WRs for the Dolphins are outstanding, but depth is a problem. After the win over the Jets, who is hot and who is not?
Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips’ season-ending Achilles injury dealt a major blow to the Miami Dolphins, who easily won another divisional championship. This is a look at who is and isn’t hot following Miami’s 34-13 victory over the New York Jets on Black Friday.
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Currently, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are the two most dangerous wide receivers in the NFL. Nonetheless, when Hill and Jaylen Waddle are able to get a sufficient amount of touches, the Dolphins offense performs at its peak. The two achieved that on Friday, going over 100 receiving yards for the second time this year and the sixth time overall since they joined forces.
Security Jevon Holland: As the highest-graded safety by Pro Football Focus, Holland has been a data darling for a large portion of the season. Holland’s worth was recently elucidated by secondary coach Renaldo Hill, despite the absence of big plays. According to Hill, “he’s the true quarterback” for the defense. “He’s the maestro over there; he arranges everything.” He writes all of the checks. We are aware that he can retrieve the ball if necessary. However, he has been supervising this right now and ensuring that everyone is in the proper position so that we can play at a high level. Additionally, even though the pitch count might not reflect it at this time, there are situations when the numbers don’t quite add up to what he can offer.
However, that was altered in the Jets game when Tim Boyle attempted a Hail Mary, which Holland fielded and returned 99 yards for a pick-six that turned the tide. The Jets had a brief lead prior to the score thanks to two interceptions from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but Miami took the lead at halftime thanks to a play by wide receiver Holland.
▪ Christian Wilkins, a defensive lineman in his fifth season, is becoming more and more expensive by the match. With two more sacks of Boyle, he now has a career-high six this season. Despite his decline in tackles, he has emerged as a potent pass rusher, coming in at number twelve on ESPN’s pass rush win metric, which measures how frequently a player outpaces his blocker in less than 2.5 seconds.
WHO’S NOT ▪ Depth at linebacker: The only setback following a commanding victory in the division was Phillips’ season-ending Achilles injury in the fourth quarter. After overcoming an injury early in the season that he was very open about affecting his mental health, Phillips was playing at his best. Andrew Van Ginkel and Emmanuel Ogbah are capable players who the Dolphins can use to help fill the void left by Phillips. However, Philips’ absence will have a cascading effect. Van Ginkel has occasionally been used as an inside linebacker by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but for the remainder of the season, he will most likely need to rely more on Van Ginkel as an edge rusher.
The fact that “Gink” isn’t playing stack “backer” indicates that someone is very capable and prepared, so coach Mike McDaniel said, “I think David Long [Jr.] will have to step up as well and play a role that he’s been thirsting for anyway.” “Therefore, it resembles a group of people. To try your best to make up for that production loss, you just sort of spread out the opportunities to different people rather than replace him.
▪ Depth concerns at offensive tackle: The Dolphins are accustomed to moving players around the offensive line, but this Friday’s game exposed them to their worst depth concerns of the season. Terron Armstead’s quad injury forced Kion Smith to enter the game, and Austin Jackson’s ejection forced Lamm, who had entered the game with a back injury, to enter in the fourth quarter. McDaniel stated that Armstead is week to week with his injury, so both his and Lamm’s status will be closely monitored as the Dolphins prepare for the Washington Commanders.
▪ Tua Tagovailoa’s ball security: The fourth-year quarterback is having the best season of his young career, but with increased production also come increased turnovers. Tagovailoa tied a career-high with two interceptions against the Jets, and he has given up four interceptions in the last two games. Both of the interceptions came in the last minute of the first half and, but for Holland’s pick-six, could have put the Dolphins in danger of losing control of the game.
Such errors could have serious repercussions when faced with more skilled opponents. Following the game, Tagovailoa said he needs to handle the ball with more caution. “I believe it is going above and beyond what is requested,” he remarked. Attempting to be a little too forceful in some situations. That is simply not possible for you to do. To put it another way, I kind of kept them in the game with that pick-six. Up until that moment and for the duration of the game, our defense performed admirably. I’m just not capable of doing that.
