As Dolphins look for playmakers, Myles Gaskin had the ‘hot hand’ in loss to Tampa Bay
Jacoby Brissett found a way to get just about everyone involved in the passing game Sunday. The Miami Dolphins were without two of their top receivers in DeVante Parker and Will Fuller, leaving their backup quarterback searching for options to step up alongside rookie Jaylen Waddle and tight end Mike Gesicki.
It turned out his most reliable pass catcher was the player he spent the bulk of the time in the backfield with at Raymond James Stadium.
Running back Myles Gaskin had a career day in the Dolphins’ 45-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, catching all 10 passes that Brissett threw his way for 74 yards and both of Miami’s touchdowns.
“Just ready to go battle,” Gaskin said. “Just turned out the way it did.”
Where does the performance rank in Dolphins history? Well...
▪ He’s the first running back in Dolphins history with at least 10 catches and multiple receiving touchdowns in the same game.
▪ Only four other Dolphins running backs have ever had a 10-catch game: Rob Konrad (Jan. 2, 2000), Keith Byars (Sept. 25, 1994), Ron Davenport (Dec. 7, 1987) and Tony Nathan (three times total in the 1985 and 1986 seasons).
▪ He’s just the second Dolphins running back with multiple receiving touchdowns in multiple games.
▪ He’s also the third Dolphins player with at least 10 catches in a game this year (Waddle with 12 and Gesicki with 10, both against the Raiders on Sept. 26). First time in Dolphins history that three different players have had a 10-catch game.
“That’s who he is,” Brissett said. “He’s a guy that works hard and it’s evident that his work is starting to show. Obviously giving him the ball in space. He was making a lot of plays for us. He’s just a dependable guy. That’s what you want as a quarterback and as a teammate.”
Gaskin gave the Dolphins a brief lead late in the first quarter when he slipped behind the Buccaneers’ defense on a wheel route for a 24-yard touchdown. He also scored on a 1-yard pass that cut the Dolphins’ deficit to 24-17 with 7:01 left in the third quarter before Tampa Bay scored touchdowns on its next three consecutive drives to pull away.
It was a promising performance from the third year running back after a slow start to the season. Gaskin entered Sunday with 199 yards of total offense on 41 touches (142 rushing yards on 29 carries, 49 receiving yards on 12 catches).
“His role is obviously expanding,” Brissett said. “You see him catching balls down the field. He made a lot of plays for us. Just have to find ways to continue to give him the ball.”
How important is it for Gaskin to have such a large role in the offense?
“I think our running back room thinks that going into each and every game,” he said. “I think we all practice hard, and we show it in practice. I think sometimes guys just get the hot hand, whoever it is — Malcolm [Brown], Salvon [Ahmed], myself. It just turned out to be me today.”
But his performance — and the offense’s performance overall — wasn’t enough to snap the Dolphins’ losing streak.
Not when the defense gives up points on seven of 10 possessions and can’t get off the field.
Not when the offense goes 2 for 7 on third down and sees promising drives stall out.
And not when the Dolphins’ offense was as one-dimensional as it was on Sunday.
Of Miami’s 51 plays, just nine were runs.
Of Miami’s 301 yards of offense, just 39 came on the ground. Sunday was the second consecutive game in which the Dolphins had fewer than 40 rushing yards after only tallying 35 against the Colts.
“Go back to work, watch the film and keep going,” Gaskin said.
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