Football is the ultimate team game, but sometimes you just have to lean on your star players if you want to win. And that was certainly the case on Sunday in Detroit where the Dolphins defeated the Lions 31-27.
Miami found themselves down 14-0 with 5:36 to play in the 1st quarter after the Lions steamrolled them on their first 2 drives. They needed only 11 plays to cover 153 yards on the two drives which ended on a 7-yard touchdown run by Jamal Williams and a 7-yard TD pass from quarterback Jared Goff to RB D’Andre Swift.
But there is a reason Miami traded for WR Tyreek Hill and used 1st round draft picks on QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Jaylen Waddle. They are extremely talented!
After the Dolphins 1st drive ended in a fumble by WR Braylon Sanders at the Lions 22-yard line, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa marched the Fins 80 yards downfield with a 5-yard TD pass to WR Jaylen Waddle cutting the deficit to 14-7. The drive also included completions to WR Tyreek Hill for 24 and 36 yards plus a 12-yard pass to Waddle.
Miami’s offense would need to keep up that performance for most of the afternoon as the Lions scored again on their 3rd drive. It was a 75-yard drive capped off by Williams’ 2nd TD of the game, this time on a 1-yard run.
The Dolphins then cut the lead to 21-14 on their 3rd possession, which was a 4 play 75-yard drive. The drive included a 43-yard toss to Hill plus a perfectly thrown ball by Tua on 29-yard TD pass to Waddle.
But the Lions offense wasn’t finished as they kicked field goals on their final 2 drives of the 1st half, which Miami partially offset with a 45-yard field goal of their own by Jason Sanders. Detroit’s 2nd field goal came with :03 to go in the half and was set up by a 13-yard run for a 1st down on a fake punt. This gave Detroit a 27-17 halftime lead.
The 2 teams combined for 592 total yards in the first half, the most in an NFL game this season. Hill alone accounted for 142 yards as Tua threw for 253 yards. Lions QB Goff had an equally strong 1st half throwing for 264 yards.
But the 2nd half would be a different story with Miami out scoring Detroit 14-0 with all the scoring coming in the 3rd quarter.
Miami took the 2nd half kickoff and went on a 5:49 75-yard scoring drive. Tua completed passes of 20 yards to TE Mike Gesicki and 17 yards to Hill. He also hit WR Trent Sherfield on an 11-yard gain where he was tackled near the goal line. Replays indicated that Sherfield crossed the goal line, but Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniels didn’t challenge the call. Fullback Alec Ingold then scored on a 1 yard run on the next play.
Detroit punted on their next drive, which was the first punt for either team in the game. Miami then went on a 5:04 67-yard drive which culminated in a 11-yard touchdown pass from Tua to Gesicki to put Miami up 31-27, which would be the final score. The drive included a 16-yard pass to Waddle and an 18-yard run by Tua.
After allowing 27 points in the 1st half, Miami’s defense clamped down in the 2nd half holding the Lions to zero points and 67 yards.
Miami’s record is now 5-3 with Lions now a league worst 1-6.
Other key takeaways from the game were.
- Dolphins left guard Liam Eichenberg injured his knee in the 3rd quarter and didn’t return. The injury appeared to be serious, but no updates from Miami yet on the extent of the injury. Robert Jones replaced Eichenberg.
- Tua finished the game 29-36 for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns.
- Hill had 12 receptions for 188 yards.
- Waddle had 8 catches for 106 yards with 2 touchdowns.
- RB Raheem Mostert gained 64 yards on 14 carries. Overall Miami rushed for 107 yards on 26 carries.
- Lions QB Goff finished 27-37 for 321 yards and a touchdown.
- Detroit RB Williams finished with 53 yards on 10 carries with 2 touchdowns.
- Penalties were a huge issue for Miami with 7 penalties for 55 yards. In addition, the Dolphins also had 9 penalties declined. You aren’t going to win many games when the referees flag you 16 times.
- In an odd twist, after 8 games with 4 each on the road and at home, Miami’s road games have been significantly higher scoring than their home games. The Dolphins are averaging 26 points per game on the road while allowing 33 points. At home, Miami is only averaging 18 points per game while allowing just 15 points. Despite owning a winning record, Miami has actually been outscored by 14 points by their opponents this season.
Week 9 finds Miami back home vs. the 3-5 Chicago Bears. Miami will have to deal with the running of QB Justin Fields not to mention 2 very good running backs in David Montgomery and Kahlil Herbert. Hopefully Miami’s defense can keep them under control for the entire game vs. their Jekyll & Hyde performance they displayed versus the Lions.
On the flip side, Dolfans won’t be disappointed if Tua, Hill and Waddle continue to roll.
