After another rough outing by Dolphins rookie Noah Igbinoghene, a change is coming
The moment right now might be simply too big for the Dolphins’ youngest player.
Not even 21 years old, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene has been outmatched through his first four games as a pro.
That trend continued Sunday when Igbinoghene — the 30th pick in the 2020 draft — gave up a ton of yards to Seahawks receivers and the game-deciding touchdown to David Moore, who Sunday totaled 95 yards on three catches.
With less than six minutes remaining in regulation and the Dolphins up 2, Moore got behind Igbinoghene in the end zone and pulled in a leaping, toe-tapping touchdown catch.
That plus Igbinoghene’s bad bust on a deep pass to Moore late in the first half (which keyed a 75-yard, 21-second touchdown drive) were the difference between an upset victory and yet another fourth-down disappointment.
“I don’t feel like nothing’s been too big for me at all,” said Igbinoghene, who called his play “lackadaisical” at times. “I made a couple of mistakes the first couple of games. I just got to keep working.”
He added: “I make a lot mistakes not just in football but it life. ... I can’t dwell on it. ... I’m a very confident dude.”
That might be true. But how much confidence do the Dolphins have in Igbinoghene after two really poor games in three weeks? Igbinoghene was roasted by Stefon Diggs in Week 2. And on Sunday, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson seemed to seek him out.
When asked if the Dolphins are putting too much, too fast on Igbinoghene’s plate, Brian Flores replied:
“I don’t want to make assumptions like that. He’s a rookie. He’s going to have his ups and downs. Last week he played well. This week he didn’t play well. Two weeks ago he didn’t play … you know what I mean, he’s going to have some ups and downs. He’s a resilient kid. He’s a talented kid. He’s got to learn from this. We’ll help him. We’ll coach him, and I think he’ll get better.”
But those opportunities to get better, at least in the short term, will probably decrease.
The Dolphins were without starting cornerback Byron Jones (groin) for all the game and free safety Bobby McCain (head injury) for some of it. Jones practiced on a limited basis this week, and seems primed for a return next Sunday against the 49ers. His snaps will come at Igbinoghene’s expense.
Meanwhile, Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard did indeed get assigned Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf — one of the most explosive players in the NFL — for most of Sunday’s game.
The result: Some good, some bad.
Metcalf did have 106 yards on four catches — including a 37-yarder on Howard on the first series — but Howard responded with an interception in the end zone.
“It wasn’t good enough to win the game,” Howard said. “I’m focused on winning. Not just a one-on-one matchup.”
News and notes
▪ The Dolphins were down eight points and had an outside shot to tie the game late in the final minutes.
They appeared to stop Seahawks running back Chris Carson shy of the line to gain on third-and-3, but officials gave him a favorable spot — enough for the first down — that held up even after review (and even after network TV footage appeared to show the ball short if the marker, even upon measurement).
“The ruling on the field was that the runner made the line to gain before he was touched and was down by contact,” explained Al Riveron, the league’s senior VP of officiating. “In replay, we take that ruling and unless we have clear and obvious visual evidence to overturn it, the ruling on the field stands. And through the replays and the shots that were afforded to us by our network partner, we did not have anything that was clear and obvious to overturn it. Therefore, we stayed with the ruling on the field.”
▪ McCain was one of four key players who left Sunday’s game due to injury, only to return later. The others were receiver DeVante Parker (ankle), defensive end Shaq Lawson (shoulder) and left tackle Austin Jackson (foot).
▪ Jason Sanders was a perfect five-for-five on field goal attempts, two shy of his career high for made kicks in a game.
This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 6:03 PM.
