Dolphins-Saints Week 13 Halftime Observations

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) carries the ball for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

What stood out in the first half of the Miami Dolphins' Week 13 game against the New Orleans Saints:

We'll start with the list of inactives, which was notable because it didn't include any front-line players.

The Dolphins dominated for most of the first half, but they needed a big Rasul Douglas pick late in the second quarter to be able to take a 16-0 lead into halftime.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Good to see Austin Jackson and Darren Waller in the starting lineup, with Jackson starting for the first time since Week 1.

Interesting formation the Dolphins opened with featuring Waller in the offensive backfield.

Waller's presence clearly gives the Dolphins an important extra option in the passing game beyond Jaylen Waddle.

And then here comes Cedrick Wilson Jr. with a masterful job evading a tackler in the backfield to turn a 2- or 3-yard loss into a 16-yard gain on the Dolphins' final possession of the first quarter.

The run defense was dominant in the first half, which almost was to be expected with New Orleans missing Alvin Kamara.

Zach Sieler continues his recent surge; he was very noticeable in the first half, particularly when he chased down a ball carrier along the line of scrimmage.

Rookies Zeek Biggers and Kenneth Grant each came up with a big play on one of the many Saints three-and-outs, with Grant's penetration on first down leading to a stop on a run after only a 1-yard gain and then Biggers coming up with his first NFL sack after outside pressure moved Tyler Shough up into the pocket.

Great coverage by Willie Gay Jr. on tight end Juwan Johnson to force a third-down incompletion. That's how Gay can help the Dolphins defense.

Great job by the offensive line on the first drive of the game, particularly the third-down conversion to Malik Washington after Tua Tagovailoa dropped a low shotgun snap because there still was no pressure and Tagovailoa had time to regather himself to find Washington over the middle.

Also great blocking on the right side by Julian Hill and Austin Jackson on De'Von Achane's 29-yard touchdown run, but the highlight was Achane's ankle-busting move against cornerback Alontae Taylor.

Rasul Douglas showed his veteran savvy when he read Shough staring at his wide receiver and jumped in front of Chris Olave for that huge interception at the end of the half. Douglas has been very solid for the Dolphins as a smart veteran who maybe doesn't run the way he once did (which was obvious on his return, which might have been a pick-six in his younger days).

THE LOWLIGHTS

The Dolphins had some issues with the Saints pass rush, which produced two sacks and one forced incompletion. The first sack, though, was the result of Tagovailoa not getting rid of the ball quickly enough with fullback Alec Ingold trying to block Cameron Jordan one-on-one.

The pick after Zach Sieler's fumble recovery was just bad. This was a throw into double coverage that had no chance because Jaylen Waddle was covered from both sides and there was too much air on the ball. That happening on first-and-10 from the New Orleans 37 made it really bad.

The Dolphins weren't great on third down or in the red zone, and it's the only reason this game isn't already over based on the way the defense played in the first half.

Not ideal for the Dolphins to have to burn a timeout on defense because there were too many men on the field. Again with the operational issues.

Another kind of mistake that's hurt the Dolphins a lot of the season was the neutral zone infraction on Chop Robinson on third-and-4 right after the two-minute warning. That's just inexcusable. It's bad enough that Robinson hasn't had big production, this just can't happen.