Sufficient electrical energy for you on a Sunday?
A 103-yard kickoff return 13 seconds into the sport. Two touchdowns inside 31 seconds within the first half A document for giant performs by Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson and … then a fourth quarter straight out of Dan Marino for Tua Tagovailoa.
Listed below are 10 ideas on the Miami Dolphins’ 42-38 win towards Baltimore:
1. Participant of the day. Tua Tagovailoa had the form of second half that you could hold each hope on. It got here all the way down to who made the final play and Tua threw his fourth landing of the fourth quarter with 14 seconds left. This one to Jaylen Waddle put the Dolphins up, 42-38. Tua accomplished 36-of-50 passes for 469 yards and 6 touchdowns. He introduced the Dolphins again, repeatedly, together with with simply over two minutes and Baltimore main, 38-35. This efficiency seems even higher contemplating what Lamar Jackson was doing on the opposite facet and Tua’s up-and-down begin. Within the first half, he had an ideal landing drive (5-for-5 for 97 yards) however two marginal interceptions. Within the second half, touchdowns. He got here out with a powerful drive to begin the second half capped by a well-placed ball that Mike Gesicki jumped for behind the tip zone. It was on after that.
2. (Nearly) Participant of the day: Jackson was the primary participant in NFL historical past to run for a landing of 79 yards and cross for considered one of 75 yards in the identical recreation. The Dolphins pissed off him final November, and the Pompano Seaside-native appeared on his option to a measure of payback Sunday till the fourth quarter. For the day, Jackson accomplished 21-of-28 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns.
3. Stat of the sport: Tyreek Hill left the sport within the third quarter with cramps and was listed as “questionable” to return. He had six catches for 48 yards. He returned within the fourth quarter and completed the day with 11 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns (of 48 and 60 yards).
4. Right here’s what you don’t need towards Baltimore: The sport coming all the way down to a Justin Tucker kick, even from 51 yards it was in Sunday’s fourth quarter. He kicked a 66-yarder final week. He’s a profession 91-percent kicker. He reached 300 area targets faster than any kicker in NFL historical past. He made that 51-yarder, after all, to offer Baltimore a 38-35 lead with 2:23 left. That left sufficient time for Tagovailoa and the offense to win it.
5. There are dangerous methods to begin a recreation, worse methods after which there’s the 103-yard kickoff return by Baltimore’s Devin Duvernay that began Sunday. 13 seconds into the sport it was 17-0. The final time an opponent ran a kickoff again was Buffalo in 2019. The final time a gap kickoff was returned towards the Dolphins was in 2010 at Oakland. Right here’s the extra pertinent truth: After a very good 2020, the Dolphins particular groups ranked twenty ninth within the league final 12 months in accordance with Soccer Outsiders. They will’t have one other 12 months like that, that means they will’t hand over returns like this.
6. Get on the wheelbarrow? Mike McDaniel confirmed once more how he’s going to teach by occurring fourth down in his personal territory twice within the second quarter. On fourth-and-1 at his 34 and fourth-and-1 at his 45, McDaniel saved the offense on the sector and acquired first downs. The sport state of affairs with the Dolphins trailing by two touchdowns may need had one thing to do with it. Then once more, it wasn’t something we didn’t see within the opener.
7. Press-Field announcement of the Day: After Lamar Jackson’s 75-yard run, the announcement was it was the longest run of his profession and put him over 100 yards speeding for the eleventh time in his profession. No different quarterback has gone over 100 yards that many instances. He’s 25.
8. Fast hits:
* It’s the Dolphins’ first 2-0 begin underneath a first-year coach since Jimmy Johnson in 1996. That entails seven coaches.;
* Waddle had the second, 100-yard receiving recreation of his profession. The opposite was 137 yards final 12 months towards Carolina. He had 11 catches for 171 yards Sunday;
* New England recovered towards a beat-up Pittsburgh, 17-14;
* Perhaps the New York Jets aren’t as dangerous as anticipated? They beat Cleveland, 31-30.
9. Some excellent news for the protection: The Dolphins flexed its inside muscle on Sunday in a way to notice. Within the fourth quarter, it stopped Jackson on fourth-and-1 on the Dolphins 41 at hand the ball again to the offense (it scored to make it, 35-28). It additionally had the form of goal-line stand within the first half that mentioned one thing good about its inside play. Baltimore had first-and-goal from the 2-yard line after an 82-yard drive that took about 10 minutes to get up to now. Two runs by Mike Davis over proper guard acquired contained in the 1. Jackson ran a sneak that was initially dominated a landing earlier than overturned after an extended delay. On that play, security Jevon Holland stood up Baltimore sort out Daniel Faalele in a approach that stopped Jackson. On fourth down and an inch, Jackson misplaced the ball going into the road and the Dolphins recovered. That form of sequence says this protection isn’t going to be pushed round a lot. When Baltimore had a first-and-goal on the 1 the subsequent time, there was a pretend run up the center and Jackson threw to a wide-open Andrews ultimately zone.
10. Subsequent week: Buffalo at Dolphins. The Payments play host to Tennessee on Monday night time, that means they’ll be working on a brief week earlier than coming to South Florida. Buffalo has gained the final seven conferences, together with 35-0 and 26-11 wins towards the Dolphins final 12 months. The final time the Dolphins gained was in 2018 when Ryan Tannehill threw a fourth-quarter landing to Kenny Stills. Sure, it was that way back.
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