Who’s hot, who’s not after the Dolphins’ 23-21 road loss to the Patriots
The Dolphins fell out of a playoff spot after their 23-21 loss to the Patriots on Sunday, their fifth consecutive defeat.
Here’s a look at who’s hot — and who’s not — after the team’s loss.
Who’s hot
▪ Raheem Mostert: It was a disjointed effort for the Dolphins offense without Tua Tagovailoa but the veteran running back made multiple plays. Mostert accounted for 62 of Miami’s 86 rushing yards and caught a team-high eight passes for 62 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown that gave the Dolphins a 14-7 lead in the third quarter. He also eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards for the first time in his career.
▪ Christian Wilkins: The fourth-year defensive tackle recorded six tackles, one sack, a quarterback hit and a pass deflection as he continues to add to his best season to date. Wilkins is now up to a career-high 90 tackles, which is the most for a defensive lineman in the past decade.
Who’s not
▪ Jason Sanders: The difference between the Sanders who was named first-team All-Pro in 2020 and the Sanders since then has been long-distance kicking. Two years ago, Sanders made eight of nine attempts from 50 yards or longer and parlayed that into a five-year deal worth $22 million. Since then, he’s made just 3 of 11 attempts and has missed four of five tries in 2022, including a 51-yarder in the second quarter on Sunday. In a two-point loss, it’s hard not to think about that miss and how it could have impacted the remainder of the game. But it was another snapshot of a special teams unit that hasn’t consistently played up to its standard.
▪ Dolphins secondary: The Dolphins’ secondary was playing without cornerback Xavien Howard, out because of a knee injury, as well as many other key players that have sustained injuries in the last several months. But against a mediocre Patriots receiving corps that was also missing wide receiver DeVante Parker, the secondary allowed too many big plays and was flagged for too many penalties. On New England’s first scoring drive, cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Keion Crossen were both penalized on third down. On the late touchdown drive that pushed Miami’s deficit to nine points with under five minutes remaining, Crossen was flagged for a 22-yard penalty on third down that placed the ball at the Dolphins’ 5-yard line.
At one point on Sunday, safety Jevon Holland was injured and left the game, leaving the Dolphins’ defense without any of its projected starters in the secondary from the offseason. Injuries strike every time during the season at various levels but the Dolphins haven’t done enough to overcome them.
▪ Dolphins quarterbacks: Pick one: It has been rough for all three.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has played one good game in the last month and sat out this week because of a concussion. Quarterback Teddy Bridewater, who started in Tagovailoa’s place this weekend, was solid for most of three quarters before throwing a costly interception and getting hurt while trying to make a tackle. Rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Bridgewater after he hurt a finger, also threw a pick in the second half as Miami was trying to stage a comeback.
There’s no indication of who will start in Week 18 because the Dolphins simply can’t know until there’s a further update on Tagovailoa’s status or Bridgewater’s finger and early indications, ProFootballTalk reported, are it’s broken. No matter who it is, Miami will need a much better performance to have a chance against the New York Jets.
This story was originally published January 1, 2023 at 7:38 PM.
