFL QB who doesn’t get sacked or throw that away. I feel like in general he’s a better player outside the pocket. At least so far in Miami. Not sure that’s ideal.
• Hate to be Debbie Downer but if Willis just takes his hot to the left, its a first down.
• (10:20) Critical 3rd and 2 and Marshall leaves his man (the back) completely unaccounted for. What’s worse, he just drifted into the middle of the field, clearly unaware of his assignment. 
• I don’t think there will be enough snaps this season to rehab Marshall into a starting NFL corner. Has the measurables, he’s just not a guy who wants to get after it physically.
• Practice squad elevation Rodney McGraw has been at edge, opposite Malik Herring three straight plays, two of which the defense got shredded.
• (8:01) Vikings have a screen set up and blockers out front, including RB DJ Dallas who sticks Rodriguez. But the smallest guy on the field, Taaffe, somehow sneaks through everybody to stop the play for a short gain.
• Next play Hafley gives Brian Flores a taste of his own medicine, sending six, and it’s again Robinson forcing an incompletion, a near fumble actually. 
• Willis’ strength of extending plays flies in the face of something he has to improve, which is getting his hot read straight when plays need to be abbreviated. This time it ended in a forced fumble off the helmet of a pressuring Wilson.
• (5:45) Thus far, I feel like Bobby Slowik has a plan and is calling a good game. Many teams try to counter the Vikings aggressiveness by spreading things out. Slowik has gone more bunched and is being very multiple within it. The domination that was expected by the Flores-led defense isn’t happening at this point
• Malik Washington is so underappreciated.
• (:50) T.J. Hockenson heating up for Minnesota. Got Jordyn Brooks — who’s been looking more like himself overall today — turned around. Could be a problem.
• Twists and stunts up front paying off today. Sieler gets a second sack as Jordan Phillips eats two men post-stunt. Phillips is a good player who could push into great territory if he can get his hands to do as much work as his base.
• Play that forced a Murray incompletion and a pre-halftime field goal looked like Cover 0 with a faux front. Dolphins getting best pressure of the season thus far this half, easy.

THIRD QUARTER

• First play of the half is well-designed and would’ve been a long gain had Willis made a better throw to Kaczmarek. Sometimes he throws off his back foot when it doesn’t seem necessary.
• (14:10) Key block on Gordon long third down run was from Greg Dulcich, who’s making his way toward Y tight end status with his blocking this year. There was also a nice downfield block by Coleman, who turns out is much more football player than I picked up on watching his college tape.
• I’m a fan of Washington use at RB, but not so sure about it in the red zone. 
• D-line notes: this is the most effective I’ve seen Biggers as a 3 technique and Josh Uche is the first player among the one-year guys I’m tendering a contract to when the season’s up. He and Chop can work the weak side in the future with a bigger unit opposite them.
• (4:53) Wright has been afforded enough of a look in his time in Miami. Use him as a clear RB2 the rest of the way and draft a back next year. On the third down play he was tackled in the backfield, it seemed as if his hole was off the back of Dulcich to the right. There was nothing to the left.
• I wonder if Jalen Tolbert saw his first significant play of this year being a special teams tackle.
• A LOT of usage of Malik Herring at right end this game. Nothing great yet but he seems more competitive outside than in for sure.
• Chop’s first sack is straight bullrush and you love to see it. Honestly, I can handle him not being the greatest edge setter if he can be this disruptive week-in, week-out.
• (:42) Come back and see later but this might be the game we can look back and say Willis found his go-to guy in Washington. It makes the most sense because even as a rookie, Washington always knew the playbook and where to be. Willis seems to be picking up on that reliability this game and has made some of his most comfortable-looking throws. 
• Most noticeable blocks on Gordon touchdown were by receivers. Bell with a nice block and then Washington just getting in the way was the difference between good gain and touchdown. Flowers for Tyke Tolbert in that area for sure this year.
• Re-watching the play and it was well-executed on every level. Every lineman did their job well enough, and DJ Herman with a nice crack to cut off the backside pursuit. Anyone who uses the word “tank” to describe this team should just watch this play. 

FOURTH QUARTER

• Hockenson cointinues finding space this drive. First catch of the final quarter and it was either Johnson or Rodriguez who gave too much space. I can’t see the flat but my guess is Johnson.
• Not having Justin Jefferson didn’t seem like a thing to me really before this game given the talent discrepancies, but it was. Murray finally turning to his next best receiver (Hockenson) and Miami hasn’t had many answers. Tight end coverage in general needs work.
• (8:50) DT Mazi Smith burst forced a run back toward Herring, who got help from Brooks for the TFL. Looking at it, this is a good example of what this year is about. Adding players, seeing who they are. Smith inside already looks better than Herring, who seems like a better player outside.
• Vikings have taken up getting an extra blocker for Chop in passing situations.
• (6:41) Five field goals seems like it would be pretty cruddy revenge, if one were looking for revenge. 
• (6:00) Slowik draws up what seems to be a nice call for Tolbert, who’s route was affected by a rusher, who then affected Willis. Not sure, but feels like Kaczmarek missed the need for at least a chip on the edge rusher that play because the only other one out there was Tolbert 
• On the 3rd and 8 jump ball for Bell, Willis again didn’t have to throw off his back foot. There WAS a blitz coming, but there was also a pocket to step up into that he didn’t. His athleticism makes his first tendency to drift further back, but if the line provides a pocket, it makes for a better-timed play.
• Love Brooks but Hockenson is clearly a matchup problem for him and that stayed unchanged. Even at his best he can’t handle the height, but on the play Hockenson downed it at the two to wind out the clock, Brooks completely got lost.
• Rodriguez is the only player I can’t think of in a noticeable missed assignment situation this year, which speaks volumes. 

FINAL NOTES

• There were penalties, but the Dolphins look well-coached. There’s no other way to look at it. The only unit it can’t be said about with confidence right now is special teams. But both Hafley and Slowik again called nice games and though there were procedure issues, the team looks mostly good operationally. They are competing against NFL playoff teams with a top pick in next year’s draft roster. There can only be one explanation.
• Miami isn’t tanking. Again, look at the roster. The team is playing hard, all game, every game so far. It’s fun to watch the process and the growth.
• Given where this team is, I’ll be surprised if it ends up with the number one pick. And as mentioned regarding moving pieces like Smith and Herring, the team’s also finding out who’s who and what’s what.

The Great Tryout continues.