What is up Dolphins, and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield. On today's show, we are celebrating another Dolphins victory.
Waits twin win win win win. Yeah, everything goes win win, win win.
It's always a good day when you get a play that sound drop. Here on the show, we're gonna break down the dolphins twenty nine to seventeen victory over the forty nine Ers with the game script, the stats, some audio from coach and from Tua.
We'll get to the five takeaways.
All of that and more from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is the Draft Time Podcast Dolphins. We love to open the show with the stats from the game, and quite frankly, Miami could have had more than this if not for a couple of self inflicted errors in this game drop passes and missus and John. But I think overall, you have to be pretty happy with how the Dolphins played against the Niners.
A three phase victory, as we'll hear from head coach Mike McDaniel in just one second, so twenty two first downs to twenty. Both teams were pretty even on third down four for twelve was Miami, five for thirteen were the Niners, But of course the Dolphins had three drop passes on third downs that would have been good for
first downs or touchdowns. Miami didn't go for any fourth downs, and Nighters were zero for one, three eighty one for US three seventy four for them, two fifteen through the air for US two to ninety three for the Niners. One sixty six though on the ground for the Dolphins compared to eighty one on the ground for San Francisco. That's thirty carries compared to eighteen carries. The Nighters had
the one giveaway. Miami did not turn the ball over, they did not allow a sack on two a Tongua Bai looa, and they had six penalties for forty five yards where the Niers had the giveaway three sacks on brock Purty, eleven penalties for ninety yards, and Miami outpossessed San Francisco thirty three to twenty six.
I mentioned the three phase win.
Let's go ahead and hear from coach McDaniel on how important that was to get all three phases going in the same direction in this week sixteen wins.
Well I think it was important to a lot of guys to collectively have an effort when we knew, Shoot, if you're hanging on to a team because you believe in it as players, this is the time that you find success is in an adverse situation where most may quit.
So been a long season, but it was probably the validation of why we we've really been putting so much into this team and why we've been fighting, fighting for the season to stay alive, because I think there's been a lot of learning lessons, tough ones at that and we've been waiting for a three phase game that I think we had today. So you know, that's that's why you get into sports, is for a validation of that.
And the season's not over to our team, and so we lived to fight another day and look forward to a building upon that against Cleveland.
So not a lot of help across the AFC scores for the Dolphins in terms of the Broncos and the Chargers and the Colts for that matter. I mean, it's kind of been that way all year, but the Dolphins had to take care of one thing and one thing only to keep their season alive. Heading into Week seventeen next week against the Cleveland Browns.
And that was to win. And they did that.
And they started doing that by receiving or rather winning the opening coin toss and electing to defer and put in the Dolphins defense out there. After a great effort last week, just twenty points allowed to the Houston Texans, and what do they do but get a three and out against this nine ers offense. Three plays, nine yards minu and a half off the clock, and there was
a third down stuff for Zach Seeler. I mean, you can go back to like my Twitter timeline and search from twenty twenty basically through like now, and I always will talk about how good Zach Seeler is in short yard situations. He is so tough to move off the spot. He's just so strong in that length and power he plays with. He does that here, Jordan Brooks flies in and forces the running back to change his track. And Emmanuel Agba, who I thought played maybe his best game
of the year. We'll see on tape tomorrow, but he's had a really strong edge. And then this gang of Dolphins arrived just to stomp it out and create a third a three and out on the opening drive of the game, Miami gets the football and has a five play twelve yard drive three minutes off the clock.
They punched themselves.
I love the misdirection swing screen they threw to Devon e Chan on the second down to open the drive. And we're gonna have a theme on this podcast talking about first down run success. This was the one first down run they had in the game to Devon ah Chan where he lost yardage.
Then they had a cool.
Design where they pulled as Isaiah Win and I forget the second player with the right guard and somebody else pulled to the left side of the formation, which was the fake run side that they ran. They sold the run fake two and Tua took his drop back that reverse pivot drop back where he looks like a righty when he originally takes the drop back, and he looked like he wanted to throw to his right, but then he comes all the way back to the left.
So it's like, we're gonna show you the fake.
We're gonna make you take the fake and then show you our wrinkle off of that, but then come back to the fake side. That's when I was like, okay, Mike was was cooking up some stuff. This week him and Frank Smith for this game plan. This offense would have some cool stuff to show us. Unfortunately, we couldn't run the ball on the early downs in this particular possession. And then Tua throws a perfect shot out of the break to Tyreek Hill on a third and nine play
and he can't squeeze it, drops the football. They have to punt the ball back. There was outside leverage safety help to a rips it right on time. And if you look at that play and Tyreek mentioned it after the game, man could have been much bigger than just one first down. Could have been a point scoring play if he catched my drift touchdown.
But it's not.
The punt team comes out, defense goes back out, and then it's a five play, four yard drive. The Niners punt the ball back to the Miami Dolphins. And they were operating very early on this game from all about twelve personnel packages, which is two tight ends, one running back, and that means obviously just two wide receivers, and so Miami could kind of match that with their base defense a few times, and also some big nickel packages they ran.
We saw plenty of Elijah Campbell in this game. After he got nine reps last game, in addition to all the work that Poyer and Holland.
Do as well.
But I thought that they did a good job of running their run game off of those looks, which obviously adds a gap in the run game, and then creating one on one chances against a base defense look with the play action game throwing those same plays that you've
seen down here a million times. It's the same offense for the most part, and these teams looked a lot alike in this game in more ways than one, in my opinion, and the Niners kind of shot themselves in the foot with some pre snap penalties Offensively, there was one that wiped out a first down on third down down in the red area, and that turned into a field goal post to a first and goal with the four yard line. So some similar I guess, even successes
and airs from these two teams. But in this particular one, the Dolphins got them behind the chains after some successful plays early where they were running those you know toss plays the good into windback runs inside, but then they go false start behind the chains second and sixteen on this particular play after a first down loss and Jordan Brooks throws this nasty euro step on the running back, and you know, the running backs responsibility and pass protection
on a free runner like that is always going to be to step up and take the most immediate pressure from the quarterback and try to solidify that a gap. And for Jordan Brooks, like not the biggest linebacker in the world. He's not small by any stretch, but he's only he's not the biggest player. He's not like a land In Roberts who goes to sixty and runs through guys' face mask for a living. But he has to find ways to beat blocks, and he can do it with physicality,
but he also can do it with the eurostep. And he just steps around this running back, absorbs a shot that he caught across like the thigh pad, but stays on his feet cleans up the sack. He killed the drive and he's been doing that for the last several weeks. Here for the Miami Dolphins. Big sack for Jordan Brooks.
To kick off this game, Miami gets the ball back and goes forty four yard or rather yeah, eight plays forty four yards to kick a forty four yard field goal, and the drive took four minutes off the clock forward the number the drive apparently. But the Dolphins, I thought, on this drive and early in the game, we're getting to the line of scrimmage quickly, and like I would look at the play clock. When Tua got to the line,
fifteen sometimes twenty seconds. They get up there, they throw these, you know, these easy baked in completions, which I think is part of what can happen when you can give two of that much time to survey at the line of scrimmage. Like a quick out route the Durham Smith against leverage, a swing screen to a Chan that carves up some yards, a little swing route where Tua hits e Chan again for a nice game up the sideline.
I love those swing routes that Tua throws on the upfield shoulder because it allows the runner to run right through it and not decelerate, and it puts the ball in niners territory almost right away.
Then he has this.
Backside dig that he throws to devon a Chan who elevates and makes a contested catch on an eighteen yard route cutting across the middle. The play goes for twenty yards. And that's when I was like, Okay, well waddles down. You know, Tyreek had the early drop. Eight Chan stepping up is a big time pass catcher. We could certainly use that. And then that's the drive where I thought Tua threw like it kind of reminded me. And I
know this is like a Dolphins Twitter lore play. It kind of reminded me of the Kenny Stills touchdown from Ryan Tannehill in twenty sixteen against the Chargers.
I know, you know what I'm talking about.
When he threw a shot down the field, took a big a hit from a defender right across the face, and the ball just fell perfectly into Kenny Steals his hands. That was what this one looked like. And you know, the defender did get a fingernail on the football and it changes the trajectory, which I think makes it difficult to call it a catch. Although you know Oj is my consigli area on these plays and he said you have to catch that football, so I'll take his word for it.
I think Tiger could probably tell you it was a drop as well.
But there's a slight smage in the football and it fell right into the bread basket with Tua getting absolutely obliterated on the play. And two has been so good at you know, kind of having that shoulder roll or protecting himself after he throws the football. He didn't really have the time to do that on this one. Takes the big shot, puts it in the bucket. We dropped the football, winds up for a field goal. Three to
nothing lead here in the first quarter. But then the Niners take the ball back and you wouldn't hold this offense down for long. Seventy plays our seventy yard drive ten plays, a sixteen yard strike from Pretty to Samuel. It takes over four minutes off the clock, and again they go back to their run game success. They start pulling that second level linebacker, a part of the defense up and they throw in behind it twenty one yards in the first play. Then a chunk play that goes
incomplete as Perty skips it. So there was some quarterback misses there as well for the Niners. They do convert a fourth and one on a quick count. Miami couldn't get substituted. They had twelve man on the field. They still gain four yards and turns into a first and ten at the thirty five yard line. And then how about big man with the football without a helmet on. Banito Jones peels back in the hook zone, scoops this
pick off the ground. They run down to the other side of the field and do a whole team celebration. I'm pretty sure Benito was break dancing or something on the ground. I couldn't see what he was doing exactly, but everybody was celebrating Benito Jones getting a pick. But they overturn the play. The Dolphins challenge it. They look at it, and the ball does touch the ground. I feel like he maybe had possession of that football, and it's one of those plays where yeah, I touched the ground,
but because you possessed it, it's okay. And I feel like because the replay assist gave him the ruling that was incomplete, they couldn't overturn at that point, so the play stands. They get a first down conversion on the next play, a third and ten crosser to Deebo. Samuel or Javon Holland looked like he hadn't scored up for a tackle, but Deebo evades that tackle and.
Goes for a first down. It would have been like fourth and four.
Have you made the stop at that point, and then Zach Sealer blows up a second and one play with an immediate win. A sack couldn't have gotten there any faster.
It was his six and a half sack since he came back from the eye injury, which is the most in the entire National Football League, not just defensive tackles, which, by the way, his eight and a half sacks on the season are second behind only Sexy Dexy Dexter Lawrence with the New York Giants for sacks among defensive tackles, and of course, with ten sacks last year eighteen and a half in the last two years.
What a stud he is.
Unfortunately, the Niners would score on the next play and go up seven to three, and he gets it back and marches forty nine yards on eleven plays for a field goal drive of a kick of thirty eight yards rather where Sanders connects took almost five minutes off the clock. They do hit Tyreek this time on the dig and he kind of gets loose, and that was fun to watch.
I'm not gonna lie to you, guys, I kind of miss seeing these speedy receivers catch balls on the move and take off for thirty two yards, good timing, good catch, good run after the catch. Then eight Chan has a pair of seven to eight yard runs. I'm not sure exactly how far they went with a first down conversions on a second down play to Johndrey Smith. The second run was a third and three conversion to Malik Washington,
who man the real deal right. He looks like a hit for the Dolphins Draft class Dolphins getting the red zone at the seventeen yard line, a four yard moster run gets called back on a Rob Jones holding call. I thought Rob had missed a block earlier on a screen as well to or to Johnny Smith rather that could have gone for a bigger gain. So a couple of misses there from sixty five. But he would bounce back later in the game and show some metal down
the stretch. First in seventeen that the plus twenty four yard line, they throw a deep shot to Maleak Washington that kind of looked like it don't really have much of a chance, you know, when you're down waddle like it kind of changes the complexion the receiver's room. So you throw some maybe some routes to guys that maybe isn't their bread and butter. That's what this one looked like. Here on that takeoff route that was pretty well blanketed.
They throw an angle screen to Javon eight Chan for four yards and immediate pressure on third and thirteen forces to turf it. And I mentioned that play because OJ made a good point on the postgame show that he liked some of Tua's incompletions where he just gave up on a dead play and didn't make it a negative play, which that's a big deal in this league, right, Sometimes you beat yourself more so than the opposing team beats you, and Tua made some good decisions.
To do that and keep drives alive.
So the Dolphins trail seven six Niners go three and out three plays negative nine yards chops. It's a very hard edge to begin the drive, and brit and Jordan Brooks scrapes it and makes a first down run stuff. We get a pressure with Ogba and Ramsey and Ramsey leaves his feet otherwise probably has a big sack in the backfield, but Brock tries to peel it back and
throw over the middle nearly gets picked off. He kind of makes some crazy decisions when it comes like throwing outside of the p and I'm surprised he didn't pay for it more today. But he puts some balls in Harm's way and then they had a false start, creates
a third and fourteen. We get more pressure, pretty evades it but runs right into the waiting arms of Emmanuel Ogba for a one yard gain, and we get good field position on a low punt that when League takes back to the forty three yard line, but Patrick McMorris gets hit for a holding call, the drive begins at the thirty two yard line.
And all this means is the Dolphins have.
To go sixty eight yards, which they do on eight plays for a touchdown two or three yards rather from two of the Tyreek hill four and a half minutes off the clock again, eight chan first down run seven yards. Then Raheem on the angle screen goes for nine yards immediately and plus territory with some easy, you know, kind of baked in plays there you run the ball that well screen game, you can get some easy first downs.
Then Raheem an explosive run and I was so excited to see explosive runs twenty yards as he picks his way through the right side. Good blocking all around, I know Malik Washington had a really good block down field because on the very next play he catches an in breaking ball that was maybe two of his most inaccurate throw of the night on the back shoulder, but it didn't matter because Malik has the strong hands. He pulls
it in for eighteen yards. Dolphins failed to punch it in on the first two plays from first and second in goal, although eight chans run down to the three yard line creates an easier pass there. And then Tyreek really cool design here to get Tybek in theienzone because Miami had trips to the field. That's the wide side of the formation. He's on the boundary short side of the formation, and they create a one on one situation where he gets a release where he can square up
the corner. Now you've got a two way go. He can separate on the outbreak and twas past is perfect right on the outside shoulder, he can't jump that route. Thirteen to seven, Dolphins lead with three twenty to play. The Niners come back down the field and kick a field goal of twenty one yards to cut the lead down to thirteen to ten. Dolphins have a drive where they have a chance to put some points up with
forty seven seconds left, no timeouts. They get a completion to Jonas Smith, but then after that couldn't really find a rhythm and throw some incomplete passes. Find a completion of River Craycraft that got tackled in bounds, and that was that for the end of the half. So thirteen to ten game at the break. Dolphins getting the ball on the other side, go ahead and take our first break, come back and break down the second half the five takeaways, and get the heck out of here. Dolphins win this
one twenty nine to seventeen over the Niners. Second half coming up next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. So the Dolphins, with a three point halftime lead, take the opening drive of the second half. Eight plays thirty four yards, took four minutes of time off the clock, and it results in a fifty four yard Jason Sanders field goal and the Niners.
You know, I thought the Dolphins played well in all three phases, but the Niners made a lot of mistakes, including some late hits after the fact a defensive personnel of defensive personal foul on the first play turns a run for no gain into fifteen yards. We think get ourselves in a third and one situation after John new
Smith gets nine yards on that quick screen. That kind of beat the Jets in overtime, and they go to Jeff Wilson, who was part of a deeper running back rotation today in terms of carries, and he takes it power football. They run gap scheme downhill and he lead into that offensive line or rather the defensive line should say, and picks up four yards and moves the chains. Then he comes right back on the next play and goes
for eight yards. And then on third and four, two of rips won the tyreek hill for a first down, but it's holding on Aaron Brewer. So third and fourteen, Miami gets back into field goal range with eight yards devon eight chan and it's a fifty four yard kick from Jason Sanders, who has now made twenty three consecutive field goals. That's a franchise record for your Miami Dolphins. He is having a hell of a year. Dolphins leads
sixteen to ten. The Niners get the ball back and drive down the field nine plays, forty seven yards, five minutes off the clock. They have a third and one sneak after some good runs by both Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. After the catch for the tight end there where Brock Purty moves the chains and then Kittle catches this seam shot right.
Over Jordan Brooks.
And there were a couple of completions in this game where I thought Brooks had like really good depth and was in good position. But the throw of Purdy, which this is what he does right, He's accurate in the middle of the football field like a quarterback you know about down here. He puts it on Kittle's numbers, make a big catch and runs down the field for twenty eight yards. Then the Niners start to kind of shoot themselves in the foot illegal formation backshim up behind the
chains and out of the red zone. We get a Kendall Fuller pass breakup where he drives on a Deebo Samuel play and Kendall Fuller injres his kneeler in the game and hopefully he'll be okay, but he was downgraded to out pretty quickly, so we will learn more for you guys on that probably tomorrow, I'm guessing. And then Purty evades some pressure able to scramble for six yards and takes a big shot from Jordan Brooks. Jordan Brooks, Man,
this guy, he is so dang good. If you didn't watch the breakdown last week on Dolphin's HQ, go ahead and rectify that. He is so much fun to watch, and it sets up a huge down in the game. Third and eight, Deebo Samuel catches a crosser, breaks another tackle in the Dolphins secondary. Dang near scores in the play,
but there's that illegal formation I talked about earlier. Third and thirteen they forced pretty off of the spot with a really nice rush game from Ogbah and Campbell to force pressure on him and cause a short throw.
Really and they kick a field goal, but this one goes wide left.
Jake Moody misses from forty one yards out, and now Miami has a chance to kind of put this game, you know, in their control, right, and they do that by a nine play, fifty three yard drive, four and a half minutes, forty four yard field goal for Miami. It was a seven yard Raheem Mostert first down run,
first down runs for big yards. Man. It helps out Then third and one, I thought Tua kind of start to found a rhythm because they ran that little rpo flat slide combination where you can throw the ball to the flap, you can give it to the back inside, you can throw the little glance over the middle. And Tua had like pressure in his face. The rail was not available. He has to pump fake, gets a defensive lineman off of his feet, and then throws it around
him for a first down completion of Tyreek Hill. Big time to stay on the field there. And then he has a strike on a cross or Jhondrew Smith for twenty two yards, who catches it inch dride and takes off, and then Tua falls in a botch snap, but johnre catches a swing for nine yards, and on third and one at the plus sixteen, Tua throws an even better ball than the last one, and this one doesn't get tipped and you see it go through the elbows of Tyreek Hill.
He got to make that catch. That's a big time moment in the game right there.
We don't secure it and kick the field goal and take a night eighteen to ten lead. Niners get the ball back and you weren't going to hold him down all game. They march sixty yards on nine plays after a kickoff that was a legal didn't land in the landing zone, so they get the ball to the forty yard line. Four minute drive paid off by a three yard pass from Perdy to George Kittle. Deebo has a catch and run, just plowing through tacklers, then to carry
down the middle for himself. That goes for fifteen and just like that, they're at the plus thirty eight yard line. But then injuries just kind of got crazy. Kendall fully gets leg whipped and did not come back. The Niners lose Aaron Banks the next play. The very next play, Jordan Brooks has to be helped off and he would return. So that's good to hear, because we need that guy on this defense, or any defense would need that guy if they had him. All of this occurs, why the
Niners are just marching down the field. They're first in goal three minutes into the drive. We stuffed the first down play, but Jordan Brooks is off the field and the Niners wisely attack his replacement and Duke Riley and run play action off of him. They throw the ball in behind him, and you know, we don't know the assignment for sure, but That's what it looked like in terms of, you know, Duke spun back and chase the tight end to the back of the end zone. It
goes for a touchdown. Dolphins lead is cut to just two points. Miami gets it back with twelve with twelve minutes in the game. Two point lead, and we get some footing, get some first downs. The run game is really taking off, and they put the ball into plus territory and then we have a critical third and seven right around midfield. Two of throws a strike to Craycraft on a corner route that would have put us first and ten at the thirty seven yard line, but he
can't hang on. Miami has to give it back over to the Niners, and it was like, is this going to follow that same script? Dolphins get a double digit lead or two score lead, I should say, other team kind of gets back into it. Offense makes one mistake, defense can't get to stop late. Nope, wouldn't happen. Niers punt the ball back after a four play twenty seven yard drive after Kyle Yuschek takes the opening play twenty
yards on a screen. Then we get a run stop and a screen for five yards creates a third and four, and this is where Jalen Ramsey had one of his best reps of the entire year. He is one on one to the boundary in a y io for George Well, this is the ideal makeup for your star tight end. Why Iso, It's where you have trips to one side of the formation. He's the backside guy to the other side of the formation. You can create one on ones this way. They did with Mike Asiki way back in
the day. They did it with even you know, Julius Thomas back in the day as well. And you create this why io and Jilen Ramsey not only like re routes and kind of takes Kittle out of the play. He passes him off and then flies downhill and teams up with Duke Riley for a stop on the running back on the checkdown to keep him short of the sticks. So Miyai gets the ball back a chance to put it away. They wouldn't quite put it away, but they
would get points. Forty eight yard field goal, seven plays forty one yards and this is where the run game just took off. Eight chan good run, fifteen yards penalty on the Niners after a good perimeter run. We get the run game going with some chunk plays as well, and kick the field goal. And my notes get worse here because I'm like moving to the postgame radio spot and I can't really analyze the game for you guys.
So I do apologize for that. And didn't get to see the end of the game.
Actually didn't see the Katerkohu pick except for on a replay, but he did pick off the pass of Brock Purty on a two play seventeen yard drive that help the Dolphins kind of ic this game away, and they would for sure put it away on the next drive a fifty yard devon a Chan run that went three plays sixty two yards and he finished with a fifty yard score to put the Niners away twenty nine to seventeen. The Niners would end that game with the football and would not get any points out of it. So there
you go. Miami finds a big win. They improved to seven and eight. They're going to have to get a lot of help down the stretch, but I mean it's all right there for him. If they can win these last two games, perhaps they can get that help and at least at least stay alive for yet another week. We'll talk about that here in the takeaways and much
much more coming up next. But first, let's actually hear some sound from TUA, who talked about the game, the performance, and what this win means for the Miami Dolphins.
Now, that was that was awesome. That was that was super cool. I think that that was something we needed to see as a team together. You could see in all three phases that we were able to play the
complimentary football that we said we wanted to play. Defense given to the offense opportunity he used to go put points on board and when you know, there were times where we didn't do what we wanted to say offensively, defense held and you know Jason five for five, I mean he was able to help with with putting points on board for us as well.
Yeah, so a big game from Jason Sanders, big game on the defense, and then some critical drives from the offense. It's a three phase victory you'll love to celebrate.
Though.
Speaking of that, we'll probably hear about some of that in the five Takeaways. That's next Drive Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Autnation twenty nine seventeen victory for your Miami Dolphins over the Niners. There are two games left for sure, hopefully there are more.
We'll find out how the Dolphins can make that happen here in just one second, but the first takeaway is the run game and first down play success and how critical how if this team can find that in any given game with this quarterback in the weapons, they are legit one of the toughest teams, one of the toughest offenses to stop and to beat in this league, because if you are constantly and second and three and second and two, you're just not gonna slow this offense down.
And they had fourteen for fifty nine in the first half. Of course, a fifty yard carry to close it out, we'll make the numbers look better. But ending thirty for one sixty seven is a beautiful thing. A twenty yard run by Moster. I just thought that was so critical
to have an explosive run. It just changes the way defenses have to defend you, especially in our outside zone game, when we can get the ball on the perimeter and make teams pay out there, it just creates so much more with our misdirection, our crossing routes, our quarterbacks, ball handling, so to get the explosive runs are very very critical. And I'll have to double check on this because I did it kind of hastily on the postgame show, but
I'm pretty sure this is accurate. I could be one or two runs off, but this is what I had devon a Chan alone, just eight Chan, not Moster or Jeff or jaln Ryder alec Ingold. But this was eight Chan's first down carry, so negative one to kick off the game. Then eight seven seven one two, and then the two yard run was down the goal line as well, so or the one ends who were down with the goal to go situations, then seven seven, seven, eight and fifty those are his first down run situations. It just
changes the entire landscape. We saw how it impacted the
Niners play action game early in this one. They were getting those twenty yard digs and seam shots in behind that second level of the defense because of the run game, the play action and how it impacts that part of the field and then the Dolphins from there, when you can lean on teams and when you can have that physical nature of you know, a change of pace with Raheem Moster or with Jeff Wilson, and Seth made a great point that you know when a chance comes out
for a play or two, maybe even a full series, when he gets back in there and has fully fresh legs and hits them with that speed. And this is my comparison, because Seth would ever make a baseball comparison, is that it's kind of like going from Jamie Moyer to like a rolldis Chapman, and you non baseball fans, that's like an eighty five malin hour fastball pitcher to a one hundred and five mal and hour fastball pitcher.
It is a different game when you have that type of velocity or in this case, that type of speed from the running back. I kind of like the way they can mix it up and choose their matchups that way. They salted the game away through the screen and the running game, and that is how.
It's supposed to be done.
What a thing A bouty first takeaway run game in first down play success chef's kiss. Do that every single game, you'll win a lot of football games. Number two, I just put that Seeler and Brooks are absolute dogs because every week they show up. Every week they give us, you know, eighty plus percent of the snaps, and in Jordan Brooks's case, he plays dang near every snap. That might have been the first snaps he missed this year. In fact, when he injured left the game for a
couple of plays. There Seeler has another sack, you know, and he won like immediately. He couldn't have got in there faster than he did. It's eight and a half this year. We talked about the stats, second behind only Dexter Lawrence with the Giants, and again since he came back from the eye injury in Week ten, six and a half sacks are most in the NFL by anybody. Jordan Brooks impacts the game as a cover guy, as a blitzer, as a run defender.
He is a leader.
He you know, spoke up a few weeks ago, and since that game against the Packers he has played, for my money, his three best games as of Miami Dolphin. What an absolute hit he has been here for the Dolphins. And you know, those two guys. We can talk about John Smith who broke the Dolphins tight end franchise record today and you know, just kind of bring it all in here for all these guys that the Dolphins were able to acquire or.
Had it in house.
Like those guys set a model for what it's supposed to look like.
You can follow their lead.
Follow those guys' lead to paydays basically because if you put in the work, if you treat the game like they do, if you love the game like they do, you will find success for yourself in this league.
And I just love the way those guys play.
You know, Johnny as Well who went over eight hundred yards and seventy five catches, which are both Dolphins tight end records, will congratch to JOHNO.
Smith for that.
But Steeler and Brooks on defense many they kind of set the charge, set the tempo, and lead from there and they continue to play really good every single week. How about some Jason Sanders love four more field goals in this one, a couple from fifty plus. I probably do a bad job of covering special teams on the podcast. I get so infatuated by offense and maybe even the
defense suffers a little bit because of that. But he was the player of the month and November he had the two miss pats, which I think the first kick he had after the Player of the Month was a miss pat in the Jets game if not mistaken, but he has been nails. You can trust this guy from anywhere. He's been money from fifty plus yards. He scored seventeen points a day, twenty three consecutive made field goals. That is clutch and big time kicking from Jason Sanders having
a big, big year for your Miami Dolphins. My fourth takeaway, Look, it's not going to always be great, right, not gonna be perfect every single game, but drops and missed opportunities.
Just got to find a way to clean those up.
Because if you make those catches, and you know, I think Tyreek would tell you he expects to make those catches, you could have blown the Niners all the way out today and you could have you know, not that it makes a difference in how your season goes, but like, if you can start to button up those errors and make those four point swings, you become even tougher to beat. I mean, the first drop was a tip ball that
you know probably could have been caught. But who are we to debate that second one when right through the arms that the opening drive, third down conversion could have been caught, maybe for a big play as well, the craft drop. Just for whatever reason, we have to acknowledge where things could have gotten better, and in this instance, it could have been the receivers helping the quarterback out because Tua only had two hundred and fifteen yards in
this game. But I don't feel as though that was indicative of how he played because he put the ball on the money in key spots. They still go four for thirteen on third downs, but if they're seven for thirteen, this game is different.
Right.
You probably win this game before the fourth quarter even begins. So just in a win, you gotta find the things to correct. Here it's catching passes. And then the fifth thing is just what are the Dolphins facing ahead? You kind of know what it is already. You need one Colts loss that has to happen, and that might be tough because they're facing the Giants next week. And the Giants have I saw the tweet from Schefter that they now control their own destiny for the first to overall
pick in the draft because the Raiders won today. So the Giants don't have a lot to play for. I mean, those guys don't care about draft picks. But it's gonna be a tough game for the Colts to lose. The Colts scored thirty eight points a day by throwing the ball eleven times. It's the first time that combination of things has happened since two thousand.
So you need them to lose one game.
You need Denver or the Chargers, not both Denver or the Chargers to lose two games as well. And the Broncos, I mean, they play at Joe Burrow and the Bengals. That's not an easy game by any stretch. And then they play at the or home for the Chiefs, which we'll see if Casey has anything to play for in that Week eighteen game. Maybe they do have the first round by locked up, but they want to get Patrick Mahomes some reps who knows, but that's what you have
to have there. And then the Chargers have to lose to both at the Patriots and then home for the Raiders.
So we'll see what happens. But that's peg you're looking at here.
It feels somewhat bleak, but we will hold out hope until it is over. I just just get me, just get me to Sunday. Like if we can get a Broncos loss to the Bengals. That would be just great. Let's have that happen, please. I want to go ahead and add a couple of things here. Number one, I mean, this is gonna be a takeaway if they lost. But the safety play whoa dude like critical third downtackle opportunities that could have forced a field goal Javon Hall and whiffs.
Then Deebo runs over both Poyer and haul the goal line on a on a third down for the touchd on the goal line for a third down touchdown. It just happened way too frequently. And then another complaint that I have is, you know, I feel very strong in the running back usage. It's either number one or a very very very close number two to the tight end position. In terms of why the run game hasn't worked because of selection, I mentioned the A Chan change up earlier
than how valuable I believe that can be. But like man, sometimes just a forward, lean and power football and getting four yards opposed to trying to hit the outside run for twenty yards, I believe that can be super valuable. So you know, eh Chan, love his receiving ability, love his game today, he was awesome. But if it's more of a complimentary role or more of a you know,
a one A one B situation. I just feel O, that's a more valuable way to use this guy, and I hope we'll get to that point at some point.
And then I want to finish on this because oh Man talked about it a little bit here and there, but to get confirmation on this, Tyreek Hill after the game said that some of those vet rest days and missing practices when you're available to practice is starting to show up, and it's why some of those misses aren't happening and some of the timing plays with Tua are off.
It's like, yeah, dude, yeah, that's why we had three picks in a critical must win game last week, and if we don't have three picks, if we have zero picks, we win that game. And now we're eight and seven and now we control our destiny for the most part in the AFC playoffs. So it is frustrating to have it go down like that. But I thought it was interesting to hear him cop to that and be almost genuine and how he copped to it, But like, is he being for real? Because you never know of this guy.
And then Tula was asked about it after the fact, and two was comments here tell you everything that you need to know about that situation, about that connection, because he talks about John hus Smith and the connection they have and all the time they put on the grass, time on task, working together, getting these routes perfective. Shoot, it happened in twenty twenty two in training camp. They're
out there every day together getting working. Here's Tua on Tyreek's comments about missing too many practices and the lack of production that comes with that.
Yeah, if he told you that, then that's what we need more of. He reps. Me and him need need more reps. That's what we we gotta do. There's that's that's the secret sauce to me being able to connect with all these guys. You guys see John who here Like, that's that's the secret sauce. If if if we if we miss a throw, if we're off on on a throw, in in the team practice or in in a routes on air rep, like, we'll get together in whatever time we have, whether it's after or during while the defense
is on, and we'll get those reps made up. Telling him what I see and then him also telling me how he feels with with running it so that that has a lot to do with with reps for.
Sure, and that is a good place to go ahead and close up the podcast. You all please be sure to subscribe to the pod. Leave us arraying, leave us a review, Follow me on social at winkled NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins. Check out the fishtingk podcast Mike, Guy, Seth and Juws. Check out the media availabilities on the YouTube channel as well as Dolphins HQ and so much more on that channel. Last, but not least, Miami Dolphins
dot com. Until next time, finns up hal On Cameron Daddy don't Know