The Miami Dolphins ended week two with a 20-12 win over division rival New York Jets and they improved their record to 2-0 on the young season. Here are my thoughts on the game and the players that lead the team in different stats.
Ryan Tannehill leads the Dolphins in the passing game going 17/23 for 168 yards 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. I know they’re not flashy stats but here’s what I took out of it. First and most importantly he didn’t throw any interceptions. Yes, he did have a fumble, but he was trying to throw the ball away and it slipped out of his hand. Ryan was sacked four times by the Jets defense. Certain points of the game he held on to the ball too long which lead to the sacks. Tannehill hit 7 different receivers in this game which is a sign that Miami wants to spread the ball around a lot this season.
Kenyan Drake lead the team in rushing with 11 attempts for 53 yards and one touchdown averaging 4.8 yards a carry. Drake also caught 4 passes out of the backfield. Drake had some pretty solid runs and you gotta think the more the offense starts to take off Drake will only get better. I also have to mention Frank Gore here as well he moved into 4th all time for rushing yard. Also, Gore had the catch that sealed the win for the Dolphins on a 3rd and 19.
Albert Wilson lead the team in receiving yards with 3 catches for 37 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 targets. It’s nice to see a free agent pickup putting in work. I think Wilson was a very solid pick up for the Dolphins in the offseason and will continue to show why in weeks to come. Amendola added four catches leading the team in that category and AJ Derby added a touchdown as well.
Now let’s look at defense and special teams.
Jordan Phillips, Robert Quinn, and William Hayes all had one sack. Bringing Quinn over from the Rams was one of the best moves Miami made this offseason. In my opinion it’s the second year in a row they robbed the Rams of a good defensive lineman (last year William Hayes). Being deep on the d-line will keep everyone fresh all season long.
Davon Godchaux and Robert Quinn both had two tackles for a loss in the game. Godchaux had a very solid game his name was called quite often on Sunday. Kiko Alonso for the second week in a row lead the team in tackles with 13 this game bringing his total to 19 in two games.
TJ McDonald and Xavien Howard both had one interception each. TJ returned his 31 yards and Howard went out and got Miami the ball right back on the play after Ryan Tannehill fumbled. TJ McDonald, Xavien Howard, Jordan Phillips, and Bobby McCain all had one pass deflection as well. One person who impressed me in the secondary was Rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick he was just flat out flying around making plays.
Jason Sanders didn’t attempt a field goal in this game but was 2/3 on extra points. Usually missed extra points come back to haunt a team thank God this one didn’t. Matt Haack was probably one of the best players on the field Sunday as he was called on to punt 6 times and dropped 5 of them inside the 20-yard line. He averaged 49.2 yards a punt and his longest was 63 yards. Jakeem Grant had one kickoff return for 34 yards and three punt returns for 16 yards.
What will it take for Miami to get its third win against the Oakland Raiders and start the season off 3-0? I would personally like to see a heavy dose of Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore in this game. Get that running game working so everything else falls in place. Also, let’s hope they put a full game together just run away with this game.
