Dolphins 2022 Top 10 Defensive Plays
With the 2022 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 top 10 defensive plays..
1. Brandon Jones' sack-strip vs. New England (Week 1)
Yep, we're going to go with a play from the very first game of the regular season, which actually was the first touchdown of 2022 for the Dolphins. Before he landed on IR with a torn ACL, Jones continued showing off his blitzing prowess, starting in the opener when he drilled Mac Jones and forced a fumble that Melvin Ingram returned for a touchdown.
2. Jevon Holland's sack-strip vs. Buffalo (Week 3)
This was a very similar play, and in some ways even bigger considering the opponent. Ingram again was the recipient of the fumble recovery on this play after Holland nailed Josh Allen, though he couldn't get into the end zone this time. Didn't matter because the turnover set up a 6-yard touchdown drive in the 21-19 victory at Hard Rock Stadium.
3. Noah Igbinoghene's game-clinching INT vs. Pittsburgh (Week 7)
It was impossible not to feel good for much-maligned 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene when he got a rare chance for many snaps on defense and came up with the game-sealing interception of Kenny Pickett to preserve the 16-10 Sunday night victory.
4. Xavien Howard's pass breakup vs. Buffalo (Week 3)
There were a few key sequences in the big victory against the Bills in September, but it was the goal-line stand in the fourth quarter that stood out. The fourth-down incompletion wasn't so much about a Dolphins defensive effort as much as Josh Allen not getting his feet set properly and one-hopping a pass to a wide open Isaiah McKenzie. But on third down, Howard came up with a great play when Allen did set his feet, had plenty of time in the pocket and tried to hit Stefon Diggs in the back of the end zone after he tried a quick move in the opposite direction. In a season when he had his struggles, this was Howard at his best.
5. The fourth-down stop at Baltimore (Week 2)
It's naturally the fireworks with Tua, Tyreek and Waddle that fans will remember from the crazy 42-38 victory at Baltimore, but the comeback doesn't happen without the fourth-down stop when the Ravens were leading 35-21 early in the fourth quarter. The Ravens had Lamar Jackson take a shotgun snap. He looked to his left at first, but linebacker Duke Riley's push eliminated that option, so Jackson had to cut it back inside, where he was met by Elandon Roberts and Trey Flowers. The result was a 1-yard loss.
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6. Xavien Howard's TD vs. Houston (Week 12)
While the Dolphins scored 30 points against the Texans, it was the defense that carried the day. And the biggest play came when Eric Rowe popped tight end Jordan Akins near the sideline after a short completion to knock the ball loose. Xavien Howard scooped up the loose ball and ran 16 yards for the easy touchdown that made it 27-0 in the second quarter.
7. Jaelan Phillips' sack-strip at Buffalo (Week 15)
This was a big play by the second-year pass rusher from the University of Miami, and it could have been gigantic had the Dolphins fully taken advantage of it. Like they did in Week 3 and they would again in the playoffs, the Dolphins got Allen to fumble on a sack, this time when Phillips got to him. The turnover in Buffalo territory with Miami leading 26-21 gave the Dolphins a great opportunity to open a two-score, but they could only get a field goal out of it, setting the stage for the Bills comeback.
8. Elandon Roberts' tackle for loss vs. the N.Y. Jets (Week 18)
The Dolphins defense didn't have to do a lot of heavy lifting against the offensively challenged Jets in their season finale, but they did have a touchy situation late in the first half after New York got a first down at the Miami 15. After Michael Carter ran for 1 yard on first down, the Jets attempted a screen pass on second down, but heavy pressure by the Dolphins derailed the play from the start and Roberts finished it off by dropping Carter for a 5-yard loss, prompting the Jets to play for the field goal.
9. Eric Rowe's fourth-down stop at Cincinnati (Week 4)
We all know why the Thursday night game will be remembered, but the Dolphins defense had its moments early in that game. Leading 7-3, Cincinnati went for the first down on fourth-and-1 from the Miami 24 early in the second quarter and Joe Burrow pitched the ball outside to Joe Mixon. Safety Eric Rowe came flying across the field to get to Mixon and brought him down for no gain with help from Jevon Holland.
10. Kader Kohou's INT vs. Green Bay (Week 16)
To finish out our list, we decided to give a shout-out to the rookie free agent who became such a revelation for the Dolphins for his first career interception, which came against future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. We won't tell anyone that Kohou maybe perhaps got away with a little bit of a push. The bottom line was career INT number 1.
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