Injuries pile up for Dolphins in second half as Kansas City Chiefs pull away from Miami
The Miami Dolphins’ chance at an upset of the Kansas City Chiefs started to slip away in the second half as injuries piled up, Tua Tagovailoa started to struggle and the Chiefs began pulled away from the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, Austin Jackson and Bobby McCain all sustained injuries either late in the second quarter or early in the third. In the fourth, Mike Gesicki also went down with an apparent right shoulder injury in the midst of one of the best games of his career.
Parker, Jackson and McCain all missed significant time in the second half for the Dolphins, and Parker did not return. Grant also sustained a leg injury in the second quarter, but returned for Miami’s first series of the second half. McCain missed time in the third quarter with an ankle injury before returning. Jackson returned later in the second half, too.
Gesicki’s injury came with 9:58 left in the game and the Dolphins trailing by 13. On Miami’s previous drive, Gesicki caught his second touchdown of the game to cut the Dolphins’ deficit to two scores, but he was dragged down hard. by Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen on the first play of the following drive and grabbed at his right shoulder as he writhed on the ground.
With his full complement of receivers in the first half, Tagovailoa helped lead the Dolphins out to a 10-point lead and went 11 of 19 for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the first half. With Parker out and Grant banged up, the quarterback started the second half 5 of 11 for 39 yards.
On defense, Miami gave up a three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to start the second half after McCain injured his ankle on the first play of the third quarter. The Chiefs’ four-point halftime lead grew to 11, then ballooned to 18 after the Dolphins went three-and-out and Kansas City wide receiver Mecole Hardman returned a punt for a touchdown.
Jackson’s injury, however, was felt most immediately. One play after the left tackle went down, the Chiefs sacked Tagovailoa — albeit from the right side of the line — to push their lead up to 20 points.
Parker did not have a catch in the first half against the Chiefs, although Tua Tagovailoa targeted him twice, including once in the end zone. The rookie’s pass hit Parker in the hands as he leaped through a pair of defenders, but the receiver couldn’t pull in the touchdown grab.
Parker entered the weekend as the Dolphins’ leader in catches and receiving yards, and tied for the team lead in touchdown catches. The wideout has 56 catches for 677 yards and four touchdowns this season, although he has been at his best with Ryan Fitzpatrick in the lineup this year. In seven games with Fitzpatrick as the starter, he has 37 catches for 483 and two touchdowns, as opposed to 19 catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns in five games with Tagovailoa before Sunday. Parker also had a breakout season in 2019 with Fitzpatrick in 2019, notching career bests with 72 catches for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns.
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 2:38 PM.
