Chris Tabor had a blunt assessment of how the Miami Dolphins’ special teams began Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Speaking Thursday, Miami’s special teams coordinator criticized the early execution and pointed to a missed assignment on Minnesota’s first return.
His comments put a specific problem behind a result in which the Dolphins kept their opponent out of the end zone but still came away without a win.
“Beginning of the game, to put it politely, was atrocious,” Tabor said.
Asked about the breakdown on the first Vikings return, Tabor offered another pointed assessment.
“We had an employee not fulfill his job requirement,” he said.
It was no made public who Tabor was referring to. The comment nonetheless made clear that the coordinator saw an assignment error in the play, putting the focus on execution as Miami prepares to host Cincinnati.
Minnesota’s return game helped turn stops into scoring chances
One of the most costly returns came on a punt. Myles Price gained 36 yards on the play, giving the Vikings a possession that began in Dolphins territory.
The ball was placed at Miami’s 38-yard line after that return. The Vikings went on to score first on Will Reichard’s 47-yard field goal.
That sequence shows why coverage mattered even when Miami’s defense kept Minnesota from scoring a touchdown. The return left the Vikings only a short distance from a makeable kick, reducing the amount of offense required to turn the possession into points.
Minnesota’s kicking game also created difficulties when Miami received the ball. Miami mishandled its first and last kickoff returns.
On the latter, Jaylen Wright recovered the ball at the 17-yard line before being stopped at the 18. Reichard explained that Minnesota wanted returners moving laterally instead of catching the ball while advancing, giving the coverage unit more time to close.
The distinction matters when evaluating the special teams performance. Miami had problems both preventing return yardage and securing its own returns, creating separate issues for Tabor to address.
Chris Tabor acknowledges improvement but wants it sooner
Tabor did not characterize the entire game as equally poor. The coordinator also credited the second-half performance, providing an important qualification to his criticism of the start.
His frustration, however, extended to how quickly the unit is progressing.
“If there is frustration it’s because I want it to happen faster,” Tabor said.
Miami’s defensive work gave the special teams mistakes added significance. The Dolphins recorded four sacks and allowed five field goals, with Jacob Rodriguez’s 18-tackle performance among the reasons they remained competitive.
The offense had its own limitations, and the final score does not establish that any single return decided the game. But the Price punt return supplies a concrete example of a defensive series becoming harder before the defense took the field.
Tthe Dolphins next face the Bengals on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST at Hard Rock Stadium. For Tabor’s unit, the task includes eliminating the assignment mistakes he identified while making the improvement he saw after halftime carry over to the opening possessions.
