Who’s hot, who’s not after the Dolphins’ 26-20 loss to the Packers
The Dolphins’ 26-20 home loss to the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day on Sunday left Miami with a fourth consecutive defeat and winless in December as more playoff spots continue to be secured.
Here’s a look at who’s hot — and who’s not — after the loss.
Who’s hot
▪ Tyreek Hill: With a four-catch, 103 yard-performance, Hill not only set a new career-high for catches in a season (113), he passed Jarvis Landry for most catches by a Dolphins player in a season. With two games left in the regular season, Hill has 113 receptions for 1,632 yards and seven touchdowns. Achieving the NFL’s first 2,000-yard season is probably a longshot at this point and Hill seems a bit to far away to eclipse Calvin Johnson’s 1,964-yard season, a league record. However, it’s been a career year for Hill and one of the greatest in Dolphins history.
▪ Jaylen Waddle: After a two-game stretch against the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers in which Waddle recorded three catches, 40 yards, the second-year wideout reminded viewers why he might be one of the biggest snubs for the Pro Bowl. Waddle caught five passes for 143 yards and his 84-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the first quarter was the longest reception of his career. In his second season, Waddle has emerged as one of the top big-play receivers in the NFL; he leads the league with 18.8 yards per catch.
Who’s not
▪ Tua Tagovailoa: Tagovailoa’s first half was one of the best stretches he’s produced in the last month. He competed nine of 12 passes for 229 yards and one touchdown, frequently finding his pass-catchers downfield for chunk gains. But the third-year quarterback’s fourth quarter was one of the worst stretches of his young career, too, with three consecutive interceptions that sunk the Dolphins. After the game, Tagovailoa took accountability for the miscues, and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said a few of his passes were “uncharacteristic” throws. Running back Raheem Mostert took blame for the second pick and said he ran the wrong route.
Tagovailoa’s first two quarters were encouraging enough to think he can turn things around with a pair of important divisonal matchups against the New England Patriots and New York Jets remaining. But Miami can’t afford to have the Tagovailoa from the final 15 minutes of the game emerge in the final two weeks of the regular season — and potentially in the playoffs.
▪ Third-down execution: The Dolphins can draw up a big play like no other team in the NFL but when those aren’t available, the offense far too often fails to sustain drives. Entering Sunday’s game, Miami had converted just eight of 32 third-down opportunities in its last three games, the fourth-worst rate in the league during that span, according to TruMedia. Against the Packers, the Dolphins were 2-for-7 on third downs. Explosive plays can serve as a jolt for a stagnant offense. But against the better teams, they come few and far between.
