My Takeaways From The Dolphins 30-0 Win Over The New York Jets:
• From top to bottom that was a fantastic effort and win
• McDaniel made the necessary adjustments to mask the offensive line deficiencies as well as in the passing game to make up for Tyreek being inactive. Also, it was refreshing to see him commit to the run in the RZ, especially on that first scoring drive for Mostert with three straight touches inside the 10
• Everyone expected Tua and the passing game to be impacted the most with Tyreek out but I think his absence was felt the most with the space he creates for the run game
• Tua was great! Took what the defense gave him, made big throws on third down, moved the sticks and went over top of the Jets defense which was #2 against the Pass heading into this game. Also, that’s 3 straight games with no INTs for Tua.
• Waddle showed he’s still 1B on the team, not a 2. Other than the one drop, he was awesome stepping up as the focal point of the passing attack and was good after the catch
• Congratulations to Raheem the Dream for breaking the franchise single season rushing TD and total TDs from scrimmage records
• Achane’s effort was top notch and the stat line I felt didn’t do him enough justice for how good he was
• The offensive line was serviceable. Backups or not, they need to clean up those penalties.
• Hunt and Jackson need to get healthy for this final stretch
• Eichenberg’s clearly struggling a little bit more than usual thanks to the calf injury
• His usage at the end intrigued me, even his 11 yard catch that was nullified thanks to a penalty but I’m ready to see Claypool integrated into this offense more
• I know he only made one play - but that throw and catch from Tua to Berrios was a beauty. Just wish they didn’t rush their order of operations and essentially waste the next play to stop the Jets from challenging.
• Fangio and the Dolphins defense put on a master class performance
• Bradley Chubb was the player of the game for me on either side of the football and had not only his best game as a Dolphin but one of the more
dominant performances of his career
• Sieler just continues to make big plays and I’m here for every minute of it
• Not to be outdone, Wilkins has been an absolute powerhouse and force on that defensive front, continuing to silence his pass rush critics
• From breaking up the pass to Conklin, to how he impacted the pocket and the pass rush, I though AVG had a very strong game
• David Long Jr. continues to be a major cog in the wheel of this defense, can’t praise him enough
• Jalen Ramsey absolutely ERASED Garrett Wilson. He’s just on another level right now. Absolute stud.
• Elijah Campbell showed off how rangey he is yesterday and I thought played very strong in place of Elliott
• He’s just had to play centerfield but kudos to Brandon Jones for being in the right position at the right time and making the plays when they presented themselves
• Kohou gave up a play early on but then really settled in
• Can’t knock Eli Apples game, made some plays with X out
• How about Ethan Bonner? The team obviously believes in the kid and how hard he’s worked as it was nice to see the whole sideline react to his pass breakup
Great bounce back performance from the Dolphins against a division rival.
The best part of it all may have been the look on Aaron Rodgers’ face when he realized there’s no point on coming back after the Dolphins gave them a second lesson this season on the international language of ass whoppin’.
It’s time for a real statement win though - this Christmas Eve against the Cowboys who are reeling from their loss to the Bills. Like I tweeted yesterday, with how good Miami has been at home this season, let alone during Tua’s career, mixed in with how all of the Cowboys losses have come on the road this year, I really like the Dolphins chances to handle their business this week.