Scooter & Hum: Day 1,314, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Panthers Game 6 Review

Almost as if Miami was teasing the visitors, the 'Fins fell behind by two touchdowns to the lowly Carolina Panthers before calmly reeling off five straight touchdowns. Despite once more losing the turnover battle (Miami is -4 on the campaign), the Dolphins turned the game into a ho-hum affair to set the stage for looming, monumental matchups against the Eagles and Chiefs in coming weeks.

On to the just-playing-with-them recap ...

Offense

Miami scored touchdowns on all five red-zone trips, put up 424 offensive yards, and averaged 6.5 yards per play. Showing the balance that has defined this campaign, the 'Fins rushed for 162 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per rush. The team converted seven of 13 third downs and did not have to attempt a fourth-down conversion.
Tua Tagovailoa connected on 21 of 31 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns, without a sack or interception. He ran once for no gain, fumbled once (recovered by Miami), and had three passes batted at the line (if you're looking for a quibble), earning an 81.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. Mike White came in for 11 snaps with the game out of hand and threw a pick-six on his lone pass before kneeling on it three times.
In the backfield, Raheem Mostert went wild, averaging nearly seven yards per rush in racking up 115 yards (on 17 carries, with a 49-yarder) on the ground and adding three catches for 17 yards, with a combined three touchdowns. He was credited with 10 broken tackles on the afternoon and even recovered a fumble, earning a 91.6 PFF grade in his 41 snaps. Salvon Ahmed added six carries for 23 yards and a score, plus three catches on five targets for 11 yards in 24 snaps. Rookie Chris Brooks was held to zero yards on five of his carries in 11 snaps, but his other rush resulted in a 28-yard angry run that saw him stiffarm, run over, and elude several tacklers. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury, left the game, and is likely to miss some time, further taxing a thin running back corps. Alec Ingold did not get a touch in his 28 snaps, but lent his customary strong lead blocking. In Miami's first game without the injured De'Von Achane, Mostert pushed his TD total to 11 -- more than 12 NFL teams have in total -- and the Dolphins excelled on the ground, but injuries in the backfield remain a primary concern.
Tyreek Hill was borderline uncoverable again, reeling in six of 10 targets for 163 yards and a touchdown. He had a long grab of 47 yards and mixed in an unsportsmanlinke conduct in his 38 snaps, earning a 93.2 PFF grade. Jaylen Waddle was more involved in this one, catching seven of nine targets for 51 yards and a score in his 46 snaps. Braxton Berrios made the most of his two targets in 20 snaps, snaring both for 20 yards to convert a pair of third downs. Cedrick Wilson (25 snaps) and Robbie Chosten (17 snaps) were involved in downfield blocking, but were not targeted.
None of the tight ends caught a pass, though Durham Smythe was targeted once in 44 snaps. He and Julian Hill (31 snaps) both played vital roles in the success of the Miami ground game. Tanner Conner also got 10 snaps, but Hill's emergence is one to watch, as he has already bypassed Tyler Kroft in the rotation and is earning more snaps with each passing week.
The offensive line was missing two starters in left tackle Terron Armstead and center Connor Williams, but the group held up well, opening huge holes in the run game and holding the Panthers without a sack. In particular, Liam Eichenberg did not allow a sack, pressure, or hurry in 33 pass-block snaps at center. He's been a target for criticism from a lot of directions, but is deserving of kudos in how he has developed at a new position. Six games in, it's high time that we recognize the tremendous job that offensive line coach Butch Barry is doing with a largely unchanged group that struggled mightily a season ago.

Defense

Miami only gave up 296 total yards and 4.4 yards per play, stopping the Panthers on nine of 14 third-down attempts and all four fourth-down tries. Carolina scored touchdowns on both red-zone trips and got a free first down off of a flag for too many men on the field for the 'Fins at one point, but the Dolphins also held the Panthers scoreless on eight straight drives to close game. While Miami did pick up four sacks, the unit forced zero turnovers again, and is now tied for last in the league in that category -- a potential concern down the stretch.
Christian Wilkins had a big game, collecting five tackles, two sacks, two stops for losses, and three quarterback hits in 49 snaps to earn a 72.7 PFF grade. His running mate Zach Sieler added a pair of tackles, a sack, a stop for loss, and a quarterback hit in 46 snaps, while Emmanuel Ogbah contributed a solo tackle in 22 snaps.
On the interior, Raekwon Davis had two tackles and Da'Shawn Hand had an assisted tackle in 20 snaps. Miami is experimenting with different alignments on passing downs and Hand is stepping up, further eating into Davis's reps.
At outside linebacker, Bradley Chubb continued his strong play, earning an 89.6 PFF grade on the strength of six tackles, four solos, a sack, a stop for loss, a forced fumble, four pressures, three hurries, and a quarterback hit. He had another sack called back on penalty and successfully dropped back into coverage on occasion in his 49 snaps. Andrew Van Ginkel recorded three tackles and a quarterback hit in 42 snaps (74.9 PFF grade), while Jaelan Phillips had an assisted tackle and a quarterback hit in 30 snaps. Phillips is still working his way back from injury, lending a lot of hope for the position group as the season progresses.
David Long was active at inside linebacker, notching 11 tackles, four solos, and a quarterback hit in 51 snaps. Jerome Baker added five tackles, four solos, and an offisides penalty in 47 snaps, while Duke Riley registered three assisted tackles in 22 snaps. In deep reserve, Cameron Goode had a solo tackle in four snaps.
In 65 snaps apiece, Kader Kohou (four solos, two pass breakups, and a quarterback hit) and Eli Apple (six tackles, four solos, and a pass breakup) were busy, and Xavien Howard (five tackles and four solos in 56 snaps) made a key third-down stop but appeared to be injured late in the game. Parry Nickserson's role grew to 20 snaps, and he responded with three solos and a defensive holding penalty. Justin Bethel had a solo tackle in two scrimmage snaps, and rookie Cam Smith saw his first action from scrimmage (four snaps). Though Jalen Ramsey's recovery is reportedly progressing ahead of schedule, the health status of "X" is going to be a huge story to follow in coming weeks.
As usual, DeShone Elliott (five tackles, three solos) and Jevon Holland (three tackles, two solos) played every snap (65) as the safety tandem. With the game well in hand, Brandon Jones (solo tackle) and Elijah Campbell (assisted tackle) came on for four snaps apiece. It was a relatively quiet day for the safeties, as Carolina focused primarily on the short passing game.

Special teams

Jason Sanders drilled six extra points and did not have to attempt a field goal again. He has now attempted just seven field goals on the season, making five.
Jake Bailey punted four times for a 48.5-yard average, putting one inside the 20-yard line and uncorking a 60-yarder.
Braxton Berrios fielded one punt but did not get any yards.
The coverage team gave up a 31-yard kickoff return and two punt returns for a total of 21 yards.
In a key moment, Campbell and Riley combined to make a massive play in helping to stymie a fake-punt attempt. Riley later pounced on an onsides-kick attempt.
Riley (24), Campbell (23), and Goode (22) paced defensive players on special teams, while Smythe (14), Conner (13), and Brooks (12) led offensive players in the third phase.

Momentum plays

The Panthers went three-and-out after receiving the opening kickoff, with Chubb's sack and forced fumble setting the tone. After receiving the punt, the Dolphins went three-and-out as well.
A 27-yard pass to Adam Thielen jumpstarted the Carolina drive, and Thielen converted a 3rd & 6 with a seven-yarder as well. Chuba Hubbard ripped off a 19-yard run to set up a 1st & goal, then paid off the drive with a six-yard touchdown run as the interior duo of Hand and Davis was blown off the ball.
The 'Fins went three-and-out again when a fake sneak on 3rd & 1 resulted in Tua firing it over Mostert's head for a 10-yard loss.
A 21-yard pass to Tommy Tremble that saw him hurdle Howard and elude Van Ginkel started a 10-play Panthers drive. A steady diet of runs was interrupted by a gift Miami penalty on 3rd & 3 for too many men on the field. Bryce Young then found Thielen again for an eight-yard score to put the visitors up two touchdowns.
Miami finally responded, closing the first quarter with a 27-yard strike from Tua to Hill on a deep in. The quarterback then found Berrios for 10 on 3rd & 3 before hitting Hill (11) and Waddle (14) to set up a first-and-goal situation. A swing pass to Mostert -- aided by a Smythe block -- got the 'Fins on the board to cut it to 14-7.
Carolina got a couple of first downs on its next possession before stalling. The Panthers tried a fake punt on 4th & 7, but the short pass came up just short (even after review) on a nice play by Campbell and Riley.
Mostert capitalized quickly, breaking five tackles on a 49-yard run that set up a Tua-to-Waddle scoring toss (Hill was also WIDE open) two plays later to tie the game at 14.
Howard made a nice open-field tackle to force a Panthers three-and-out, and Miami converted a 3rd & 10 (17-yard catch by Waddle) and a 3rd & 8 (eight-yard reception by Mostert that saw him make three players miss) after taking over. On yet another third down following the two-minute warning, Tua found Hill for 41 yards on a deep-shot touchdown to push the Dolphins ahead, 21-14.
A taunting flag on Hill gave Carolina strong field position with time winding down, and Young found Thielen for 16 yards and 3rd & 10. Chubb made another stop on 3rd & 2 to set up a 43-yard field goal that was missed on the final play of the half.
The 'Fins opened the second half with possession, but went three-and-out after three straight Tua incompletions. After an initial first down, Carolina had to punt as well following a Wilkins sack.
Four straight Mostert runs got Miami rolling, then Tua found Hill for a 47-yarder that may have resulted in a hamstring strain for the speedster. Nine-yard passes to Waddle and Ahmed followed, then back-to-back Mostert runs ended in the end zone, forging a 28-14 advantage for the home club.
Carolina embarked on a 10-play drive, with short runs supplemented by a 24-yard connection to D.J. Chark. The Panthers converted a pair of third downs, but on a 4th & 2 play, a deep pass to tight end Hayden Hurst was incomplete, with Howard in coverage.
In a drive that spanned 12 plays at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters, the 'Fins seized firm control of the contest. Tua found Hill for 24 yards, then hit Berrios for 10 more on a 3rd & 8 play. Mixing Mostert runs -- including a memorable hurdle -- with short passes, Miami moved into the red zone, with Mostert polishing off the possession with a third-down dive to push the lead to 35-14.
The Panthers picked up an initial first down, but sacks by Wilkins and Sieler and pressure from Chubb led to a 4th & 29 punt. Berrios ripped off a 20-yard return, but Riley was whistled for holding and an unnecessary roughness on the punter did not appear to be marked off correctly.
Mostert ripped off a 13-yard run to start the next drive, but short passes to Waddle (negative yardage) and Ahmed (incomplete) led to both being drilled. Bailey's punt was downed nicely by Bethel at the eight-yard line.
Short passes got the Panthers moving, aided by a Chubb sack being nullified by penalty. On a 4th & 10 play, Sieler and Phillps pressure led to an incompletion, giving the ball back to the Dolphins.
On the third play of the next drive, White's first pass was an ill-advised lollipop into the flat intended for Ahmed. Troy Hill jump the route for an easy 61-yard pick-six to give Carolina some life at 35-21.
The Panthers tried an onsides kick, but Riley recovered it easily. On the second play of the possession, Brooks had an angry run, breaking multiple tackles and staying in bounds on his way to a 28-yard pickup. Two plays later, he was injured, but on a 3rd & goal play, Ahmed got around the edge and skirted the sideline for a nine-yard score, making it 42-21.
A four-and-out ensued, with fourth-down pressure from Hand forcing an incompletion to give the pigskin back to the 'Fins. Three straight kneeldowns salted the contest away for Miami.