The Kristian Woolf-coached side has let in 102 points in their past two losses, a 64-12 thrashing by Sydney Roosters and a 38-28 defeat at the hands of Brisbane.
NRL statistics also reveal they have missed 102 tackles in those games, 42 against the Tricolours and a whopping 60 against the Broncos.
There were some lame attempts against Brisbane with forwards and backs both culprits.
Hooker Jeremy Marshall-King can hold his head high after making a combined 81 tackles, with just three missed across both clashes.
Second-rower Kulifefu Finefeuiaki was strong with the ball against Brisbane but missed six tackles.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was switched to the centres from fullback but there were a couple of feeble arm grabs in his five missed tackles that proved costly.
Overall it was not good enough and certainly not acceptable for a side with finals aspirations.
The Dolphins have proven they are more than capable of muscling up. They let in just 18 points in three consecutive wins against Canterbury, St George Illawarra and North Queensland mid-season and that is the type of clout they must bring to their performance on Saturday afternoon at Brookvale Oval.
The Dolphins are in ninth position on 26 points, two points behind the red-hot Roosters, and must now win their remaining games against the Sea Eagles, Gold Coast and Canberra to play finals. Two wins could be enough but the way Trent Robinson's men are playing the Dolphins can't really afford a slip-up.
They do get tough props Frank Molo and Felise Kaufusi back from suspension against Manly and that will stiffen up their defence.
Captain Isaiya Katoa said there were improvements against Brisbane from the previous week, but defensively he had a reality check for his team.
"I am confident in the group. I thought we had glimpses of us being ourselves and backing our footy and playing confidently," Katoa said.
"We just didn't defend properly. We didn't defend well enough and with a team like the Broncos you give them any sort of sniff and they make you pay. As a team and individually we need to be better defensively."
The Dolphins had no answer when Broncos fullback Reece Walsh cut loose and they battled to halt Payne Haas and company in the middle.
"(Walsh) is a freak of a player. He has got so much to his game that if you solve it one way he can figure out how to attack," Katoa said.
"We can still look at what we as a group need to do defensively if we are being fair dinkum about making finals.
"As a leadership group we need to be better at driving those standards with our actions."
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