Dolphins Trending Up, Trending Down After Week 14

After the 13th game of the 2020 season, we take stock of which Miami Dolphins players are moving in the right direction and who's going the opposite way

The Miami Dolphins came up short against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14 on a day when there were a lot of noteworthy performances.

It produced a good mix of players trending up and trending down.

TRENDING UP

-- Tua Tagovailoa: It wasn't that Tua had his first NFL 300-yard passing game, it was his performance in the fourth quarter when he helped the Dolphins score 17 points to put themselves in position for a possible comeback victory that was impressive.

-- Mike Gesicki: It truly was a shame that Gesicki got hurt early in the fourth quarter because he had another impressive performance.

-- Lynn Bowden Jr.: Continuing his steady climb, Bowden had another impressive showing as a wide receiver in this game. He led the team with seven receptions.

-- Byron Jones: No, Jones didn't play a perfect game against the Chiefs, but he did have his first interception in more than three years and he also made a great play when he punched the ball out of Mecole Hardman's hands for another takeaway in the second half.

-- Andrew Van Ginkel: We've said it before, Van Ginkel just keeps making things happen. This time, it was getting up after getting knocked down to tip a pass intended for Travis Kelce, leading to the interception by Jones.

-- Jerome Baker: With Kyle Van Noy missing the game with a hip injury, Baker was given more pass-rushing responsibilities against Kansas City and responded with a career-high 2.5 sacks. His 30-yard tackle of Patrick Mahomes showed off his great speed.

TRENDING DOWN

-- Jakeem Grant: A week after dropping what should have been a 91-yard touchdown pass, Grant failed to come up with a very catchable Tagovailoa pass on third down in the first quarter. He later left the game in the first half with a leg injury.

-- Shaq Lawson: Lawson has done some good work for the Dolphins in recent weeks, but he took an unnecessary roughing-the-passer penalty when he brought Patrick Mahomes to the ground with a late tackle and he also was among the culprits on the Tyreek Hill touchdown run when he took a quick inside step and took himself out of position to keep Hill from getting outside.

-- Clayton Fejedelem: The special teams captain was thrust into the lineup at safety when Bobby McCain was temporarily sidelined and he made the tragic mistake of leaning forward while Hill was sprinting downfield. Just that moment of hesitation was enough to allow Hill to get behind him for an easy touchdown.

-- Kamu Grugier-Hill: On a play where Clyde Edwards-Helaire turned what should have been a short gain on a screen pass into a 26-yard pick-up, it was Grugier-Hill who missed the initial tackle. He also was the last player with a realistic shot at preventing Mecole Hardman from scoring on his punt return but he couldn't shake off the block of former Dolphins cornerback Chris Lammons.

-- Chandler Cox: Cox was inactive for the fourth time in five games, which isn't a good sign for the Dolphins fullback considering the struggles of the running game.