MIAMI GARDENS — How do the Miami Dolphins get better after a tough day in Buffalo last week?
Take care of the New York Giants at home, 31-16 on Sunday.
You saw the speed. You saw the big plays. You saw enough defense. You saw some things still needing work on, too. Here are 10 thoughts on the day:
1. Player of the day: De’Von Achane had 11 carries for 151 yards (and a catch for 14 yards). His speed was seen right from the start. He ran the first Dolphins play of Sunday around right end for 24 yards. His third carry went for 76 yards and a touchdown. Any questions about why coach Mike McDaniel wanted Achane so much in the third round this past draft?
2. Sunday was just what the Dolphins defense needed: A little confidence boost. It effectively gave up two field goals. The Giants offense isn’t much, and whatever they have was lessened by three missing offensive linemen so Daniel Jones had little time and only Darren Waller to help. But that’s the qualifier to a good Dolphins day on defense. They gave up nine first downs and 176 yards of offense through three quarters. They entered with 10 sacks (tied for 18th) and had seven on Sunday.
The defense’s high point of the day came when a Tua Tagovailoa interception handed the Giants the ball at the Dolphins’ 24-yard line in a 24-10 game in the third quarter. It held for a field goal from there. Throw in a pick-6 off Tua and 10 points were from offensive turnovers. Again, the Giants aren’t much on offense. But a defense that’s struggled so far this season did what you’d want them to do.
3. Play of the day: Tyreek Hill beating rookie cornerback Tre Hawkins for a 69-yard touchdown to kick of the third quarter and effectively end the game at 24-10. Tagovailoa threw it a few yards and Hill did the rest. It helped that Giants safety Xavier McKinney provided no help. Hill, for the record, got flagged for taunting on the play. But it took more time for Hill to get the ball to what appeared to be his mother in the crowd than run the 69 yards. For the day, Hill had eight catches for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He’s now gone over 100 yards in 10 of his 22 Dolphins games.
4. The Dolphins’ fast-paced offense that got sidetracked by Buffalo was back on Sunday. It had 501 yards and averaged a rub-your-eyes 11.4 yards a play through three quarters (Kansas City led the league at 6.3 yards per play last season). They didn’t punt once in that period. And look at the big plays: Achane had a 76-yard touchdown run; Hill for a 69-yard TD catch; Hill for a 64-yard catch; Achane run for 24 yards; Cedric Wilson Jr. a 23-yard TD catch; Jaylen Waddle catch for 20 yards.
5. Stat of the Day: In the third quarter, the Dolphins surpassed the St. Louis Rams’ 2,527 yards through five games to have the most at this mile marker in NFL history. Sure, five games isn’t any standard. But it shows what this offense is doing. Greatest Show on Surf > Greatest Show on Turf?
6. You throw for two touchdowns and 300 yards in a relatively easy win and no one walks away complaining about two interceptions. Still, Tagovailoa’s interceptions accounted for 10 Giants points and were the only thing giving them a pulse on Sunday. Let’s not overdo this. But the Dolphins had two interceptions and a fumble (Achane) on Sunday against no turnovers by the Giants. That means the Dolphins are minus-three on turnover margin for the year. Part of that’s on the defense with five takeaways through five games. When you’re 4-1 and looking where numbers need to improve, this is at the top of the list.
7. Depth will be the issue for every team as the season lengthens. But two players have shown the Dolphins have more depth than previous years. Andrew Van Ginkel has provided some help at pass rush and made enough plays to help with the absence of Jaelan Phillips. Tackle Kendall Lamm isn’t a healthy Terron Armstead at left tackle. But look across the league — or just the field on Sunday — and look at how reserves are doing on the line. He got beat for a sack but didn’t get in the way of a lot of big plays of this offense.
8. The Dolphins didn’t have 12 men on the field, as the referees called, after one player tried to run off the field just before the snap. The Dolphins challenged that call to show they had 11 men on the field, if you count that player running off it. So, they really had 10 men on the field for the punt. A little thing. But these are the type of special team details that will cost them at some point. A missed extra point in the opener. A blocked field goal by New England. Now players running off the field to leave 10 on a punt. Some fundamental things need to be worked out.
9. Quick Hits:
* Buffalo lost linebacker Matt Milano Sunday to go with losing both cornerbacks last week against the Dolphins. The question becomes what they’ll look like come January;
* New Orleans blew out New England, and the question becomes how warm it’ll get for coach Bill Belichick if this season continues to its 1-4 start. He’s still 18 wins short of Don Shula’s all-time mark;
* The Giants’ seven-point deficit at half was their smallest of the season.
10. Carolina at Dolphins. Carolina, like the Giants, looks to be in worst-team-in-the-league running. They’re winless despite an undaunting schedule of Atlanta, New Orleans, Seattle, Minnesota and Detroit. Carolina was lost to Detroit on Sunday to fall to 0-5.
