Miami Dolphins Week 1 Top Performers
The Dolphins suffered a disappointing 10-point loss against the New England Patriots in their season opener, but did get some strong individual performances.
-- RB Myles Gaskin ended up playing a much bigger role than anticipated and justified every snap of it. In addition to leading the team with 40 rushing yards, he tied for team-high honors with four receptions.
-- DT Christian Wilkins had two tackles for loss, two passes batted down and one sack in what was an incredibly impressive first-half performance. Even with Wilkins having only one tackle in the second half, this might have been his best game in a Dolphins uniform.
-- LB Jerome Baker was flagged for a costly roughing penalty in the fourth quarter, but he also was all over the field. He easily led the Dolphins with 16 tackles, including 13 initial hits, and had the key forced fumbles that caused a touchback when the Patriots looked like they were headed for a 21-3 lead.
-- WR Mack Hollins deserves mention for a great special teams play that forced a New England fumble on a punt return, though the Patriots were able to recover. As the flyer, Hollins pushed his blocker into the returner, leading to the muffed punt.
-- The offensive line didn't necessarily create big holes in the running game on a consistent basis, though Gaskin and Matt Breida both were able to average a solid 4.4 yards per carry. The pass protection was pretty solid overall, with New England only getting one sack on the final drive of the game.
-- Matt Haack averaged 50.7 yards on his three punts with a net of 44 yards, and the Dolphins gladly would take those averages every game. The only blemish on his record on this day was a touchback, which came on a 58-yard punt.
