Los Angeles Chargers At Miami Dolphins – Postgame Notes

HARD ROCK STADIUM
NOV. 15, 2020 | 4:05 PM
DOLPHINS ARE 6 – 3 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2001
• Miami has won five games in a row and is now 6-3 for the first time since the 2001 season.
o The Dolphins finished 11-5 and made the playoffs that season.
• The Dolphins’ last five-game winning streak came in 2016 when the team actually won six in a row.
o The five-game win streak is tied for the 12th-longest win streak in franchise history. Miami has had just two streaks of five games or longer (2016 and this one) since 2009.
• Miami has won six of its past seven games and 11 of its last 18 contests.
• The Dolphins have scored at least 21 points in eight consecutive games. It is the team’s longest 21-plus point streak since the final two games of the 2001 season and the first six games of the 2002 season.
o The last time the Dolphins had an eight-game 21-plus point streak in a single season was in 1984 when they scored 21-plus points in all 16 games.
• Miami has scored at least 17 points in the first half of five consecutive games. It’s the longest such streak the team has had since at least 2000.
• The Dolphins are now 19-16 all-time against the Chargers, including a 2-2 mark in playoff games.
• This is Miami’s 23rd victory in its past 37 games at Hard Rock Stadium, dating back to 2016.
• The Dolphins did not allow a sack in today’s game. It was the first time the team didn’t allow a sack in a game since
Oct. 14, 2018 vs. Chicago.
• Miami extended its takeaway streak to 16 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in the NFL behind Baltimore (21 games – in progress).
• The Dolphins limited the Chargers to just 273 net yards and 174 net passing yards today.
o It was the Chargers’ lowest total yardage output since Oct. 27, 2019 at Chicago (231).
o It was the Chargers’ lowest passing yardage output since Nov. 7, 2019 at Oakland (169).
DOLPHINS BLOCK PUNT ON FIRST DEFENSIVE POSSESSION

• The Dolphins got contributions from all three phases right away with a defensive three-and-out, blocked punt and one-yard touchdown drive to take an early 7-0 lead just 2:06 into the game.
• Miami’s first big play of the game came on a 13-yard sack by CB Nik Needham on Chargers QB Justin Herbert, setting the Chargers up for a third-and-20.
o It was the second sack of Needham’s career and he became the 10th different Dolphin to record a sack this year.
• On fourth down, LB Andrew Van Ginkel got free rushing up the middle and blocked the punt from Chargers P Ty
Long. It was recovered by CB Jamal Perry at the Chargers’ 1-yard line.
o The blocked punt was Miami’s first since RB Brandon Bolden blocked a punt on Nov. 11, 2018 at Green Bay.
• Miami’s first offensive possession of the game was a 1-yard touchdown drive after RB Salvon Ahmed plunged into the end zone on the first snap of the drive.
o It was the first touchdown of Ahmed’s career.

XAVIEN HOWARD TIES FOR NFL LEAD IN INTERCEPTIONS
• CB Xavien Howard picked off Chargers QB Justin Herbert on a third-and-12 snap in the fourth quarter, with Miami leading by six. He returned it 28 yards, setting up a K Jason Sanders field goal to give the Dolphins a two-score lead.
• The interception was the fifth of the season for Howard, which ties him for the NFL lead at the end of today’s afternoon games:
NFL’S INTERCEPTION LEADERS (2020)
Rk Name Team Interceptions

  1. Xavien Howard MIA 5
    J.C Jackson NE 5
  2. Kendall Fuller WAS 4
    Darious Williams LAR 4
    Carlton Davis TB 4
    • The interception was Howard’s 17th since December 2017, far and away the most by any NFL player in that span:
    INTERCEPTION LEADERS (SINCE DEC. 2017)
    Rk Name Team Interceptions
  3. Xavien Howard MIA 17
  4. Kyle Fuller CHI 13
    Marcus Peters KC/LAR/BAL 13
    J.C. Jackson NE 13
  5. Kevin Byard TEN 11
    Quandre Diggs DET/SEA 11
    Tre’Davious White BUF 11
    Jordan Poyer BUF 11
    Marcus Williams NO 11
    Justin Simmons DEN 11
    OGBAH HAS SACKS IN SIX STRAIGHT GAMES
    • DE Emmanuel Ogbah brought down Chargers QB Justin Herbert for a sack on the opening play of the fourth quarter. The sack was Ogbah’s eighth of the season and gave him six consecutive games with a full sack.
    • Ogbah’s eight sacks are tied for fourth in the NFL at the end of today’s afternoon games.
    • He also had two passes defensed, including one pass tipped at the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter that forced a turnover on downs.
    • The six-game sack streak for Ogbah is tied for the second-longest in Dolphins history:

    LONGEST SACK STREAKS IN DOLPHINS HISTORY (SINCE 1982)
    Rk Name Year Streak
  6. Jason Taylor 2002 8
  7. Emmanuel Ogbah 2020 6
    Jason Taylor 2003 6
    Jason Taylor 2000 6
    Doug Betters 1983 6
    TAGOVAILOA WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE START
    • QB Tua Tagovailoa won his third career start today. He’s now 3-0 in his NFL career as a starting quarterback and is the first rookie in Dolphins history to win his first three starts.
    • Tagovailoa was 15-for-25 (60.0 pct.) today for 169 yards, two touchdowns and a 106.9 quarterback rating.
    • Tagovailoa is one of only two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era (Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz is the other) to win all three of his first career starts and not throw an interception.
    • He is the only rookie quarterback in Dolphins history to not throw an interception in his first three starts.
    • His back-to-back games with two touchdown passes tie him for the third-longest streak of multiple touchdown pass games by a Dolphins rookie quarterback.
    GRANT MAKES SEVERAL BIG PLAYS
    • WR Jakeem Grant caught a three-yard touchdown pass with 0:58 left in the first quarter to give Miami a 14-0 lead.
    o It was Grant’s first touchdown reception since he had two in a game on Sept. 23, 2018 vs. Oakland.
    • Grant also had punt returns of 18, 19 and 20 yards, totaling 57 for the game on just three returns (19.0 avg.). He leads the NFL in punt return yardage with 294 yards this season.
    • Grant surpassed WR Tommy Vigorito (830) for fifth place in Dolphins history in all-time career punt return yardage. Grant now has 883 career punt return yards.
    • Grant led the Dolphins in receiving today with four receptions for 43 yards (10.8 avg.).
    I NJURIES REPORTED IN THE PRESS BOX

MIAMI DOLPHINS
• LB Kyle Van Noy, second quarter – hip – questionable (returned)
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
• None
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS
HARD ROCK STADIUM
NOV. 15, 2020 | 4:05 PM
POSTGAME NOTES
CAPTAINS

MIAMI DOLPHINS
• LB Kyle Van Noy
QUICK HITS
• There were 12,751 tickets distributed to today’s game.
• RB Salvon Ahmed played just the second game of his NFL career today and rushed for 85 yards on 21 carries (4.0 avg.) and one touchdown. His 85 rushing yards are the most by a Dolphins rookie who was not drafted in a single game.
o RB Ronald Scott had 99 rushing yards in a 1987 game as a replacement player.
o The 85 rushing yards were the most by a Dolphins player in their first or second career game since RB Daniel Thomas had 95 in his second career game on Sept. 25, 2011.
• TE Durham Smythe caught a 2-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. It was his second touchdown reception of the season and he joins fellow tight ends Mike Gesicki (2) and Adam Shaheen (2) with multiple touchdown
receptions this season. The last time the Dolphins had three tight ends each have multiple touchdown catches in a season was 1985 with Bruce Hardy (4), Joe Rose (4) and Dan Johnson (3).
• K Jason Sanders saw his franchise-best field goal streak come to an end after 22 consecutive makes.
• LB Jerome Baker totaled four tackles (three solo), giving him 267 for his three-year career. He’s the first Dolphins player since at least 2000 to total 267 tackles in the first three years of his NFL career.
• G/T Jesse Davis started his 50th NFL game today.
• RB DeAndre Washington made his Dolphins debut today.
• TE Chris Myarick made his NFL debut today.
-DOLPHINS-