The 10 Most Forgettable Dolphins Plays of 2021

Breaking down and ranking the Miami Dolphins' 10 most forgettable plays of the 2021 season

Author:
Alain Poupart
Publish date:
Jan 20, 2022 5:51 PM EST

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Miami Dolphins

With the 2021 season now behind us, we'll take a regular look back at what the Miami Dolphins accomplished through a series of top 10 lists.

In this installment, we'll rank our 10 most forgettable plays. As always, the rankings are based on the play itself along with its significance based on when it occurred.

1. The botched shotgun snap at Buffalo (Week 8)

This one was an ugly combination of a blooper-like play at a bad time. We're talking, of course, about the fumble that occurred when Mike Gesicki was hit in the shoulder by a shotgun snap while in motion with the Dolphins in position to break a 3-3 tie against the Bills near the end of the first half. That play was forgettable on so many levels.

2. Tua Tagovailoa's "fumble" at Tennessee (Week 17)

This was another blooper-like play, as the ball just slipped out of Tua Tagovailoa's hand as he preparing to throw a pass. In a game that was going to be difficult all along, it was the type of mishap the Dolphins couldn't afford and the Titans turned the turnover into a field goal that gave them a 10-0 lead on their way to a 34-3 rout.

3. The safety at Las Vegas (Week 3)

We're pretty sure that somebody is going to suggest this should be at number 1, and there's some merit to it because, unlike the first two plays, it was the result of a really bad play call. Throwing a wide receiver in the end zone was a bad idea from the start, and it was compound by Jaylen Waddle jumping to catch Jacoby Brissett's pass (maybe unnecessarily), which allowed the Raiders defender to close in and tackle him for the safety. The reason we didn't put this higher is that the Dolphins still led 14-2 after the play, so it wasn't quite as consequential as the first two.

4. The errant shotgun snap vs. Carolina (Week 12)

In the end, this play didn't make much of a difference considering the Dolphins won 33-10, but turning a potential field goal opportunity at the end of the half into a freebie three points for the Panthers after Carolina recovered the loose ball and had a long return was pretty bad.

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5. The fake punt vs. the N.Y. Jets (Week 15)

The Dolphins did some bad things in that 31-24 victory, and the most forgettable was trying a fake punt around midfield up 24-17 in the fourth quarter. Or were they supposed to go with the fake punt? It's tough to tell because up-back Clayton Fejedelem wasn't ready for the snap, which bounced off his helmet before the Jets recovered the loose ball.

6. The pick-six vs. the N.Y. Jets (Week 15)

Yeah, it was a rough game against the Jets, even though the Dolphins were able to extend their winning streak to six games that day and even their record to .500. And, yes, we have to mention the pick-six, which allowed the Jets to tie the score 24-24 midway through the fourth quarter.

7. Malcolm Brown's fourth-down run vs. Jacksonville (Week 6)

This is a play that's easy to forget because of how Jacksonville won the game, but none of the Jaguars' late-game heroics would have happened if not for Malcolm Brown being stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Miami 46 with 1:42 left in a 20-20 game. Make no mistake, going for it absolutely was the right call from this vantage point, though the play left a lot to be desired.

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8. Tua's rib injury vs. Buffalo (Week 2)

The start of the home opener against the Bills was an absolute nightmare, and it reached its low point on a failed fourth-down conversion attempt when left defensive end A.J. Epenesa was given a free run off the line of scrimmage and drilled Tua from the side. Worse than the incompletion was the rib injury that landed the quarterback on injured reserve for three weeks.

9. Antonio Brown's 62-yard touchdown at Tampa Bay (Week 5)

Before he walked off the field in middle of a game in December, Brown had some big plays for the Bucs offense and unfortunately the one that stood out from this season was his long touchdown after a reception from Tom Brady when he got the step on Xavien Howard around midfield. The second-quarter play broke a 10-10 tie and the rout was on from there.

10. Tua's fourth-quarter interception vs. Atlanta (Week 7)

It was bad enough that Tua threw a pick that was returned 56 yards by linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, but what made it worse was that it came on the very next play after Xavien Howard picked off Matt Ryan and it came because Tua tried to make something out of nothing and just refused to take a first-down sack. The turnover helped Atlanta take a 27-14 lead, but as Dolphins fans are aware, Tua brought the team back to take a 28-27 lead only to watch the Falcons win the game on a last-second field goal.