Dolphins grades for win over Saints; plus stock up, stock down

The Miami Dolphins accomplished thing nary NFL squad has ever done: winning 7 consecutive games aft suffering a seven-game losing streak earlier successful the season.

After the Dolphins pummeled the COVID-ravaged New Orleans Saints 20-3 connected Monday night, Miami is astatine No. 7 successful the AFC playoff representation and needs assistance from nary 1 the remainder of the way. Wins astatine the Tennessee Titans (10-5) connected Sunday and successful a location regular-season finale against the New England Patriots (9-6) enactment the Dolphins (8-7) into the playoffs, though immoderate Dolphins nonaccomplishment makes it unlikely.

Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s study card, evaluating however the Dolphins performed successful getting the captious triumph against the Saints:

Passing game: C+

The Dolphins played a mostly blimpish game, arsenic they did not privation to suffer the crippled with turnovers. They accomplished that with a emblematic show from the discourtesy nether backmost Tua Tagovailoa. He was 19 of 26, completing 73 percent of passes for 198 yards. The speedy popular walk guardant to Jaylen Waddle connected the pitchy expanse by the extremity enactment counts arsenic a passing touchdown, and helium threw the 1 interception deep, missing an unfastened Waddle successful the mediate of the field. Miami deed the back-to-back big-yardage passes to Mack Hollins and past connected the flea-flicker to Waddle connected that cardinal thrust aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional successful a game, erstwhile determination wasn’t overmuch clip for heavy passes to make with the mode the violative enactment was holding up against the Saints’ walk rush.

Running game: C

The Dolphins averaged little than 3 yards per carry, astatine 2.9 connected Monday. It was a fixed that it would beryllium pugnacious to tally against the Saints defense, which entered the crippled ranked sixth against the run, albeit with a fewer defenders including mediate linebacker Demario Davis retired owed to COVID protocols. Running backs Duke Johnson, Myles Gaskin and Phillip Lindsay divided violative snaps, 23-20-19, respectively. It was Johnson and Lindsay astir progressive successful the tally game, however, getting 13 carries apiece to Gaskin’s three. They ran for pugnacious yardage against New Orleans, and the specified measurement connected the crushed played to Miami’s blimpish strategy of not losing the crippled violative mishaps.

Defending the pass: A

The Saints and Sean Payton were trying to simplify things arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable for rookie backmost Ian Book, who was making his NFL debut against a pugnacious Dolphins defense. Miami acceptable the code aboriginal with cornerback Nik Needham’s pick-six connected a walk deflected by Andrew Van Ginkel. The Dolphins were playing with a pb from the precise start, and it sent the connection that it was going to beryllium a agelong nighttime trying to propulsion connected this unit. Defensive coordinator Josh Boyer blitzed Book heavy but besides mixed up coverages. The Dolphins had 8 sacks, held the Saints to 0 for 12 connected 3rd downs and, aft starting with an interception, ended with different from Brandon Jones.

Defending the run: A-

The Saints figured to diagnostic prima moving backmost Alvin Kamara, since they had a rookie fourth-string backmost starting, with his 2 standout tackles missing the game. The Dolphins focused successful connected limiting Kamara’s effectiveness, and it showed. Kamara had 52 yards connected 13 carries, but 19 of those yards came connected an up-the-middle scamper connected third-and-20. Overall, it was a 3.6 yard-per-carry effort for New Orleans, but holding the Saints down successful this signifier of the crippled was the cardinal successful forcing Book to bushed the Dolphins’ walk defense, which helium couldn’t do.

Special teams: B

Kicker Jason Sanders converted his 2 makeable tract goals. The 1 miss was permissible connected his part, from career-long scope of 59 yards. Punter Michael Palardy near immoderate region to beryllium desired connected a mates of his six punts, averaging 42.5 yards and a nett mean of 38, but helium booted 1 that was exceptionally caught and downed by Hollins astatine the 1-yard enactment successful the 4th quarter. Tommylee Lewis was elevated arsenic a COVID replacement to grip returns, but helium was injured during the game, and Jevon Holland had a 10-yard punt return, on with 4 just catches.

Coaching: B

It was a well-coached win. The aggressiveness defensively and blimpish attack offensively was the cleanable attack fixed the circumstances of what the Saints had to enactment with. Book was confused by the assorted looks from the Dolphins defense, and connected the cardinal third-quarter thrust to instrumentality a two-possession lead, play-caller George Godsey got the heavy shot from Tagovailoa to Hollins and past the flea-flicker dialed up. Situationally, the telephone astatine the extremity of the fractional connected third-and-2 from New Orleans’ 32-yard enactment was not great, resulting successful a sack and pushing a field-goal effort to career-long scope for Sanders.

Stock up

Zach Sieler was an implicit monster up beforehand for this Dolphins defense, accounting for six tackles, a sack and different backmost hit. He was 1 of galore who was getting to Book, arsenic Emmanuel Ogbah, Jerome Baker, Jones, Xavien Howard, Christian Wilkins, Holland and Raekwon Davis were each connected the sack sheet. Ginkel besides had a tackle for nonaccomplishment and 2 walk deflections, 1 that led to the Needham pick-six, arsenic Miami’s defence was relentless each nighttime against the Saints.

Stock down

Take your prime connected the violative line, aft the radical seemed to beryllium showing betterment going into the game. Jesse Davis allowed a sack astatine close tackle to Cameron Jordan, Liam Eichenberg different astatine near tackle to Marcus Davenport portion adding a holding punishment (which was a precise questionable call), and near defender Austin Jackson and halfway Michael Deiter besides had holding calls spell against them. Jackson did not prime up a stunt that allowed for a unit successful Tagovailoa’s look aboriginal on, but it was a propulsion Tagovailoa inactive should’ve completed to a wide-open Gaskin.