Look on the statistics sheet and it appears like a winner.
The Miami Dolphins had 23 first downs to Minnesota’s 11 … ran 73 performs to Minnesota’s 51 … had 385 yards passing to Minnesota’s 156 … and 458 complete yards to Minnesota’s 239.
They misplaced, 24-16.
That’s what occurs when you could have 10 penalties (for 97 yards) and three turnovers and may’t shut out one other sport within the fourth quarter. Their 3-0 begin is now a 3-3 season.
Here are 10 ideas on the sport:
1. Play of the sport: With the Dolphins driving for a go-ahead rating with about three minutes left, Teddy Bridgewater confronted a second-and-14 and threw over the center to Jaylen Waddle. The receiver minimize upfield and had the 14 yards for a primary down when was hit and fumbled. Minnesota recovered at its 26-yard line and returned to the 41. Two gamers later, Minnesota had a game-sealing landing and one among Waddle’s questions obtained underlined. He dropped a ball earlier that was intercepted. Hill had 5 catches for 80 yards, however the two turnovers are what impacted the sport most.
2. Stat of the sport: The Dolphins used two quarterbacks for the third straight sport. You know the way they are saying accidents are a part of the sport? They’re a part of each sport for Dolphins quarterbacks. Skylar Thompson regarded on his solution to proving why Mike McDaniel began the seventh-round rookie in Sunday’s first half. His stats of seven of 13 for 89 yards hardly advised the story. Two passes have been dropped. Just a few different large performs have been referred to as again by penalty (see No. 5). He then appeared to bang his thumb on a Vikings helmet on following via a go and he was performed for the day. In got here Bridgewater, who was cleared of concussion protocol on Saturday regardless of by no means having a concussion (we don’t must get into all that once more, can we?). Bridgewater struggled firstly, as is likely to be anticipated for a quarterback who couldn’t observe a lot this previous week and had one aborted play all season. He completed robust in finishing 23-of-34 passes for 329 yards two touchdowns and two interceptions. If not for that Waddle fumble, he’d have had an opportunity to win it.
3. Right till the very finish when Dalvin Cook broke a 53-yard run after Waddle’s fumble, the Dolphins protection stored them within the sport. Take its work after a faked punt obtained stopped quick on the Dolphins 33-yard line within the third quarter of a 10-3 sport. Christian Wilkins stopped a receiver display screen for minus-6 yards. Wilkins then stopped Cook for a one-yard loss. After an unlawful process penalty on Minnesota and an incompletion, Minnesota confronted fourth-and-22 and extra importantly was pushed out of subject purpose vary. The protection did this nearly all day. Minnesota didn’t get its preliminary first down till late within the second quarter. But it usually was the place it was put in. When Waddle dropped a go that was intercepted on the Miami 41 simply earlier than half, Minnesota simply obtained a subject purpose. There have been solely 15 seconds left within the half on that possession so a greater instance was when a Minnesota punt return gave it the ball on the Dolphins’ 49 within the third quarter. It ended up shedding seven yards that possession because of a sack by Raekwon Davis. The protection did every part however …
4. Stat of the Game II: Minnesota 3-0 on takeaways. That’s a mirrored image of either side for the Dolphins. The offense was free with the ball with Waddle accountable for two turnovers. It’s the third straight sport the protection didn’t get a takeaway. The Dolphins at the moment are minus-5 on turnovers for the season, which is usually an excellent reflection of how the yr is trending.
5. Did you see essentially the most irritating Dolphins non-drive in, oh, the final decade on Sunday? It summed up how they may have nice statistics and lose. On their second possession Sunday, the Dolphins began at their 17-yard line and their first three performs have been a Thompson go for 30 yard to Waddle, a Raheem Mostert run for 16 after which a go to Tyreek Hill for 9. After a 3-yard run, they’d first-and-10 on the Vikings 24. That’s the place issues obtained, uh, attention-grabbing. Here are the highlights:
* First-and-10 at 24: Robert Hunt illegal-procedure penalty;
* First-and-15 at 29: Thompson go to Trent Sherfield for 20 yards is named again when middle Connor Williams is flagged for unlawful man downfield;
* First-and-20 at 34: Thompson go to River Cracraft for 30 yards to the Minnesota 2-yard line is named by holding penalty on guard Liam Eichenberg;
* Second-and-12 at 26: Pass to Hill for 9 yards referred to as again by offensive-interference penalty by Alec Ingold;
* Third-and-22 at 36: Thompson go to Waddle for six yards referred to as again by holding on Sherfield.
That’s not simply 5 penalties in seven performs from scrimmage. That’s 65 yards of offense being negated by these penalties. The Dolphins turned a certain field-goal try, and probably landing a few instances, right into a punt.
6. The Dolphins have accidents at quarterback, deal with and now the cornerback place was right down to crumbs because of accidents. In the second half, when the protection was put in dangerous positions, Noah Igbinoghene was at one cornerback and Justin Bethel was in on some packages for the primary time this yr. That’s as a result of rookie Kader Kohou was out this sport, Nik Needham was misplaced within the first half and brought out on a stretcher with a foul ankle harm and Keion Crossen was dominated out for the second half with a knee harm. The depth at cornerback was a query coming into this season with Byron Jones out. The undrafted Kohou supplied some aid there. But you may guess the Dolphins will likely be scouring for assist both on observe squads or because the commerce deadline approaches.
7. The weekly Tyreek-Hill-is-a-beast be aware. Minnesota protection had one rule Sunday: Don’t let Hill or Waddle get deep. Its safeties lined up most performs in Broward County. Hill nonetheless had insane influence on the sport in catching quick passes and zipping via the secondary. He had 12 catches for 177 yards and far of them have been after the catch. Biggest play? On fourth-and-5 on the Miami 48 with simply over six minutes left, McDaniel went for it and Bridgewater’s go to Hill ended with a 14-yard acquire. For a man on the harm report this week, Hill was a dominant participant simply as he has been all season.
8. Jason Sanders is 0-for-3 on subject targets over 50 yards with a miss from 52 in Sunday’s second quarter. That’s not a giant pattern measurement and Sander is 14-for-24 in his profession over 50 yards. Nor is that this to query Sanders’ expertise as he’s made all seven subject targets beneath 50 yards this yr after Sunday’s 44-yarder within the first quarter. There’s room to say this offense has to get into makeable field-goal vary and to say these are costly misses by Sanders. Twenty-four kickers have made subject targets over 50 yards this yr. Ten kickers have at the very least three subject targets of over 50 yards this season. Five kickers have 4 subject targets over 50 yards and three (Justin Tucker, Graham Gano and Daniel Carlson) are 4 for 4. The level is, Sanders has to make a few of these. The bigger factors is the particular groups …
9. … proceed to have issues. Two aforementioned performs within the third quarter continued that narrative with the missed subject purpose. A pretend punt the place a snap to quick again Clayton Fejedelem got here up quick. A 25-yard punt return put Minnesota on the Dolphins 49-yard line. Throw in Minnesota punter Ryan Wright’s 73-yard punt that reversed the sphere within the first quarter – plus his six punts contained in the 20 – and it was one other day the particular groups misplaced their battle. For a staff with accidents, particular groups must win a few of these days.
10. Next week: Steelers at Dolphins. It’s the lone prime-time sport that’s scheduled for the Dolphins and the plotline is the plain one. Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores returns to Hard Rock Stadium and it’s a sophisticated return. Flores’ 24-25 document with the Dolphins was higher than the roster deserved or the group wished within the case of his first tanking season. His bigger issues have been merely getting together with individuals. He fired extra coaches in a shorter span than any Dolphins coach, beginning together with his offensive line coach 4 practices in. He then made the Dolphins not solely a part of the lawsuit towards the NFL for racial discrimination however uncovered the staff’s want to tank by saying proprietor Steve Ross provided him $100,000 for every loss and it additionally tampered with a big-time quarterback who was clearly Tom Brady. Welcome again?
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Source: www.bostonherald.com