Everything to Know from Dolphins Preseason Win vs. Lions

The drive was set up by the Dolphins pinning the Lions deep in their own territory and then getting a 26-yard return from UDFA rookie A.J. Henning. 

Henning muffed his next return attempt, and the Lions recovered at the Dolphins’ 27. Miami’s defense did hold the Lions to a field goal — aided by a questionable holding call that wiped a touchdown off the board — to make the score 17-14. 

Miami retook the lead, 21-17, early in the fourth quarter when Ewers rolled out to his left and found Wease Jr. in the end zone to cap off a six-play, 60-yard drive. 

The Dolphins extended their lead to 24-17 with a 15-play, 92-yard drive that lasted almost eight minutes. Ewers made several nice throws and got some help from Aaron Shampklin and Mike Boone. 

The Lions drove down the field on the ensuing drive, but UDFA cornerback Ethan Robinson made an impressive interception to secure the victory. 

Offensive Recap 

Eskridge is probably the biggest standout from this group. He finished with three catches for 57 yards and one touchdown. Eskridge has had a good camp, and he’s making quite the push to be the fifth receiver instead of players like Tahj Washington and Erik Ezukanma. 

Tight end Tanner Conner got a lot of looks, and he did put up six catches for 48 yards. However, he also dropped a pass from Wilson that would’ve been an explosive play. 

In the running game, Conner got blown up at the point of attack on a player where Conner’s defender punched the ball out of Jaylen Wright’s hands. Conner recovered the fumble, and Wright should have had better job security, but Conner’s blocking was also an issue. 

Speaking of the running back position, Ollie Gordon II again looked like he had more juice than Wright. To be fair, Wright didn’t get a ton of opportunities in this game, but he recorded just four carries for three yards and had the aforementioned fumble. 

Gordon finished with 10 carries for 50 yards, while adding nine yards through the air. The sixth-round rookie continues to look like a viable regular-season option with how hard he runs. 

Both of Miami’s backup quarterbacks played better than last week. Wilson completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. He also took just one sack, which is the biggest improvement. 

He still looks wildly uncomfortable in the pocket and is consistently late getting through his reads. Plus, he missed those open touchdowns we mentioned earlier. 

Ewers entered in the third quarter and looked a lot more settled than he did a week ago. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. 

Defensive Recap 

Miami’s defensive line stood out quite a bit in this one. 

EDGE rusher Grayson Murphy is competing for a roster spot, and he had a strong showing in the pass rush department. He was in on two sacks but got credit for just the one. The UCLA product also had four QB hits. 

If the Dolphins want to value pass-rush prowess over special teams versatility, Murphy might make the roster instead of players like Cameron Goode. Murphy’s bend and burst are impressive. 

The Dolphins also got standout performances from their rookie defensive tackles for a second week in a row. Grant was credited with just two tackles in the box score, but he was a consistent winner against the run and made some good hustle plays. 

Fifth-round pick Jordan Phillips showed up against the run again, proving he’s got NFL-caliber strength and quickness to disrupt ball carriers. He was also credited with 1.5 sacks. His full sack was mostly a coverage/hustle play, but that’s how he will produce in this area. 

Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. started the game and had a tackle for loss when he snuffed out a running back screen. He continues to have an excellent camp and will likely see playing time this season despite being a backup. 

It’s hard to grade the secondary off the broadcast, but the Dolphins only got their hands on two passes. Allen completed 14 of his 17 passes in the first half, and there appeared to be a lot of open space for Detroit’s receivers. 

Special Teams Recap 

Jason Sanders was perfect on extra points and converted on his only field goal attempt from 22 yards out. 

Miami’s punter battle raged on with Ryan Stonehouse and Jake Bailey alternating kicks. Bailey finished with an average punt of 54.5, while Stonehouse finished with an average of 40 yards. 

The Dolphins’ kick coverage was solid once again, as the Lions didn’t have a kick return go for more than 30 yards. 

On the flip side, the Dolphins did get some productive returns but also had two muffed punts, one from Henning and one from Eskridge.