Don’t look now (OK, maybe you should look), but the Miami Dolphins played a sloppy game against a 2022 playoff team and won with ease, pulling off a 31-16 victory over the New York Giants.
More importantly, the Dolphins set an NFL record for yards accumulated in the first five games of a season, a record that could potentially be extended this Sunday when the winless Carolina Panthers come to Miami Gardens.
The most telling aspect of what the Dolphins are accomplishing offensively is that Miami’s averaging 109.2 more yards than the second most productive offense in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles, which the Dolphins face the following Sunday night (Oct. 22) on the road.
Let us hope Miami locks in this week and focuses on cleaning up some of the areas - run fits, linebacker play, red zone offense, short yardage conversion - that need a little tidying up.
Here’s a look at this week’s stock report.
Stock Up
Receiver Tyreek Hill
Mike McDaniel has figured out the easiest way to transform Hill into his alter ego, “The Cheetah,” and that’s to present a challenge. Last week Hill vowed to clock the fastest speed of the 2023 season after learning De’Von Achane had taken the top spot, and he did just that producing the season's first 22 mph speed on one of his eight receptions, which he turned into 181 yards and a touchdown. Hill is presently on pace to surpass his goal of becoming the NFL’s first 2,000 yard receiver. The Dolphins need to continue to lean in on that milestone to keep transforming Hill into “The Cheetah.”
Defensive tackle Zach Sieler
Sieler and the Dolphins defensive line beat up on the worst offensive line Miami will face all season. Not only did Miami hold the Giants to 85 rushing yards on 29 attempts (2.9 yards per carry), but they also produced seven sacks, and 14 quarterback hits. Sieler contributed two of those sacks, along with seven tackles and three quarterback hits. The Dolphins defensive front got back to twisting and stunting, which is something they excelled at under the previous scheme. Let’s hope Vic Fangio continues to incorporate those types of front line attacks instead of asking the defensive linemen to simply win with head-up blocking.
Tailback DeVon Achane
Achane, the Dolphins’ rookie tailback, was having a Rookie of the Year type season until suffering a knee injury that could keep him sidelined for a couple weeks. His performance against the Giants - 151 rushing yards and one touchdown on 11 carries, and one catch for 14 yards - is proof he’s a game changer every time he touches the ball, especially behind this level of proficient blocking. Let’s hope Achane’s knee injury isn’t too serious, and he’s able to return to the team before November arrives. Until then, we'll see what Salvon Ahmed and Jeff Wilson bring to the offense.
Stock Down
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
A quarterback’s primary job is to take care of the football, and Tagovailoa didn’t do that against the Giants because of the two interceptions he threw. One of them turned a scoring opportunity into seven points for the Giants. That's a 10 point swing (field goal Miami missed out on, and the touchdown the defender scored) on one throw. As well as Tagovailoa has been playing, turnovers can stifle this record-setting offense, and keep teams in games. It would be ideal for the Dolphins to come up with more favorable red zone, and goal-to-go plays because requiring Tagovailoa to thread the needle on every end zone throw is a tall order. Let's hope Miami can find a way to incorporate newly acquired receiver Chase Claypool in the money area.
Offensive tackle Kendall Lamm
Lamm has been sensational as Terron Armstead’s replacement as Miami’s left tackle for the 244 snaps he’s played in 2023. He’s clearly winning more snaps than he’s losing, and has proven he can be viewed as a reliable starter. But it can’t be overlooked the only sack of the game, his first of the season, on a play where Kayvon Thidodeaux powered him all the way to the quarterback. Those plays happen, and Lamm will live to fight another day.
Receiver Jaylen Waddle
Waddle’s gotten off to a quiet season because of all the injuries (torso and concussions) he’s been forced to fight through since training camp, and the Dolphins went out of their way to feed him against the Giants. He was targeted 10 times on Sunday, but only brought in five receptions for 35 yards and scored on a 2-yard touchdown pass to open the game. Coincidentally, or not, but both of the interceptions Tagovailoa threw were on passes thrown to Waddle. It’s clear McDaniel and Tagovailoa are trying to get Waddle going, especially with all the attention offenses are paying Hill and Achane. However, there seems to be a level of constipation blockage, containing a breakout performance.
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