Dolphins Trending Up, Trending Down After Week 15
The Miami Dolphins put together a really solid performance in the victory against the New England Patriots on Sunday, particularly when it comes to the running game and the defense.
The overall effort produced a lot more players trending up than trending down.
TRENDING UP
-- Salvon Ahmed: He's obviously the first one who jumps out after his strong performance, which went beyond mere numbers. Ahmed looked good enough actually that he's going to be awfully hard to dislodge from the starting lineup even after Myles Gaskin returns from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
-- Durham Smythe: The third-year tight end isn't flashy and never will get a lot of national attention because he's a possession receiver, but he's also very valuable as a blocker for the running game and he had a career-high five catches against the Patriots. He deserves part of the credit for helping the Dolphins rushed for 250 yards.
-- Michael Deiter: The offensive line didn't skip a beat when Deiter made his first appearance of the season on offense. That's a great relief moving forward to know that Deiter can be counted on in a pinch and speaks to his professionalism to get himself ready to play despite what has to be a disappointing situation from a personal level going from a 15-game starter to a special teams player.
-- Adam Shaheen: Like Smythe, Shaheen deserves credit for his run blocking and gets points for that great open-field run he had on his 15-yard reception.
-- Lynn Bowden Jr.: The rookie from Kentucky just provided more evidence of what he can do in the open field.
-- Elandon Roberts: Back from his chest injury, Roberts got more playing time than he usually gets on defense and really made his presence felt.
-- Jerome Baker: Baker has been coming on of late and he had another really strong performance, even if it didn't statistically match what he did against Cincinnati.
-- Matt Breida: It was really good to see the four-year veteran be a factor in the running game again in his return from the COVID-19 list.
TRENDING DOWN
-- Jason Sanders: Yes, we have to mention Sanders, who's had a remarkable season but missed a field goal for a second consecutive game. He still should have been selected to the Pro Bowl, but he's simply not automatic these days the way he's been for most of 2020.
-- Chandler Cox: Cox again was inactive and the fact the Dolphins rushed for 250 yards without their fullback kind of tells you where he stands in the pecking order.
-- Solomon Kindley: This isn't performance-related, but rather has everything to do with Kindley's injuries. He's been battling a foot problem for a few weeks and now has to deal with the knee injury that knocked him out of the New England game.
