Four Losers And Four Winners From Miami's Week 8 Loss

Some things are too good to be true, including the Miami Dolphins winning two games in a row, as they fall to New England by a painfully close score of 24-19.

To many fans, the idea of "tanking" and not messing up their draft stock went out the window as soon as they saw that a win over the Patriots was possible, and it certainly looked that way at halftime. However, the offense, defense, and special teams all seemed to regress in the second half.

In the end, the Dolphins lost their third straight game by a touchdown or less. A competitive game for sure against the defending AFC champions, but it's the Patriots. Any loss against them is guaranteed to sting.

LOSING AND WINNING DOLPHINS PERFORMANCES IN WEEK 8

Loser - RG Jonah Savaiinaea

To see Savaiinaea on this list is frustrating because this performance came out of nowhere. He's been having a stellar resurgence for the Dolphins this season, but if everyone is guaranteed at least one stinker per season, this was certainly it for him.

The first half was especially difficult for Savaiinaea. Mainly matched up against Christian Barmore and Corey Durden, he struggled to give Malik Willis time in the pocket and was a non-factor in blocking for Ollie Gordon and Miami's run game.

Barmore breezed by Savaiinaea for a sack on Willis on their second drive of the game on third down, forcing a punt despite being near midfield. And while it didn't end up mattering because Miami scored four plays later, he was called for a holding penalty that wiped a 15-yard touchdown for Gordon off the board.

This performance by Savaiinaea really came out of left field. He hadn't allowed a sack or committed a penalty through the first seven weeks of the season. The o-line obviously took a hit with Kadyn Proctor not playing, but the Dolphins will hope this was a one-time slip-up and nothing more.

Winner - DE Chop Robinson

The jokes about Robinson appearing on milk cartons should thankfully be over after his performance against the Patriots. After the shaky start to the season he had, he's only gotten better, and he blew up against the Patriots with three solo tackles and two sacks.

In the first half, the Dolphins sent the house on Drake Maye play after play, usually to resounding success. His second sack came after getting past a trio of New England linemen, literally brute-forcing his way to the quarterback and forcing a punt.

That said, New England eventually cracked the code in the second half, and Miami's pass rush began to sputter. But for Chop specifically, this was the game he needed to start proving to Miami that he deserves to stay a member of the Dolphins. Consistency is key, however, and it won't get any easier against Jared Goff and Detroit's offense.

Loser - CB Chris Johnson

OK, there's really not much that Johnson did wrong in this game. He actually provided much-needed durability to the secondary, being one of four players to play all 60 defensive snaps alongside Jacob Rodriguez, Jordyn Brooks and Michael Taaffe.

Really, there's only one major thing he did wrong, but he likely won't hear the end of it for a while. On fourth-and-2 with five minutes to go in the second quarter, Johnson had Maye dead to rights, breezing by Eli Raridon and facing the back of Maye, who never saw him coming. It looked like a surefire sack.

Instead, Johnson dove low and to the left of Maye, who then completed a 12-yard pass to extend the drive. Thankfully for Johnson, New England would go on to miss an ensuing field goal, but it's an awful look for the rookie. If he's given 100 chances to tackle Maye in the same situation, he would likely take him down 99 times, but unfortunately not 100.

Winner - LB Jacob Rodriguez

How do you, as an underdog, wish to upset a team that has aspirations of making it back to the Super Bowl? You need a spark, and Rodriguez delivered that in the second drive of the game.

Down by three, Rodriguez performed his signature peanut punch on Efton Chism III, knocking the ball free. It was ultimately recovered by JuJu Brents and led to the Dolphins tying the game with a field goal of their own. That fumble proved to both Miami and New England that the Dolphins' defense could hang with the Patriots.

Loser - RB Ollie Gordon II

The list of winners and losers for Week 8 is filled with players who earned their spots mainly based on a single play. But every play matters more in a game that was won or lost by seven points or less.

That said, this was a disappointing game for Gordon, who was held to 69 yards on 19 carries. Is it too surprising? Not really, as the Patriots have one of the best run defenses in the NFL. As we mentioned earlier, his best run of the day was wiped off the board due to a holding penalty.

But in Miami's second drive out of halftime, Gordon committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that resulted in a third-and-20. Not surprisingly, it forced a Dolphins punt, and the Patriots drove 73 yards in 13 plays to score a touchdown and take their first lead since early in the first quarter.

Gordon was irate on the sidelines, having to be cooled down by his quarterback. His emotions have been tested multiple times this season, including their loss to Cincinnati, but at least that tantrum was limited to the sidelines and, to some, justified given their struggles. But costing the team 15 yards and indirectly leading to a Patriots' lead that they wouldn't give up is unacceptable in a game like this.

Winner - WR Kevin Coleman Jr.

Coleman was only targeted three times in this game, but he was a guaranteed target in all three of them, recording 46 yards. However, his final reception is an early highlight for the fifth-round pick.

It's not just that he scored a 35-yard touchdown that gave the Dolphins a sliver of hope with just about two minutes to go. It was the way he did it, absolutely shredding Charles Woods' ankles. His draft profile, which highlighted his speed and effectiveness after the catch, checks out.

Between Coleman, Douglas, and Bell, the group of rookies contributed almost equally in this game in terms of receptions and yards. It's a nice sight to see, but if anyone had doubts about what Coleman can contribute from the trio, he shut them down with that touchdown.

Loser - OC Bobby Slowik

Miami's offense looked promising in the first half, taking a 13-3 lead to the break. But everything unraveled for the unit after halftime, and the play-calling on offense was a major contributor.

Even looking away from the back-to-back punts in the third quarter, the tempo of the offense in the fourth was off. They were at a deficit but handled the situation like they were ahead, draining 10 minutes and 23 seconds off the clock in their final three drives. Had they picked up the pace, there may not have been a need to go for an onside kick after the Coleman touchdown.

It didn't feel like there was a sense of urgency you would expect for an offense down by double digits with not much time remaining.

Winner - P Bradley Pinion

Pinion was asked to punt four times in this game - an unfortunate number, but he was at least consistent - with his kicks going 50, 40, 45, and 48 yards, respectively. His best work was his second attempt, pinning the Patriots deep at their 15-yard line.

Was it anything too special? Not really, but factoring in the not-so-optimal weather conditions and how sloppy the field can get, it was refreshing to see a mistake-free game for him. Pinion also handled a pair of kickoffs, resulting in a touchback on both occasions.

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