The Miami Dolphins survived a slow start to pull out a 17-10 victory over the Washington Redskins.
On Monday, we examined reasons to be optimistic about the Dolphins. Now, here are the top reasons to be pessimistic after Week 1:
Overall offense: Whether it was red-zone execution, consistently running the football or pass protection, Miami's offense sprung leaks in various places. Nothing went smoothly for the Dolphins' offense, which produced just 10 points in four quarters against Washington. Many of the issues we saw last year showed up in Week 1. The Dolphins' offense must prove it won't continually repeat last year's mistakes.
Run defense: The Dolphins were ranked No. 24 against the run last year and showed some of those same problems on Sunday. Washington rushed for 161 yards on Miami's defense, which is expected to improve with the addition of Ndamukong Suh. Washington was very smart in the way it attacked Suh. The Redskins ran away from Suh and had a lot of success. They also used a combination of chop blocks, double teams and misdirections to keep Suh guessing.
Injuries: Sunday's game was very physical and Miami suffered some injuries. Backup tight end Dion Sims (concussion) is expected to miss time, and Reshad Jones (hamstring) and Derrick Shelby (eye) are banged up. I've said all summer how the Dolphins handle and overcome injuries will be a huge part of their season. There are a lot of young and unproven players behind the starters that may step into big spots.