Welcome back to Club Dub everyone! The Dolphins move to 4-1 with a dominant yet messy win over the Giants.
Original Prediction: Dolphins 34 Giants 17
Result: Dolphins 31 Giants 16
The Passing Game:
This was the worst game that Tua Tagovailoa has played this year and yet Tua was 22/29 for 308 yards and 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately the bad side of Tua's performance was two bone headed interceptions. The first INT came after a missed DPI in the endzone on Jaylen Waddle on 2nd down that caused Tua to try to force a ball in on 3rd and goal which ultimately lead to the 102 yard interception return for a touchdown. The 2nd pick came when Tua got his hand hit on the helmet of Connor Williams trying to connect with Waddle on a shallow drag. The irritating thing about that play was even though Tua got his hand hit, that ball should have never gone to Waddle. Miami was running mesh and both crossers were taken but Durham Smythe was wide open on the OTB. Still all things considered it was a solid game from Tagovailoa but you have to hope he can cut down on the interceptions a little bit. 5 in 5 games isn't ideal.
The receiving core was once again led by Tyreek Hill as the Cheetah went off for 181 yards on 8 catches including a 69 yard TD strike from Tua (nice). I have two thoughts on receivers outside of Tyreek however.
- Miami has to find a way to get Jaylen Waddle more involved. 5 catches for 35 yards and 1 TD on 10 targets isn't great and for the season Waddle is only averaging 4 catches a game. Waddle is currently 45th in receiving yards and is only on pace for 833 yards this season. I get that Tyreek is on pace for 2200 yards this year but Miami needs to start sharing the wealth.
- Cedric Wilson showing up and getting a lot of run (more than Berrios) right before the trade deadline is interesting.
Running Game:
De'Von Achane, you sir are ridiculous. In the last 3 games Achane has 37 carries, 455 yards, and 7 total touchdowns. For the season Achane is averaging a RIDICULOUS 12.1 YARDS PER CARRY! That is unreal! Achane is second in the league in rushing despite being tied at 37th in carries. Mostert had another solid game as well rushing for 65 yards on 10 carries and another touchdown that brings him to 7 (8 total) this season. The big concern in the running game is fumbles. Achane lost his first career fumble and Mostert had another fumble after two last week. All off-season we as fans looked around and wanted every running back that was available, crapped on Butch Barry and the OL but once again, we were wrong and Grier and McDaniel were right. Also, look at the comparison to last season:
- Miami Dolphins 2022
- 99.2 rushing yards per gm
- 4.3 rushing yards per carry
- Miami Dolphins 2023
- 185.8 rushing yards per gm
- 6.9 yards per carry
The Defense:
The defense came out and did exactly what they were supposed to do in week 5. The Dolphins defense didn't allow a single touchdown this week and dominated in the trenches which they should have done against an OL as bad and injured as the Giant's was. The front seven limited the Giants running game to 85 yards on 29 carries (2.9 per attempt) and got after Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor to the tune of 7 sacks. Andrew Van Ginkel continues to play like a man possessed and Zach Sieler impressed with 2 sacks and 3 TFLs. Bradley Chubb caught a lot of heat last week from fans and media alike, but he played really well despite not recording a sack. His pressure led to other guys, like Ogbah (1.5 sacks) cleaning up the QB. They have another game that they should dominate as well but we need to continue to see consistent play from this defense.
The secondary had a strong game as well outside of turning Darren Waller lose a couple of times and allowing a couple throws to guys on slant routes. I am still waiting for Jevon Holland to get his hand on a few footballs. Bryce Young might just be the guy to do it.
Up next:
The Dolphins (4-1) play host to the struggling Carolina Panthers (0-5)! Our week 6 preview will be out later this week!