Dolphins-Panthers Week 12 Halftime Highlights and Lowlights
A look at the highlights and lowlights for the Miami Dolphins in the first half of their Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium.
DOLPHINS HIGHLIGHTS
-- The Dolphins caught a break right away when Hassan Reddick was flagged for a weak roughing-the-passer penalty that moved the ball to the Miami 47 on the first drive.
-- The Dolphins converted a third-and-11 when Jaylen Waddle got open on a slant and Tua Tagovailoa hit him in stride for a 25-yard gain to the Carolina 29.
-- Duke Riley made a quick inside move on the Panthers' first punt and easily blocked Lachlan Edwards' punt, with Justin Coleman completing the play by returning the loose ball into the end zone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
-- Great job by Emmanuel Ogbah to stay in his spot on a prolonged fake handoff on a second-and-goal from the 3 that helped him stop Newton at the 1-yard line.
-- The line provided a perfect pocket for Tua, giving Waddle time to get open in the middle for an easy 10-yard completion.
-- Rookie second-round pick Jevon Holland again flashed his great instincts to jump in front of Robby Anderson and pick off Cam Newton early in the second quarter.
-- Howard came up with his third pick of the season when he undercut intended receiver D.J. Moore to give the Dolphins a first-and-goal at the 9.
-- Tua cashed in the opportunity with a third-and-goal strike to Jaylen Waddle from the 9.
-- Jerome Baker was the one who dropped Christian McCaffrey for a 3-yard loss after the Dolphins took a 14-7 lead, but there actually were three defenders in the backfield ready to meet the Panthers running back.
-- Tua hit Waddle in stride on a slant and Waddle outran the defenders for a 58-yard gain.
-- Tua converted a third-and-1 with a keeper and then smartly slid before absorbing unnecessary contact and Myles Gaskin then capped the touchdown drive with a 3-yard run out of the Wildcat formation.
-- Zach Sieler had a great two-play sequence when he stuffed McCaffrey for no gain on a running play and then batted a pass at the line to force a third-and-15 situation.
-- On Carolina's final drive of the half, Jaelan Phillips batted down a pass at the line and two plays later forced an incompletion with pressure that almost resulted in a sack.
-- Andrew Van Ginkel ended that drive when he got around left tackle Dennis Daley and hit Newton as he was throwing the ball.
DOLPHINS LOWLIGHTS
-- Including a jet sweep by Albert Wilson where he caught a quick toss from Tua, the Dolphins gained 5 yards on four running plays on their first drive, putting too much pressure on the passing game.
-- That first drive ended with a sack of Tua by Brian Burns after he ran around Jesse Davis, though there was a breakdown by the entire line that led to the sack, which caused a fumble that knocked the Dolphins out of field goal range.
-- The Dolphins foolishly wasted a timeout and one of their two challenges after D.J. Moore dropped Cam Newton's first pass and they recovered the loose ball when replays clearly indicated it was an incomplete pass.
-- The Dolphins got burned on a full-out blitz when D.J. Moore ran right past Xavien Howard and behind the secondary to get on the receiving end of a 64-yard completion that led to Carolina's first touchdown.
-- The offense's second drive ended when Tua was sacked on third down from the Carolina 45 after Brian Burns got around Liam Eichenberg, forcing Tua to move up into inside pressure from Phil Hoskins.
-- The Dolphins did nothing after Holland's interception set them up at their 47, with Tua throwing high to Albert Wilson on first down and then dropping a low shotgun snap before throwing an incompletion on third-and-5.
-- The Dolphins' two-minute drive was derailed by consecutive false-start penalties against Albert Wilson and Waddle.
-- The first half ended on a bad note when the Dolphins not only missed a chance at a field goal attempt but gave Carolina one with the bad shotgun snap that resulted in a long fumble return that set up Zane Gonzalez's 41-yard field g
