The Dolphins defeated the Raiders 20–13 in a sloppy, too-close-for-comfort game on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
Jaelan Phillips had one interception and Jalen Ramsey had two. Tua Tagovailoa had an interception and a fumble despite surpassing 300 yards.
Waddle barely left the field because Braxton Berrios (hamstring) did not play and Tyreek Hill (hand) was limited to 41 snaps, or 51% of the game. Waddle had four receptions for 55 yards on eight targets. Waddle’s high snap count is best explained by his apparent good health following a season marred by injuries.
It was quite disheartening to witness Achane limp off the field after just one carry. Achane’s knee injury had kept him out of four games. According to Mike McDaniel, there is no reason to believe the re-injury is serious. Salvon Ahmed had just six yards on three carries but did catch a touchdown, while Raheem Mostert averaged just 3.9 yards on 22 carries. Maybe Miami ought to have or could have dressed Jeff Wilson in a healthy manner.
Due to Durham Smythe’s (ankle) absence, Hill’s crucial Sunday role was somewhat marred by a fumble. Hill is a decent blocker overall, but some analysis will be needed because the Dolphins struggled to establish ground control on Sunday. On Sunday, the Dolphins managed just 3.5 yards per carry on average.
Wilkins is taking an astounding amount of snaps. On a fourth down, Wilkins applied crucial pressure that resulted in an interception by Jaelan Phillips. Wilkins had a tackle for loss in addition to two quarterback hits. 89 percent of snaps were played by Zach Sieler. Only 34% and 5% of snaps were played by Raekwon Davis and Da’Shawn Hand, respectively.
Although it’s difficult to accept that a player of Ogbah’s caliber and pay isn’t deserving of more than seven snaps, he must simply be a bad fit for this defensive alignment. Kudos again to Andrew Van Ginkel (42 snaps, 69 percent), who has thrived in a backup role to Bradley Chubb and Phillips. Ogbah has a $45,400,000 four-year contract. Next season, though, he’ll get the opportunity to play more elsewhere.
