Dolphins Lose at Denver: The Five Biggest Plays
The Miami Dolphins saw their record on the season fall to 6-4 with a disappointing 20-13 loss against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 11, and we break down the five biggest plays of the game.
1. Justin Simmons' interception
Yeah, we have to go with that one, even though the Broncos dominated most of the game because the Dolphins sure looked like they would going to pull off an amazing 99-yard drive and complete their comeback. Ryan Fitzpatrick said the interception came because he did not properly look off intended receiver DeVante Parker to influence Simmons, who made a great play on what sure looked like a force. Yes, it was third-and-8 when Fizpatrick threw that pass, but he would have had another shot at it and should have played it safer.
2. The double penalties on Denver's third-quarter TD drive
The Broncos took a 20-10 lead with an 81-yard touchdown drive that was kept alive on third-and-8 from their 42 by not one but two penalties. One was a horrible roughing-the-passer call on Jason Strowbridge when he shoved Drew Lock barely after he released the ball, and the other was a defensive pass interference on Noah Igbinoghene that was only slightly less egregious a call.
3. Melvin Gordon's second TD run
The Broncos made it 20-10 when Gordon scored on a way-too-easy 20-yard touchdown run on a simply handoff up the middle. That touchdown came two plays after the double penalties on the Dolphins.
4. Gordon's 25-yard run late in the first half
On the first play after the two-minute warning, the Broncos were facing a second-and-5 from their 16 and the Dolphins were in position to maybe get the ball back in good field position with a stop. Instead, Gordon raced down the right sideline after taking a handoff on a draw and moved the ball to the 41-yard line. It set up Brandon McManus' field goal on the final play of the half and gave Denver a 13-10 lead.
5. Drew Lock's scramble in the first quarter
Who knows how the game would have played out had the Dolphins been able to stay ahead longer instead of having Denver tie the score in the first quarter with a touchdown. And that touchdown capped a drive when the Broncos overcame a second-and-22 situation, converting a third-and-13 when Lock scrambled down the right sideline for 14 yards.
