Dolphins vs. Saints Immediate Reactions

For the second week in a row, the Dolphins squeaked out a victory. Things got really scary at the end, but the defense did its job and rewarded them with a 21-17 victory.

Tua Tagovailoa’s quarterback play is reaching concerning levels. He was once again off target today, missing receivers left and right and throwing poorly placed balls — one of which was intercepted on an ill-advised throw in the end zone, and another which was nearly intercepted but ended up being called an incomplete pass due to insufficient evidence to overturn. It was one of those plays where if it had been called an interception on the field it probably would have stayed that way— but the Dolphins caught a break since it was ruled incomplete initially.

As I pointed out in the game preview, the way the Dolphins were going to win this game was through De’Von Achane. They relied on him heavily today, even though one can argue they could have leaned on him even more given Tua’s recent play (especially in this game). Achane played well, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark (in week 13!) for the first time in his career. He continues to build on his great season, and there is good reason to believe- with statistics to back it- that he is a top-three running back in the NFL.

McDaniel must have read my preview and taken my advice and decided to run the ball, and that’s a big reason the Dolphins were able to come away with the win. I think if they had passed the ball more, they probably would have lost. But McDaniel called a very conservative game and it paid off.

The Dolphins almost let the game slip through their fingers at the end by allowing the Saints to come back and almost tie it on the two-point conversion attempt, but Minkah Fitzpatrick came up with the interception and took it all the way to the house to give the Dolphins 2 points (which is really a four-point swing). I cannot overstate how big that was for the outcome of this game, especially considering how out of breath he was while running down the homestretch. He was practically jogging for the final 30 yards, and a lot of players would have kneeled down and just accepted that the interception alone saved the game. But imagine what would’ve happened if he hadn’t taken it to the house. The Dolphins would only have been up by 2. The Saints’ onside-kick recovery would have been an epic disaster because they would have only needed about 15 yards to get into field-goal range and possibly win the game. That’s why, whenever there are points to be scored— no matter how little time is left— always hustle and get the points. Minkah Fitzpatrick saved the game for the Dolphins through pure hustle.

That onside kick was baffling on many levels, mainly because of how skillfully it was executed. But more importantly— and more controllably— why were the Dolphins not hustling to get on that ball?! It looked like they were just waiting for the ball to come to them. That is the exact opposite of what you’re supposed to do on an onside kick. You need to be aggressive and run toward the ball. Either way, just when it felt like the game was going to go completely awry, the Dolphins defense stood up the Saints on 4th-and-1 to give Miami their third win in a row.

There’s a lot more to unpack from this game — including what to do about Tua, the Dolphins’ playoff hopes, McDaniel’s impressive play-calling, and more— which we’ll get into tomorrow.

That’s one month in a row without experiencing a loss! Let's hope this continues!