Miami Dolphins Week 8 Report Card
The Dolphins recorded their third consecutive victory when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams at Hard Rock Stadium, and it was the defense that led the way from start to finish.
That clearly is reflected in the grades we handed out.
Quarterbacks
The big story before the game was the first career start for Tua Tagovailoa, but few will remember it years from now because it truly was uneventful. The numbers were mediocre — 12 of 22 for 93 yards and one touchdown — though they didn't need ot be better for the Dolphins to win this game. Tagovailoa made some accurate throws, including his 3-yard touchdown to DeVante Parker and a 15-yard pass outside to Jakeem Grant, but there also were some misfires and, of course, the lost fumble on his second snap of the game. Grade: C-
Running backs
Myles Gaskin remained the workhorse at running back, but he didn't have nearly as much success as he did against the New York Jets two weeks earlier. As evidence, his longest run of the game was only 6 yards. It was the same for Matt Breida, who had only 13 yards on four carries. Gaskin did lead the team in receptions, but that was with only three and he also had a drop. Malcolm Perry figures in this category as well for his two snaps as the Wildcat quarterback, but on his one rushing attempt he was dropped for a 5-yard loss by Aaron Donald. Grade: C-
Wide receivers
As with everything else on offense, there were few opportunities because the Dolphins only ran 49 offensive plays to the Rams' 95. Parker had the highlight play for the group with his touchdown catch while he was being tackled, but he played only 29 snaps after coming into the game with a groin injury. The big story here was Preston Williams, who had the most targets with five but also had two drops. No other wide receiver had more than one catch, though Perry did have his first NFL reception lining up as a slot receiver. Grade: D+
Tight ends
While they also were victims of circumstance, it's hard to be excited about what the tight ends did considering the running game produced a 2.2 average and the tight ends combined for three catches for 24 yards on five targets. At least there were no obvious drops. Grade: D+
Offensive line
The Dolphins offensive line knew it was facing a tough challenge against Aaron Donald and the Rams, and the numbers show this wasn't a great performance by the guys up front. We obviously can start with the 2.2 rushing average with the long of only 6 yards, including Perry's 5-yard loss out of the Wildcat. Tagovailoa faced more pressure than the one sack recorded by the Rams would suggest, and that included Donald's sack-strip when he got past Ereck Flowers to get a hand on the ball. In fairness, Tagovailoa couldn't find somebody open on the play and was starting to move up in the pocket when Donald made his play. Fellow guard Solomon Kindley was flagged for holding, the only penalty on the offensive line. Grade: D+
Defensive line
Defensive linemen came up with two huge plays on defense, with Emmanuel Ogbah's sack-strip that produced Andrew Van Ginkel's fumble return for a touchdown and Christian Wilkins' interception. Zach Sieler quietly was a factor up front as he was credited with three quarterback hits. Raekwon Davis started at nose tackle. The only issue on defense was against the run, with the Rams rushing for 131 yards with a 4.5-yard average. That will be the grade down slightly. Grade: B+
Linebackers
Lot of big plays made by that group as well, staring with Van Ginkel's touchdown, Shaq Lawson's sack-strip that was recovered by fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and Elandon Roberts blowing up a running play in the backfield right before Van Ginkel's touchdown. Jerome Baker also was responsible for Eric Rowe's interception as he hit Jared Goff's arm as he was throwing the ball. The linebackers' ability to disguising their blitzes or faking blitzing played a big role in the success of the pass rush, which was a factor all game despite there being only two sacks. The linebackers have to accept some of the blame for the run defense problems, though. Grade: A-
Secondary
Rowe had a great performance with a team-high five passes defenses and the one pick, and we're not sure whether it was a bad play that he dropped what looked like a sure pick-six or whether he should get credit for reading the play so incredibly well that he actually overran the ball because he got such a great jump. Xavien Howard a couple of bumpy moments early in the game but came on after that, though he did drop what should have been an interception — something he practically never does. Byron Jones again was solid and Nik Needham had one of his better games in coverage. Goff ended the game with 355 yards, but that number wasn't reflective of how the game went or how the secondary played. Grade: A-
Special teams
Anytime you get a punt return for a touchdown, it's a big day for the special teams. And that's especially the case this time because Jakeem Grant's 88-yard score was the first punt return for a touchdown in the NFL this season. In addition, Grant also had his longest kickoff return of the season with a 45-yarder. Jason Sanders didn't get to attempt a field goal in this one, and he did make the mistake of putting a kickoff out of bounds. Matt Haack had a solid 42.8 net average with five punts inside the 20. The Dolphins won this battle handily. Grade: A-
