Scooter & Hum: Day 978, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Browns Game 10 Review

Miami pushed its winning streak to four straight with an emphatic home win against Cleveland. The 'Fins didn't commit a turnover, were called for just five penalties, and did not punt for the entire game, leading to one of the craziest stats I can remember: The Dolphins have now punted just twice in a three-game stretch -- something I've never heard of before. The caveat here is that Miami is doing this against bad teams, but they are knocking off the foes in front of them.

On to the that's-how-you-set-up-a-bye-week recap ...

Offense

The 'Fins were unstoppable on this side of the ball, racking up 29 first downs, 491 total yards, and a whopping 7.3 yards per play. In a significant development, the running game got on a heater, accumulating 195 yards on 5.9 yards per rush. The ground effort allowed Miami to control the clock (33:14 to 26:46), but if there are quibbles, it's that the Dolphins went 6 of 11 on third down and 1 of 2 on fourth down and only scored touchdowns on three of five trips to the red zone. Suffice it to say that you have to reach to even find those nits.
Tua Tagovailoa continued his elite play, hitting on 25 of 32 passes for 285 yards and three scores. He ran once for no gain, threw fewer 50-50 balls, and did a nice job recovering a fumble off a high snap. Tua also spread the ball around, with no teammate getting more than six targets. Miami had the luxury of even getting Skylar Thompson seven snaps, with his three kneeldowns balanced by completing his only pass for 17 yards. With a 91.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, Tua extended his stellar play, and if the Dolphins can maintain a running game to take some pressure off of him, the balance is only going to make him even more dangerous.
Jeff Wilson (42 snaps) outpaced Raheem Mostert (19 snaps) and erupted for 119 yards and a score on 17 carries, to go with two catches for 24 yards. However, Mostert was still a massive factor, rushing for 65 yards and a score on just eight carries, adding four grabs for 22 yards. Alec Ingold (42 snaps) rounded out his strong lead blocking with four receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown, earning a sterling 95.7 PFF grade. Salvon Ahmed got seven snaps in garbage time, rushing three times for 11 yards.
Balance was the name of the game at receiver, as Jaylen Waddle (51), Tyreek Hill (49), and Trent Sherfield (45) had a similar number of snaps and distributed production nicely. Waddle had four catches for 66 yards and Hill added five grabs for 44 yards and a score on six targets, with Sherfield (78.7 PFF grade) contributing four snares for 63 yards and a touchdown. He was called for taunting and likely got away with offensive pass interference once, but his downfield blocking was key to unlocking the run game. In 21 snaps, Cedrick Wilson balanced a seven-yard catch by taking a six-yard sack on a trick-play attempt.
At tight end, Durham Smythe (37) and Mike Gesicki (32) split the snaps with no one else. Gesicki reeled in two passes for 31 yards, while Smythe was stuffed for no gain on a short-yardage carry.
The offensive line had maybe its best performance of the season, holding the Browns without a quarterback sack and overpowering a well-regarded defensive line in the running game. Connor Williams had some high snaps at center and Robert Jones was called for a false start, but beyond those minor mistakes, the offensive front was a force. Jones and Robert Hunt gave the Dolphins plus guard play, while Terron Armstead was beastly in his 60 snaps. Reserve Greg Little even got nine snaps in place of Terron Armstead at left tackle with the game out of a reach. The line appears to be finding its stride, which bodes well for adding a difference-making ground game to an already-explosive offensive attack.

Defense

The 'Fins limited Cleveland to just 297 offensive yards and 4.8 yards per play, generating 28 pressures, more than the previous two games combined and second-most on the entire season. The pass rush accounted for three sacks and generated four holding calls and a tripping flag, but more impressively, Miami held the rugged Browns to 112 rushing yards. While an inability to force turnovers bears watching, the Dolphins showed that investing in the Bradley Chubb trade and focusing on pressuring the quarterback is paying off -- and should continue to do so down the stretch.
Both Christian Wilkins (55 snaps) and Zach Sieler (53) played a ton at defensive end, with Emmanuel Ogbah playing 10 snaps before being lost for the season with a triceps injury. Wilkins posted seven tackles, a sack, a stop for loss, and three quarterback hits to go with a roughing-the-passer penalty, while Sieler notched four tackles, a stop for loss, a forced fumble, and two quarterback hits. In limited action, Ogbah committed a neutral zone infraction to turn a third down into a first for Cleveland. Where the 'Fins turn at defensive end to add depth remains a mystery, especially since the Browns poached Ben Stille off of Miami's practice squad following the contest.
At nose tackle, Raekwon Davis got 31 snaps without a stat -- though he did nearly drop Jacoby Brissett for a sack at one point. John Jenkins collected a tackle in his 11 snaps.
The distribution at outside linebacker was fairly even between Chubb (44 snaps), Jaelan Phillips (42), Melvin Ingram (34), and Andrew Van Ginkel (24). They all had their moments, with Ingram in particular seeming to benefit by staying fresh, earning a 92.6 PFF grade with a 45.8% pass-rush win rate, two tackles, a sack, three quarterback hits, and a drawn holding penalty. Phillips notched two tackles, half a sack, and two quarterback hits, good for an 82.0 PFF grade. Chubb was nearly unstoppable late, posting three tackles, half a sack, and three quarterback hits while drawing a holding flag. Van Ginkel delivered five stops as well in what was a stellar all-around effort from the outside linebacker corps.
At inside linebacker, Jerome Baker led the way with seven tackles, a stop for loss, a pass breakup, and a defensive pass interference call in his 52 snaps. Surprisingly, Duke Riley outsnapped Elandon Roberts (32 to 27), with Roberts delivering seven tackles -- including a few of the resounding variety -- and a quarterback hit and Riley adding three stops. Sam Eguavoen got a single snap from scrimmage and looked to be victimized in coverage on Cleveland's first touchdown.
Both Xavien Howard and Kader Kohou played 66 snaps at cornerback, with "X" collecting four tackles and a fumble recovery and Kohou contributing four tackles and three pass breakups, good for a 77.0 PFF grade. Justin Bethel made the most of 23 snaps, recording seven tackles and two pass breakups, while Keion Crossen had a solo stop in his 11 snaps before being injured. Elijah Campbell came on for six snaps, putting up two tackles and a pass breakup.
At strong safety, Eric Rowe had a solo tackle in his 50 snaps, while Verone McKinley III registered five stops in his 32 snaps, despite a couple of missed tackles.
Jevon Holland played all 67 snaps at free safety, but had an uneventful day, collecting two tackles on the afternoon.

Special teams

Jason Sanders had another rocky performance, missing TWO extra points and allowing a 48-yard kickoff return to begin the game. He did hit both field-goal attempts and connect on three extra points when the game was still competitive, but the rumblings about his inconsistency are getting louder by the week.
Thomas Morstead didn't punt in this one. I've got nothing else here.
Miami continues to get next to nothing out of its return game, with Mostert taking back three kickoffs for 60 yards and Cedrick Wilson adding an eight-yard punt return.
In kick coverage, the 48-yard kickoff return mentioned above did lead to an opening Browns TD, but not punting allowed the 'Fins to limit Cleveland's ability to win the third phase by a wide margin.
Sherfield (eight snaps) led offensive players in special-teams contributions, with Bethel, Campbell, and Clayton Fejedelem all getting 16 snaps to lead defensive players.

Momentum plays

Using a 48-yard kickoff return as a springboard, Cleveland scored quickly, powered by a 38-yard strike from Brissett to Donovan Peoples-Jones. An Ogbah offsides gave the Browns a first down on a 3rd & 4 play, followed by a pass interference on Baker to set up a play-action pass from Brissett to tight end Harrison Bryant for the touchdown.
Four straight touches by Mostert (five if you count the kick return) got Miami moving, with Jeff Wilson converting a 4th & 1 play with a tough four-yard run. An 18-yard pass to Sherfield was followed by 18- and 11-yard runs by Wilson, setting Tua up to pump-fake Myles Garrett, hit Ingold in the flat, and have the fullback follow blocks by Sherfield and Hill into the end zone on a dive to tie the score.
After a Brissett sneak converted a 3rd & 1, he then found Peoples-Jones for 22 yards on 3rd & 12. Another Brissett sneak earned a first down on 4th & 1, but two plays later, Nick Chubb fumbled on a Sieler hit, with Howard pouncing on the loose ball for a key turnover.
Three plays later, Tua found Waddle for 29 yards on a third-down play, then Mostert ripped off a 14-yard run. A well-defended trick play saw Cedrick Wilson forced to take a six-yard sack, forcing the Dolphins to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Sanders to make it 10-7.
A pair of 10-yarders from Brissett to Amari Cooper propelled the next Cleveland drive, and a massive hit by Baker on Kareem Hunt turned a 3rd & 1 into a 4th & 3. On the fourth-down play, Brissett hit Peoples-Jones, but the receiver couldn't handle the pass, with Kohou potentially getting away with interference on the play.
A back-foot, no-look 20-yarder to Hill started the next Miami possession. Wilson got 13 on a run, but Smythe was stoned on a 3rd & 1 play that saw him take a direct snap. On 4th & 1, Wilson was stopped in the backfield to finish off an exchange of fourth-down stops between the two teams.
After an initial first down, a sack forced by Chubb with help from Ingram and Wilkins forced a 4th & 17 punt.
Two players later, Tua found Gesicki for 15 yards, then followed with a dangerous throw on 3rd & 6 that Waddle secured for a first down. Two players later, a perfectly thrown fade to Sherfield resulted in a back-corner touchdown from 14 yards out, with the wideout potentially getting away with a pushoff to secure a 17-7 advantage for the 'Fins headed into halftime.
Miami started the second half with a solid 23-yard return by Mostert, followed by a 14-yard pass to Wilson and a nine-yarder to Ingold. After a 16-yard toss to G-Sick, Mostert went untouched off the left side, weaving down the sideline and picking up a Sherfield block to pay off the 24-yard touchdown run for a 24-7 lead.
A third-down roughing-the-pass penalty on Wilkins extended Cleveland's possession, and an eight-yard run by Chubb on 3rd & 1 kept it going. Shaky effort by Peoples-Jones on a 3rd & 4 pass resulted in a 37-yard field goal to cut Miami's lead to 24-10.
Tua climbed the pocket on a 3rd & 10 play to rifle a 15-yarder to Waddle, then Hill turned a short pass into a 16-yard gain over the middle. A nice mix of runs and passes followed, with a too-easy TD toss to Hill on 3rd & goal culminating the drive and pushing the Dolphins up 30-10 after a missed extra point.
With the game turning into a blowout, Brissett answered with passes of 10, 13, and 19 yards to set up a 33-yard jaunt by Chubb that saw him spin out of tackle attempts by McKinley and Bethel to trim the margin to 30-17 early in the fourth quarter.
A 27-yard strike to Sherfield that saw him bounce off a tackler was slightly offset by a taunting penalty on the receiver, but the Dolphins were on the move again. A 3rd & 1 dart to Waddle covered 15 yards, but Tua did well to save a high snap and fall on the fumble on the next play. Miami was unable to convert the ensuing 3rd & 16, but Sanders connected from 33 yards to extend the score to 33-17.
Facing a 4th & 7 deep in its own territory on the next possession, Cleveland went for it, but Phillips, Ingram, and Chubb met at the quarterback for a sack to give the ball right back to Miami. On the next play, Wilson made a nifty cut and followed blocks by Sherfield, Ingold, and Hill for an easy 20-yard touchdown to salt the game away. Sanders missed his second straight extra point, however, making the score 39-17.
Staring at another 4th & 6 inside its own 30-yard line, the Browns went for it again, with Brissett scrambling for 13 yards. Five Chubb pressures in seven plays helped create a 4th & 20 play, and Ingram put a big hit on Brissett on a deep ball that Kohou broke up to give the 'Fins possession.
Thompson and Ahmed entered the game for Miami, with Ahmed carrying three straight times for 11 yards. Thompson then lofted a surprising pass to Ingold, who ran over dudes for 17 yards. Three straight kneel downs by Thompson cemented the fourth straight victory for the Dolphins.