HARD ROCK STADIUM
DEC. 13, 2020 | 1 PM
DOLPHINS DEFENSE FORCES FOUR TAKEAWAYS
• The Chiefs entered today’s game tied for the NFL lead with just eight turnovers in 12 games; but the Dolphins forced four takeaways this afternoon. That gives the Dolphins 25 on the season, which is most in the NFL (at the end of today’s 1 p.m. games).
• The Dolphins extended their takeaway streak to 19 games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
• The four turnovers by Kansas City were their most in a game since Nov. 19, 2018 at the L.A. Rams.
• The Dolphins intercepted Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes three times, tied for the most in a single game in Mahomes’ career. He also threw three interceptions on Nov. 19, 2018 at the L.A. Rams.
• Miami picked off Mahomes twice in the first quarter. It’s just the second time in Mahomes’ career he was intercepted twice in the same quarter (fourth quarter, Nov. 19, 2018 at L.A. Rams) and just the fourth time in his career (regular season games only) that he threw multiple interceptions in the same game.
o CB Byron Jones was the first to intercept Mahomes, returning it 15 yards in the first quarter. It was Jones’ first interception since Oct. 29, 2017, when he was a member of the Cowboys.
o S Eric Rowe picked Mahomes off later in the first quarter, returning it 22 yards. The turnover led to a Dolphins field goal to give Miami a 10-0 lead.
• Jones also forced a fumble in the third quarter, punching the ball away from Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Dolphins LB Kamu Grugier-Hill made the recovery for the third takeaway of the game.
• The fourth takeaway was an interception by CB Xavien Howard, which was his ninth of the season. More information on Howard’s interceptions total is available below.
HOWARD RECORDS INTERCEPTION IN FIVE STRAIGHT GAMES
• CB Xavien Howard intercepted Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in the end zone early in the fourth quarter. It was Howard’s ninth interception of the season and Miami’s fourth takeaway of the game.
• Howard is the first Dolphins player since 1967 to record at least nine interceptions in a season. His total is second in team history and just one shy of CB Dick Westmoreland’s team record of 10 set in 1967.
• Howard’s nine interceptions this season are the most in a single season in the NFL since Chicago’s Tim Jennings had nine interceptions in the 2012 season. No NFL player has had more than nine interceptions in a year since 2007, when Antonio Cromartie had 10.
• Howard has now intercepted a pass in five consecutive games, tied for the longest streak in Dolphins history. Westmoreland also had picks in five straight games in 1967. Howard had a four-game interception streak earlier this year.
• The five-game streak is tied for the longest in the NFL this season. New England CB J.C. Jackson also had a fivegame streak. Before Jackson’s streak earlier this year, the last time an NFL player had a pick in five consecutive
games was in 2015 when Reggie Nelson and Kurt Coleman both did it.
• It was Howard’s 21st career interception, which moves him into a tie for 12th place (S Reshad Jones) in team history.
• Howard leads the NFL this season with nine interceptions (at the end of today’s 1 p.m. games) and has more interceptions than any NFL player since 2017:
NFL’S INTERCEPTION LEADERS (2020)
Rk Name Team Interceptions
- Xavien Howard MIA 9
- J.C Jackson NE 7
- Tyrann Mathieu KC 6
- Several tied 4
INTERCEPTION LEADERS (SINCE 2017)
Rk Name Team Interceptions - Xavien Howard MIA 21
- Kevin Byard TEN 17
- Marcus Peters KC/LAR/BAL 16
- Harrison Smith MIN 15
J.C. Jackson NE 15
Tre’Davious White BUF 15
BAKER HAS CA REER – HIGH 2.5 SACKS AGAINST MAHOMES
• LB Jerome Baker posted a career-high 2.5 sacks today. It’s the most sacks recorded by an individual player against Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in a single game in Mahomes’ career.
• Baker dragged down Mahomes for a loss of 30 in the first quarter. It was the longest sack in Dolphins history (since sacks became an official statistic in 1982) and was the longest in the NFL since Washington’s Preston Smith had a 38-yard sack on Sept. 13, 2015.
o With DE Emmanuel Ogbah’s 28-yard sack in Week 6 against the Jets, the Dolphins are now the first team in NFL history (since 1982) to have multiple sacks of at least 28 yards in the same season.
• Baker also brought Mahomes down for a loss of five yards in the second quarter and then teamed up with DT Christian Wilkins to split a sack of Mahomes and end a Chiefs drive on a third down in the fourth quarter.
GESICKI SCORES TWICE
• TE Mike Gesicki had five receptions for 65 yards (13.0 avg.) and two touchdowns today. The two touchdown receptions tie his career high. He also had two touchdown receptions in Week 16 of the 2019 season vs. Cincinnati.
• Gesicki now has 11 touchdown receptions since Week 12 of the 2019 season. That total is tied for the most by any NFL tight end (Jared Cook) in that span at the end of today’s 1 p.m. games.
o Gesicki’s 67 receptions are sixth and his 878 receiving yards are fifth in that span among all NFL tight ends.
• Gesicki established a new career high with 602 receiving yards this season. That total is fourth among all NFL tight ends (at the end of today’s 1 p.m. games) while his six receiving touchdowns this year are tied for fifth among the tight end group.
• Gesicki’s 602 receiving yards are the sixth-most by a tight end in single-season Dolphins history and the six touchdown receptions are tied for third.
POSTGAME NOTES
• Dolphins tight ends have now caught 11 touchdowns this year (Gesicki, 6; Adam Shaheen, 3; Durham Smythe, 2), which is the team’s most by that position group since 2008 when the tight ends unit also had 11 scores.
TAGOVAILOA POSTS FIRST 300 – YARD PERFORM ANCE OF CAREER
• QB Tua Tagovailoa completed 28-of-48 passes (58.3 pct.) for 316 yards and two touchdowns today. It marked the first 300-yard performance of his career.
• The 28 completions and 48 pass attempts were both Dolphins rookie records.
• His 316 passing yards today were the third-most by a Dolphins rookie in team history. Ryan Tannehill holds the rookie record with 431 passing yards on Sept. 30, 2012 at Arizona while Dan Marino threw for 322 yards on Oct. 9, 1983 vs. Buffalo.
• When Tagovailoa threw his first interception of the season at the 2:52 mark of the second quarter, it snapped a streak of 152 consecutive passes without an interception, which is the third-longest streak in Dolphins history.
• Tagovailoa also snapped his streak of consecutive starts without an interception at five, which tied Jay Fiedler (2000) for the longest streak in team history.
INJURIES REPORTED IN THE PRESS BOX
MIAMI DOLPHINS
• WR DeVante Parker, second quarter – leg – questionable
• WR Jakeem Grant, second quarter – leg – questionable
• S Bobby McCain, third quarter – ankle – questionable
• TE Mike Gesicki, fourth quarter – shoulder – out
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
• T Mike Remmers, third quarter – back – questionable
• CB Charvarius Ward, fourth quarter – concussion protocol (cleared)
CAPTAINS
MIAMI DOLPHINS
• QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
QUICK HITS
• There were 13,057 tickets distributed to today’s game.
• WR Lynn Bowden Jr. had a career-high seven receptions for 82 yards (11.7 avg.) today. Both led the team.
• WR Mack Hollins also had a career high in receiving yards today with 66.
• DT Raekwon Davis totaled five more tackles today, giving him 35 for the season, which leads all NFL rookie defensive linemen (at the end of today’s 1 p.m. games).
POSTGAME NOTES
• RB DeAndre Washington made his first start with the Dolphins. He was acquired in a trade from Kansas City on Nov. 3, 2020 and led the Dolphins in rushing today with 35 yards.
• K Jason Sanders scored nine points today, extending his career high to 120 points on the season. That total ranks fifth in single-season Dolphins history.
• The Dolphins have totaled 274 first downs in 13 games this season. It’s the second-highest total through 13 games for Miami since at least 2000
-DOLPHINS-
