Week 13 Film Room, Dolphins 49ers -- Tape, Contextualized Stats, Snap Counts and McDaniel Commentary

if none further of what is up? Dolphins And welcome to the Drive Time Podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins Podcast Network, covering your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going? Everybody? I am your host, Travis Winfield. And on today's show, we peeled the curtain back with the All twenty two review from Sunday's loss at San Francisco. Will revisit the key numbers, the snap counts, what worked, what didn't, and here from head coach Mike McDaniel and his Monday evening

press conference. All of that and more from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This is d All twenty two review and we kick it off as we do every single Tuesday here with the offense, and I think this week I'm just gonna go in chronological order of the plays that I wanted to talk about instead of going player by player, because this tape it frustrated the crap out of me. And it sure

started with the bank. It was fun out the gate, seventy five yards out the gate in fact, and to what talked about the play, and you'll see Tyreek he'll go in motion and the Niners they don't react, they don't follow him. So then he returns in motion or I should say, goes and return motion back to the original side. And again twas recall every single week blows us away on the postgame show and me personally here

on the podcast. He mentioned the Niners bringing pressure off that edge with Dre Greenlaw showing pressure at the snap to us sees it. And here's the craziest part. This Dolphin's offense has generated false steps from posing linebackers all year long to create those gaps in the intermediate middle part of the field. Warner doesn't even fall step here. You do see Telenoah who fongo widen and essentially cover

the same portion the corner. Trevarious Ward is covering Tyreek Hill and two pulls the ball right out of the belly of the back and rips it right before Warner can get over the top. It's a really bad angle from there from that post safety and then Trent just outruns everybody. Kind of had us thinking it would go that way all days. The flow action of the play really wash that Niners rushed down and took him out

of the play with a scheme. Between that and the quick trigger, it looked like it was gonna be a great day. But of course we knew that would not continue, or should say, we know now with hindsight that would not continue. And look, some of you are not gonna want to hear this, and we'll acknowledge the plays where Miami left the meat on the bone. But the Niners are good, man. This defense is really really good. And still contend that all things equal, nothing can stopped a polished,

perfect offense in today's NFL. But that's not what Miami was on this particular day. Even on some place where it looked like it was going to go that way, the Niners defense just rose up and made some plays. On the second series after the Sutfield touchdown, you see them get a run stuff where they shoot a gap vacated by a polling guard, then get an effort play swimming over the top of a block at the left tackle position. Just nothing fundamentally wrong with the call or

the execution. The Niners just had two guys make a play on that run. On the very next play, a Fred Warner pass breakup on a ball over the middle of Trent shut field. This play was elite processing from

the best off ball linebacker in the NFL. He passes Tyreek off to the safety and the Dolphins are in trips with a nasty bunch that means a bunch of receivers, three of them in trips close to the right tackle to the wide side of the field, the field side of the formation, and you see Fred Warner loc eight Tyreek after originally seeing Durham Smyth in that trips stay in as he did most of the game to help on Nick Bosa, and so he processes, Okay, he's in,

I've got two guys that contend with and while he's getting depth, he carries Tyreek seven yards and carries him up to the safety before passing him off and then instantly locates Trent Sherfield coming in off of that clear out route from Tyreek Hill, flattens back out and gets to his landmark at twelve yards and gets a finger

on the football. If that's not Fred Warner right there, and maybe like two other linebackers in the NFL, it's probably at least a twenty yard reception, and it's probably one mistackle away from going right back to the dwelling seventy two yards down the field. I just don't think we can be upset about that. It's good on good. We get him on the first play of the game. They get us here for the past breakup and the

big stop. Also, the ball had to come out when it did because Bosa somehow stays on his feet after a really wicked chip knocked him off balance from or I'm smythe But then he like turns it into the spin move back inside and actually propelled him right into two's laps. So just Warner and Bosa made plays all game long for this Niners defense. In fact, a lot of guys up front to the very first play of the next drive is another good example of how well

coached this Niners defense is. Usually you see players react right at the snap, and if you go to the tight shot of this Jeff Wilson's only rush of the entire day, by the way, the opening play of the third drive, they don't move initially, but then like this beat after the snap, you see fifty four, fifty seven, and fifty one all move at the exact same time. They key it as quick as you can, and then fifty one closes down for the stop on the back side.

The deal with the run game all day was pretty consistent. And what was wrong with it? They kept shooting gaps, in particular the B gaps. They were knifing into the B gaps and causing disruption against pulling guards, against some of the reach blocks that Connor Williams wants to hit, and we just couldn't protect those inside post a tackle

positions frequently, if at all. And you would see throughout the course of the game nine all making plays at various junctures, just shooting the gaps, getting up field that Chris kusaick upfield one gap penetration style. You know, we talked about it in the preview. Could the Dolphins be the first ones off the ball and to gate that

action against them? They made it tough on the Miami Dolphins offensive line doing that, and it made the run game really non existent throughout the course of the game. So that was a tough thing to overcome. And we heard to a talk about the angles and the communications being off on some of the throws. Man. There was a second and seventh throw on the third possession where

another chance goes by the boards. Two A gets a clean pocket on a play that's well covered down field and it's actually like flow to Ingold for a screen and then two men down field and one of those guys is Tyreek and they're covered originally, which has to kind of scrambling within the pocket, and you see Tyreek run to the post and man, he might have a long touchdown there, and it looked like to a coming up off the pressure from nick Bosa once again off

that right tackle. Uh to A hitches up and it looks like he can load up for a deep shot to Tyreek, kind of running against a similar defense that we saw on the touchdown against a vacated post there with outside leverage and Tyreek running to space there, but he chooses not to go in that direction and he pulls it back down and scrambles further, and then Waddle comes across the field on this like delayed over route into this pocket of of space away from the hook

zone where you have a linebacker kind of camping out waiting to pick him up. But Jalen outruns that and takes his right his route right down the line at the forty yard line. To A throws it from his own twenty three and the ball goes to a location like upfield, where if Jalen had angled his route upfield, he might catch it and go the distance. So where where he was and the where the ball that to a tungle by Lowa through just we're not on the same page. It's a good opportunity for a correction and

to get better from that one. But you know, I wonder what the thinking was there on that play, because one guy was thinking one thing, one guy was thinking the other. And that was the case a few times, and it was costly in this game. The next play is either a bad ball or another instance of just not being on the same page. Wattle runs his hook up route five yards beyond the sticks and the ball

short hops him. It's really good timing anticipation because to A throws it into this pocket again, this vacant space of grass before Waddle comes out of the break, and by the time the ball is there, the pockets open. That's like threading tight windows with anticipation. Has been to his game, his entire life, and he does it here and they've been connecting that play all year long. But because Waddle is five yards beyond the stick, the ball

short hops him. Now I can't tell you who if Wattle should have been closer, or if two should have thrown it further. Either way, they're not on the same page, almost back to back place, and it basically shut down a drive. So it's it's costly, very frustrating. And Rob Hunt had a really good rep on Nick Bosa with an inside spin move on that play from a three

tech pass rush position. He also had a second level block pulling from the backside where he wiped out green Law earlier in the second quarter to so some fun stuff here from Rob Hunt on this particular tape for the Miami Dolphins. On the very next drive, another crossing route to Waddle that we cannot find a hook up on, and once again there's Fred Warner falling fifteen yards back into the hook zone. You just don't see middle linebackers,

off ball linebackers getting that kind of depth. And then with his length and athleticism to to leap and use those long arms, man, he really impacts a significant window on those throws. And he does it here, And I wonder if Waddle could have run under this particular one opposed to jumping and kind of doing that acrobatic purouette spinning back for the football, kind of like the long

ball that drew the defensive past interference in Chicago. Now it would have required an adjustment, so it's tough, but the ball did get through there, and you all know. I think Waddle is like damn near a perfect player. I think he's one of the best receivers in the

d FELL top five. But I think this is a good learning tape to maybe not high point everything, maybe don't go up for everything and try to adjust and keep your feet on the ground, or at least time those leaps a little bit better, because he's been getting airborne just a little bit too early when when I don't think he necessarily has to do that. So I don't know, it's a tape to watch and hopefully correct.

I I trust they will, because it was just very un characteristic throughout the course of this game for the Dolphins offense. Had a really nice rip to Durham Smythe on the next possession, who hangs on through a big hit two opens the window by pumping hard to the flat and then bringing it right back on time and throwing the ball before Durham even crossed his face on Fred Warner over the middle of the field. So there were some big time, tight window anticipation throws we've we've

grown so used to seeing. This year, it just wasn't as frequent as you're used to, and of course the picks will give you a bad, you know, feeling about the game. But I thought that some of those miscommunications and overthrows a couple on to it. But I think a couple of those as well were just him putting the ball in the spot where he thought his guy would be and his guy wasn't there. Also, on that throw to Durham Smith a fantastic rush game pick up

between the interior three, Rob Robin Connor. Uh. Those three guys, man, they've really settled into a good trio. On the interior. Next player get Alec Ingle drop and it just seemed like every other play it was something man that would have been good for a first down, and those negative

plays or plays you don't make. I should say the Niners, you know, defensively, it's it's like a great baseball team, a great basketball team, like don't give him four outs to work with, don't give him an extra offensive possession off of an offensive rebound, and by dropping a pass and turning you know, potential first and ten to second

and ten, those things will add up. And it just happened too frequently in this game, like on this alec Ingold play, the location on the very next play, on the tyreek Hill back shoulder throw, the one handed catch, you just can't defend that. What a play. It was, coming in motion at the snap and throwing it against the outflanked corner, chasing Tyreeke and man coverage across the formation. He's not going to be into the spot, so let's catched the snap and throw it right on that back shoulder.

I think there was a little bit of an opportunity for an adjustment from Miami here going forward, because on those plays, a little wheel routes where to it catches rocks and throws it if we can like shut those down and just run hitches and comebacks and back shoulders and not carry that route up field. Those corners are bailing all the way out. It was consistent in this game, and it helped them take away some of the shots

we had down the field. I think throughout the course of this game, there was a running play, you know, that action where two kind of turns his back to the defense and puts the ball behind him and hides it on play action, but sometimes gives it on the sweeping run. There was an outside run by Raheem most where I thought he should have pressed that all the way outside and stretched it outside, but he cut it back inside. It was a little bit too slow to make the cut and Dre Greenlow cut him down for

like no gain. Also on that play, Tyreek and great little miss key blocks that could have helped sprung him. Just was things like that all throughout the course of the game. And oh man, we might have had Wattle for a touchdown on the field gold drive late in the first half as well. There's a short pass to Ingold where he's the third catch of the drive for alec Ingold and Waddles coming across another one of those

over routes and two just did not see him. I think it was a high degree of difficulty on the throw,

but he's made that throw all year long. Kind of like again, going back to the Chicago game, that touchdown passed you through to Waddle, where Waddle came back and undercut the defensive back to make the touchdown catch there later on a drive the Niners had on that same drive, Niners had twelve men on the field on third and one on the sack before that field goal, and we motion opposed to calling a play or to snap in

the football. If you just snap it and throw it away would have been an easy first down, but we let the Niers defense get off the field, and on that play, man Jeff Wilson had a rough rep. He takes his first step out wide, and that was all Nick Bosa needed to get back inside to get to to a because if he had any sort of time, once again, Waddle is coming open across the field to that pylon in the front part of the end zone for what could have been an open shot for six.

It could have been as simple as just like standing the way and basically seal off boasts Ah and allowed to it to roll around you. Even if Botha has to run through Jeff Wilson on that play like it still would have been an effective block. We just needed a speed bump and it wasn't even that, and it allows Bosa to end the drive. The frustration continues. Then, gosh, man, that missed to Wilson. The deep shot to Wilson. Really

that one really really hurt. They wind up getting him on a little wheel route against green Law with Waddle running the safety completely out of the play to the post and to us, timing could not have been better. The past protection on that play was was really good. And the ball meets Wilson twenty yards downfield with the nearest defender five yards behind Wilson. But we can't connect. I don't know who's in the right, who's in the

wrong there. We're not gonna speculately on that one, but it looked like the ball drifted outside a little bit for where Wilson was headed. That one hurt the most very next play to A tries Craycraft, but he's covered well. And on this play, Tyreek comes open in the middle of the field and he should have thrown that one to Tyreek Hill toobody couldn't get the football to him because they turned him free from the backs out of the formation and Fred Warner was chasing to keep up.

But that's obviously tough for anybody to do, especially a linebacker against Tyreek Hill. Next drive, we get a deep dig to Tyreek Hill open again and this throws two highs. This is one of the two was Mrs Man. We had what two dred and seventy five yards passing It could have been four hundred in this game, and and watching it back, you get a sense for why to us says this game sucks. Have we had a chance to kind of show the world what was going on

with us and the opportunities were there? I think in another universe this game is a thirty three seven team win for the Dolphins and two has four hundred yards passing and three touchdowns And we feel much differently today, but it is what it is. Chance to get better. We discuss, you know, going back to some of the positives, nuance and intricacies on this podcast. A lot with the quarterback position and the ball handling, the play action fakes,

all that stuff. It creates the need for a lot of different setups and different footwork for the quarterback position. And that's a prelude to me saying that the comeback route where Bosa got flagged for roughing the passer, that was a great throw by two a tongue by Loa.

He's getting his feet right after Ingold and Williams collide in the backfield, so he has to make this flat foot and the throw because he has to get away from pressure and kind of get his feet aligned with his progression, reads to the front side of the formation and come backside, and he layers this beautiful throw flat footed, really between three Niners defenders, and a great job by Tyreek to run the route to depth, press the safety

and come back and make a tough catch. It's a thirty yard air throw from the far hash, flat footed and he peppers it out there. The first interception was threefold and a microcosm of the entire day. Uh Auric Armstead gets a good pass rush on Rob Hunt and is bearing down on to A and his first and twenty five, so you're right on the fringe of field goal range. After you know the holding call on the Raheem Moster play took away a first and ten from

the thirteen yard line. Now it's first and twenty five from like the forty two yard line or forty three yard line, so I think two will probably pressed on that play a little bit, but even still I don't. The receiver falling down is why that ball got picked off. Now, Tyreek was opened down field, but it's not doable because Arms said gets pressure beating rob Hunt inside pretty quickly with the red jersey into his face. He can't step into that throw, so he slides and throws an off

platform ball. And it might look like a rushed or panic decision, but the ball is right where it's supposed to be. Wilson just slipped and fell out to the ground. That's really all it was. So a rough sequence fall start, twenty yard run negated by a hold, and then a breakdown and pass pro and a kind of off platform throw and a receiver falling down leads to a big play for the Niners. It was just that kind of day. Then the second interception just the most unto alike throw

I've ever seen from him his entire career. I didn't see one of these balls on tape in college, not as a pro here at the Miami Dolphins. Tyreek runs a delayed speed out route with two of rolling his way. It's as pitch and catches. We've seen the corners five yards off lay up for a throw and he missed it. He missed it high and behind and it gets tipped up and picked off. I don't think you'll see him do that again, like he never has. And if he does it again, I'd be I'd be absolutely floored. I'm

floored that he did at one time. What I love, though,

is how deflating that moment it felt. And with the defense getting a huge stand right there and a long just a field goal on the opposite side of that interception, the offense comes right back and it's three completions back to back to back, including a nice chunk on a rip to Tyreek to put us at the plus forty five yard line, and then the big strike, a very subtle hitch and pump pulls who fonga the middle of the field safety out of the post, closing down on

the sherefield over route and from there it's Tyreek Hill and a foot race with char various ward and there is not a human on earth and football pads. I like to beat Tyrek and a foot race ball is perfect cruise in for six. The best part about this to us hands separate when Tyreek is the twenty eight yard line and Ward still is on top. He's at twenty five yard line, but he's outside leveraged and with the ball going back inside and descends at the six

yard line. Ward is still behind it at the four yard line, but he's on the hash and tyreeks directly in the middle of the field, so he's basically got him stemmed and stacked the entire way. Cruise in. Good job bleeding reever leverage, good job reading who Fonga, squatting and driving and then low hating the ball perfectly to Tyreek to run under it for a big touchdown. Really good job against the four man rushed too, as Durham Smith had a great chip on Nick Bosa on that play.

The third down throw to Surefield that was overturned was a thing of beauty, throwing against leverage with anticipation, great location, gotta finish the catch, and then appreciation of Tyreek Hill for hanging on through the contact on that fourth down conversion, which, by the way McDaniel mentioned it was a great place or a play call he felt great about alec ingolds open.

Probably could have ran it for a first down. And if Twa pumps that to Tyreek and he had time to do it and the corner on the outside squatted, he would have had Mike Kaski probably on a touchdown if he throws up over the top. Just that kind of day. Man. I'm not gonna fault the quarterback for taking a first down and fourth down, but he might have had a big play if he had gone hunting

for it there. Then he has a nice location throwing a quick pop to Crai Craft, kind of like that throw to Tyreek on the game winning drive against Baltimore where he runs to a space and to just catch rock throw and puts it into a space and he kind of goes up and catches it off his frame. Good catch there by River Crai Craft. Uh. And then on the first down most it run. Just a few plays later, Rob Jones had an awesome wipe out block coming across the formation on Nick bosa Um. And then

we get to the Mike Kasiki ball. The ball is just a hair outside. I think if it's wider, it's a completion. But that wasn't the case. It stinks, man, it was the right call, but I think we had that and I was just so confident. They go down and score after that conversion, but the wheels fall off from there. It's a frustrating tape. Had every chance to make it six straight wins, lots of yards left on the field, did not execute enough to make it a

game late. But I think this is a good tape to learn from, and one they'll feel like they could have had with just two or three more plays. But that's the league, man, and that's how this game goes. A quarterback I didn't think played very well. I don't think we got him to help when he could have used it. Run game didn't do anything, and some of the executions on doubles and chips and handling of Nick

Bosa was not good enough. Pressure was a little bit too frequent at times, although for the most part it was good. But the running game some inside post give ups from the offensive line, some drops, and some miscommunications. I think this game is the anomaly, not the norm. Trash to tape. Move on, Let's go ahead and get the defense. But first before let's go ahead and take our first break on the Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. We made

it through the offensive tape. Let's go ahead and buzz through the defensive tape before we get to the stats. As the Dolphins fall thirty three seventeen to the San Francisco four Niners, eight and four on the season. Again, everything right out in front of the Miami Dolphins on this defensive tape, I thought it was pretty clear that the directive, regardless of the quarterback was to shut down

the running game. Even on that opening drive with Jimmy g I thought a lot of plays where you wound up with press man free looks with Javon as the free safety into the post, and even taking matchups like linebackers on Christian McCaffrey flexed out wide because they wanted to beat gap sound and add extra guys to those extra gaps. As the Niners create those extra gaps, like we talked about on the Thursday preview podcast, they run a ton of formations and will add extra offensive lineman

off of those varied formations. So you saw safe he's coming down into the box. You saw linebackers mugged up. I liked Miami's plan to make sure they were never light in the box in that way. It did bite Miami a couple of times in the passing game because you get you know, McCaffrey on a linebacker and he led to a couple of big plays. Two third down conversions and that big play on the opening drive and one on one coverage against linebackers. There was a good

mix of coverage out the course of the game. We saw plenty of man man free, man free that converted to cover zero with Holland you know, buzzing down on this angle route by Christian McCaffrey, and man if Purty throws that one, it's a pick six the other way. I even saw one inverted two looks, so plenty of zone man looks to skies. I did think Party made some really nice throws man, like the touchdown to Christian McCaffrey.

Really good timing and feel on that one. I can't say you normally expect that from a rookie Mr Irrelevant no less coming off the bench and his first action of the season. Also a really smart offensive staff over there in San Francisco, right, stuff like the tunnel screen to McCaffrey before that touchdown catch where Miami's walked up that pressure look and they just throw it right away from the blitz and it kind of gets out the back end the other way. Gonna be lots of Zach

Seiler and Christian Wilkins on this podcast. The very first play of the game, Zach rides the wave with Trent Williams on outside zone and as they're flowing away, he asked to then put his foot in the ground and keep williamsplementum going while stopping his own, and he throws the future Hall of Fame off at the tackle off of him and makes the play along with Christian Wilkins, who beat his block on the other side of the formation inside to team up with his best buddy for

the first of many run stuffs and Christians you know. Next play, same drive, stack and shed McGlinchey for a tackle at two yards. Next drive, double team gets off it and brings down McCaffrey. After a game of three,

there was a third down conversion on that drive. Christian comes off and they hit a twelve yard run with that rookie running back the backup I forgot his name, bending it back to the backside with no backside contained and he checks back in the next play, and then it gets right back to the more of the same.

Like on the Niners third possession, McCaffrey has a bend back run and it's just Holland and McCaffrey with fifteen yards of green grass and this wide open lane as the only man in his path to prevent him from the end zone. But there's number ninety four who stops his flow, gets off the block and makes the stop while McGlinchey is still engaged on the inside shoulder half of his body. Some kind of game by number nine.

He had out there several plays in the backfield, as we'll talk more about those here in the third down section. Seiler was also just awesome. He ran through a man for a tackle for loss on that tripping call on Melvin Ingram, which was not right call. The next play, he has an arm over that just leaves left guard flat footed wondering what the heck just happened. Just got flashed by uh SAC running by and in a flash, I should say, he got a quarterback hit on a

quick slant. Think about how quick you have to get to the quarterback to make that happen. His combo sack with Van Ginkle was vintage play from both of those guys.

Seeler sets the pick on Williams and that brings Aaron Banks the left guard uh to to Van Ginkl's are over to that side, and then Van Ginkl slants right and behind that off the pick, and when the guard comes back open to try to get Van Ginkle handled, he just stays on the inside post and crashes in and they both get in there for the sack and

they draw a holding call on Banks as well. I want to just cover the third down plays because I thought independently they were basically the key of the game here, and this is where the Niners won the game on this side of the ball. First one of the game, you gets free running mesh on that first third down play of the game. If you can't get pressure on that mesh concept and they run that drag all the way across the field, you're not gonna be able to

handle that. And that's that's a man coverage look in Miami did mix it up more after that. They get a sack from a coverage zero look on third and six on Jimmy Garoppolo. Maybe we're gonna see more man coverage against Garoppolo. Who knows what it would have looked like.

They wind up bringing four and springs a free runner who's Jerome Baker, and everything is bracketed down field, and they used defensive tackles dropping into the hook zones in this game, something I actually called for in the Thursday podcast with Christian Wilkins, this time in the hook zone. And it was also a great job on the other side of the formation by Jalen Phillips who had a one on one situation with McGlinchey and he won his

pass rush upfield to help him. Garoppolo in to help Baker finish that play for the sack there that eventually wound up injuring Jimmy Garoppolo. The first Purty drive, third and three, McCaffrey one on one against Duke Riley runs a jerk route. It's an easy first down. You're that's not a good matchup. Defensive passion interference on Katerko who let me just say this, this game was not decided

by officiating, but this one I thought. I thought it was a bad call because or just that it was an unfortunate call because it looked like Miami had pretty dead to rights. Everybody's plastered up on the original rollout, all covered up on the back side of the play. He puts his foot in the ground and commits the cardinal sin throws it late back over the middle and not just that, Yuke's running away from him the other

direction and Cater sees it follows it. Now, if Kater got his eyes back and recognized that this ball is gonna float because he's kind of drifting from the throw, probably could have picked it off. But the reason the flag comes out is because Kater is playing the man. But I thought his timing was good. He put his hand between a yuks to separate them. He just came back to the ball and so the contact was attacked early. But I thought very good coverage and a really bad

break there for Kator. Co who third and two? After that, guess who? Christian Wilkins wins with quickness and gets to tackle for loss. That brings out the punt team third

and five. In the next possession, they try a quick flat to Deebo Samuel, but Keian cross and just reads it the whole way and puts his hand the football for a pass breakup It's looking really good the majority of that first half until we get to that drive at the end of the first half, and on the third and ten after that, Van Ginkle and Seiler sack zero coverage, walked up seven into the rush, Seiler and ray Kwan both back out, Holland comes clean off the edge,

and Purdy gets a completion short of the sticks. Really good job on the back end with Xaving Howard kind of playing that sticks zero coverage, keep it in front of your seat, in front of you, rally up and tackle. He sees it developed and drives forward to make that stick on the receiver short of the first down marker. Wasn't the best angle by Javon Holland on that pass rushing and then that a few times now, which is

not what we saw from him last season. That allowed Pergy to get wide out of that play, and it probably cost Miami some field position because I got the takeaway after that, but they could have backed him up for a punt on their own side of the field. But then the way x pays it off on the following play after a good play on third down gets that pick vintage xaviing Howard one on one to the boundary. You know, we put the help of those side of

the field, so it's X all alone. He presses inside hand jam flips the hips, pins you to the sideline, stays in phase, locates the ball, makes the play like every phase of that route. He won it decisively. There's a third and ten on the drive again before the half. This is following the X pick. This is a throw where I thought Perty arrived. We get a free runner off the snap and he throws a seed to Kittle.

Just impressive as hell. I thought there were several critical points of the game that went to the Niners, and this was kind of the start of that beginning. There was a big one at the end of the half as well, at four point play the completion of McCaffrey for the touchdown. They created space and pretty read it

all the way. There's not much more to say about it than that we had the shell in the end zone and guys were playing pretty deep over the top, and rather than making them part of the play seven yards deep in the end zone, San Francisco just ran their two routes at the closest defenders to create, you know, more of a cushion for McCaffrey. I settle that route

down and he did. Pretty saw it through it right on the money touchdown for the Niners four point play there to not have a field goal and get a touched on out of it. The third and five on the opening drive of the second half, they go to Jennings for fifteen yards. Pretty does a good job here holding the hook backer the way we praised to it for doing it, and through it with good timing into the window. I would have called you crazy if you told me this kid would come off the bench and

play at this level. He played really well. It's it sucks, but he did third and six the same drive Ingram wins a dip and ripped, turned the corner and finish off a sack because on the other side Bradley chubbed into the edge and forced Pretty to double back. I thought there was a lot of examples of that where two guys would win, where Pretty tried to change directions and get to a different part of the pocket. But we had one that side of the pass brush as well.

You get a third and three on the next drive, and this is where I just didn't know Pretty could do this stuff. We get a free run with a delayed Duke Riley Blitz Pretty wheels out against a zero look, and McCaffrey takes his route wide after faking the run inside and then angling back to the perimeter, and Pretty, against his body with three defenders bearing down, whips it out to turn a fourth and long potentially outside of field goal range, into fourth and one from the twenty five,

which they would convert on the sneak. And by the way, the effort on that fourth and one sneak, that's not that's not this team. Man Seiler did a great job of stacking that up and really making the play. But we had guys standing around just watching the play and allowed Pretty to make the second effort and get the first down. That's gonna be I'm sure a chewe job on the tape. Third and fourteen, good pursuit to get

a yuke down on a screen. Here comes the field goal team to keep it UH twenty to ten, and then we get the short field and a quick change third and five right away after a great Row pass break up on a Christian McCaffrey throw. Then you get Row and Holland carrying deep routes into the endz on third and five. It forces Purty to check it down.

Jerome Baker comes up and makes a tackle, so it stays twenty three ten stays a two score game after that bad pick from Tah Then another critical one here third and three on our own forty two seventeen game after the touchdown pass to tyreek Hill eleven forty five to go, they tried this rub and wheel route, but it gets congested and eventually opens up. But by the time it does, Phillips's pass rush had one and it put a hit on Purty and forced the throw to

be errant. Then on the final one, the final key third down of the game, third and one, nice play action boot to get kindled one on one coverage against Jerome Baker, Purty hits some first down and they would get that big McCaffrey run a couple of plays later. That was it. The first down run kind of put

it out of reach. Williams had a great block, taking advantage of our assiveness where he got Seiler to the ground like threw him down, and that opened up that big bend back lane for Christian McCaffrey to find it and get thirty yards and put them into field goal range. To go up by two scores. Some more individual notes here.

I thought a land and Roberts had some moments, some not so good moments, but he continues a scrape off of the stack really well, where you're staying close to the bodies and make your hit on the ball carrier. I think ray Kwon Davis his pass rush has been heating up a little bit. He had this wicked push pole rush move where he left the center in the dust, got him to the ground and got a quarterback hit out of it on an incomplete pass. And I feel like for the defense as well. Kind of a similar

story a day of close but no cigar. I thought Melvin Ingram had that interception man, but Kittle on the first drive of the game does a good job staying with the play and batting the football down. Speaking of Ingram, the tripping call sucked, and not because I thought it was some egregious call, but you see it on the broadcast. His cleat gets attached to the offensive line of the Niners cleat and it literally pulls his leg back and makes it look like he did it on purpose, but

he didn't. He just got pulled away from it. Turned a third and seven into a first down. That's that's drive changer man brutal back to close, but no cigar. That tipped ball early the third quarter where Justin Zimmers the one chasing it. If that's anybody besides like Justin Zimmer, it's probably a pick. Just that kind of game man. Exaviing Howard's pass breakup on that first pretty touchdown drive

was really high level stuff. Javon buzzes the crosser and flies upfield, and X has to get back underneath Deebo Samuel after playing outside leverage, and there's nobody in football I'd rather have undercutting an inbreaking route than exaviing. Howard balls a little bit behind, which I think helped generate that contact, but X puts his foot in the ground and drives on its textbook play. Really good job covering Samuel. I also hated the dp I call on X later

in the game that ball was uncatchable. I don't like it at all. Chubb had some nice stack in shed plays in the running game, although him jumping inside on that outside Deebo Samuel run on the final drive that the final field goal drive to make seen that was a critical mistake there at the end of the game that gave the Nights a freshet of downs in when you could have made a third down to get back in the game. I thought John Jenkins had a nice

game from him as best of the season. Some nice to two gap textbook lockout reps thought Van Geko had a great edge on the first play of the final drive, keeping the outside arm free and strung that play out. A couple of miss tackles get the Niro some hidden yards in this game. That's what they do. But man, they had some chances for some big negatives that were undone and brought back to the Lion scrimmage because of

miss tackles. This is the first game where I think I'll take a bit of a Mayakoba on the pressure and sack argument. I still think pressures are vitally important, but man, we saw the Niners finished sacks of their own, and we had chances to do the same thing with some good coverage downfield. Just too many plays where pretty stood in and learned from a clean pocket. All things told,

I feel like they had their chances. Even watching the tape back, I still find myself saying, man, we could have won this game or had this or that, and the game goes differently. Tough one to swallow, but you move on to the Chargers. I thought they should have won this game. I felt that way about all the losses so far. I just hope it's not another one of those years we go back and look at the end of the year and say, man, these one or two games I regret the way those finished. Margin for

air for the division is now gone. The play off race gets really interesting if you can't get it right in next week. You have to beat the Chargers. In my opinion, you beat them to get a two game lead on the seven seed, with head to head tiebreakers over both teams them and the Patriots, and just four games to play after that. So Miami's current playoff odds eight percent will go well into the nineties with the

victory over the Chargers. And of course it makes for a big week fift team matchup if you can't get that one. So hurry up and get here please. On Sunday, let's go ahead and get some of the stats before I spent it forward to coach Mike McDaniels Monday press conference to h in this game, just one for five on twenty plus yard air throws forty five yards and the touchdown to Tyree Hill. He was nine for fifteen throwing the intermediate ten to nineteen yard range for two

d five yards and touchdown. Both picks came on throws under ten yards, just five of nine on those throws total ten plus yard throws ten for two touchdowns and no picks. He was blitzed only three times, one sack, one for two passing and seventy five yards and the touchdown to Surefield under pressure, three for having thirty eight yards and a pick. Three sacks, as well a couple of fun data points. His five touchdown throws of forty plus yards are second most in the NFL behind Joe

Burrow six. His seventy five completions of fifteen or more yards is the most in the NFL. His season rankings through thirteen weeks number one in passer rating, number two in total QBR, number one in net yards per attempt and yards per attempt and touchdown percentage. He is number three and e p A per play behind Mahomes and Alan. He is tenth lowest and interception percentage at one point six percent, and his four point five percent sack percentage

is tied for fifth. Tyreek Hill had eleven point two yards per target four point to nine yards per route ran. Those are still such absurd numbers. A surefield twenty five yards per target one catch helped that two point eight eight yards per route Ran. Waddle a really uncharacteristic game. One point eight yards per target for a guy. Top two in the league in yards per target, point four five yards per route ran obviously season lows for him. Craig Craft caught two of twenty two for twenty nine

on three targets. That's nine point six seven yards per target, great number for him, and one point nine three yards per route Ran and Durham caught both of his targets for twenty one yards. Tyreek leaves the NFL with ninety six catches hundred and seventy nine yards sixty two first down catches one hundred and fourteen point nine yards per game, is eight and a half yards per game better than

anybody else, justin Jefferson. He's third in the NFL with ten point seven yards per target among receivers with fifty targets. Waddle is fifth with nine hundred and seventy two receiving yards. His ten point eight yards per target is second in football minimum fifty targets. He's eight in the NFL with eighty one yards per game and his forties seven first down catches our seventh and football. We had one miss

tackle in the game from our running backs forced. It was Jeff Wilson's only carry of the game where he most are average two point four three yards after initial contact. On seven rush attempts, pressures allowed one to one, one three. That's little Jones, Williams, Hunt and Shell so Shell with three, Jones with two, the other three had one. Pressure allowed just eleven pressures in the game on thirty seven pass

blocking snaps is a good number. Defensively, Seiler had four pressures, Phillips had three, Chub, Holland, Riley and Ingram all had two, and six guys had one run stops. I think Christian Wilkins might had a PFF record for a defensive tackle ten ten run stops. He was great. Jerome Baker had five, Jenkins had three, Seiler, Campbell, Chubb and e rob all had two. Apiece. Six guys had one. We had a lot of guys in coverage in this game. Howard forty

eight coverage snaps fifty nine yards allowed. They were four for seven throwing at him with a pick katur Cohu forty eight coverage snaps, just thirty six yards allowed, five for eight going after him, they tabbed halland with twenty three yards allowed on forty five coverage snaps, twenty eight yards allowed on forty five coverage snaps from Eric row and then Duke Riley had twenty coverage naps sixties seven yards. They went after him in the passing game. All right,

those are your numbers. Let's go ahead and take our last break. We'll come back on the other side. Do snap counts. And here from head coach Mike McDaniel to wrap up this podcast. That's next Drivetown podcast, your host Travis ing Field, brought to you by Auto Nation. A couple of news items back in this side of the Drivetime podcast for you guys. A Dolphins signed offensive tackle Eric Fisher, formerly of the Chiefs and Colts, for number one overall pick. He should come in and help as

Austin Jackson goes back to the injury reserve. Just a short season here for Austin Jackson. Sucks to see it, but he is gonna be down for some time. Now we also get flexed on week fifteen. It gets Buffalo Bills eight fifteen kickoff on Saturday night in Buffalo. So a short week and gon'll be a rough rough go there flying all day Monday morning, basically wasting your Monday and then coming back and trying to get ready for a short week to go back to Buffalo on Friday.

That is a tall order. Snap counts. Before Mike McDaniels Monday press conference, we had the offensive line went why are to wy are? Just forty six snaps from those guys in the game too, took all but one snap, of course Scaler had the other one. We had Tyreek thirty nine snaps, Surefield thirty and Waddle played just twenty four, so half the game for Waddle fighting through injuries there, Hopefully he's gonna be okay. The running back workload goes

back to Raheem Moster. He had sixty percent of the workload. Jeff Wilson had thirty seven percent of the workload. Finishing up the receiver position there, Cedric Wilson nine snaps. Where is River Craikcraft on here? Oh? Twenty snaps River Craikcraft and then tight ends Durham Smith twenty seven, Mike Kisicky just nine snaps in the game for Gisicky and Tanner. Conner played two snaps. On defense, uh three guys went the distance, Holland, Cohu and Howard. That's pretty uniform these days.

That's eighty four snaps. Eric Role played eighty. How about Christian Wilkins and zax Ei They're both giving you nine percent workload. Seventy six snaps for both of those guys insane. Also on the defensive line, Ray Kwon Davis gave you forty nine. We got twenty six from John Jenkins and thirteen from Zimmer. In the linebacker room, Jerome Baker leads away for seventy four snaps. That's eight percent. E Rob plays fifty six snaps. Phillips played fifty five at sixty

five percent of the workload. Chubb gave you forty eight, Van Ginkal thirty one, Duke Riley thirty. Lots of snaps go on here, Melvin Ingram twenty one snaps, and then the defensive secondary Eric Rohe played eighty snaps of the workload, and then a big drop off from those top four guys down to the next one's uh Veron McKinley played seven snaps and Elijah Campbell played five in the game. Let's go ahead and get to Mike McDaniels Monday press conference.

A couple of big news items on this Monday. The Dolphins signed offensive tackle Eric Fisher. Also got the sun the week fifteen game, I should say against the Buffalo Bills flex to Saturday night prime time. We're gonna hear from coach on both of those. But first before that, he did update us on Tehran Armstead when he was asked about the Eric Fisher signing. He'll tell you about that in just one second, but it sounds like torn arms so that it has a chance to go on

Sunday against the Chargers. Let's go ahead and hear from coach on that idea and also the signing of Eric Fisher. This is something we were working on for uh, it seems a couple of weeks. So it was it's more, um, you know, with the with the idea that uh, you know, our intentions to have our season longer than the regular season.

In that being um both pretty thin on the roster and seeing an opportunity to add a a player of high quality with UM with a big time game experience, So it wasn't necessarily reactionary to UM Toronto as much as it was, you know, trying to uh take advantage of there being a player out there on the market that can make sure that there you know anything, I'm foreseeing UM that we can we can have a high quality pay play in the most important time of the year.

I went ahead and spliced this next question a little bit that was posed a coach about how you expressed the importance of this game to the team against the Chargers. All pretty important, UM, But I thought the way he attacked this question was indicative of the feeling around the football team about a missed opportunity, one that kind of went by the boards, but also the eagerness and the I guess ability to respond in a way that's going

to make Dolphins fans very happy and very proud. Let's go ahead and hear this from Mike McDaniel, and this would be a theme throughout this press conference. You'll hear from him when he talked about corrections in the passing game later on as well. You can tell he feels they missed an opportunity in this game. Here he is talking about the importance of the Chargers game and how fired up guys are already on a Monday to play

next Sunday. And the biggest thing is that, you know, guys, really, um, I really wanted uh to to try to get the victory against a very good opponent in this pass game, and um, you know that didn't happen. But we feel like there's uh some definite places where we can get

better from it. And you know, the next game can't come fast enough, So UM, guys are eager to get started on on the Chargers and you know you you you always um try to uh really basque in the opportunit you need to play in front of the national audience. So I think the team really relishes the opportunity to play a good football team and um get get back

on track after the one week hiatus. And of course the question about the Buffalo game getting flexed to Saturday night in a short week coming up, which sucks, and coach acknowledges that. But here he is talking about that short week and the Buffalo game, the quick turnaround, flying all day Monday morning, playing a game the following Saturday night on the road. Yeah, now that You're right on

both fronts. Uh. We are very much focused on the charters, but there will be an adjustment to the schedule, will be somewhere in between what a normal game is and what a Thursday night game is, because that is that will be a challenge, but that that's something that you know, I think it's important across the board for when when when we get to that point that that players coaches, they take it as as a as a challenge that UM, I don't want anybody spend any time feeling sorry for

themselves and I don't think our team will. UM. Bottom line is as we have two opportunities UM to play in front of the national audience, UM, something we've been building towards for the whole season in terms of how we play, UM, but only one of which we can really do anything about in the immediate future. So UH that it's definitely challenging, but not something that UM anyone's going to spend any time feeling sorry for themselves about because it's the UH that that's not our decision to make.

We're UH, We're happy to have the opportunity to play in front of our our peers and the national audience will do our best to take advantage of that. Two more here for coach, as promised the question about corrections in the passing game, I think you all are gonna love this one. You know, you want to be hitting

on all cylinders all times. And UM, the thing about a passing game as it can be very potent when all cylinders are are hitting and I think, UM, there you know clearly it wasn't in terms of um our completion percentage, the the throwing it to the opposing team as opposed to our own team, and um just really being as consistent as we we needed to be, and that I think, uh, from my estimation, there was as I told the team, I thought there was times that

uh really guys were pressing. There was some sometimes that we did have time to um to uh go ahead and make a play, and you know, the eligibles got their depths and were available in the time of the play, and other times that they weren't. UM we kind of let plays linger and uh and really overlap to further

existing place. So these are things that um, from my vantage point, are very very correctable that uh, you know, I think we needed that um stage, that environment that um, you know, one of those things where hey, you have a really good team, one of the best units in the league that are trying to defend you in a certain area and UM really pushing all resources towards it and what what you have to do to be able to combat that in the level that you have to play.

So I think a lot of guys learned stuff. I think guys uh did did learn various things without losing confidence. They they were very accountable today, UM, which is which is one of the reasons I UM so deeply invested and confident in this team and expect expected to look better, UM and take a step forward this this next coming week.

Finishing up here with a question, I asked coach about that hustle play from Christian Wilkins, tracking that play down from twenty yards down the field, and he gave me some cool insight on how this team kind of approaches trying to get eligible to stop their feet. Here's coach on that hustle play from Christian Wilkins. You know something that we've been getting better at during the course of

the year. It's something that we point out in all of our team meetings because it's uh, you know, making that's team defense because what happens that happened a little further down the field, and we would like it to happen. But if you get a uh an eligible to stop his feet because you have aggressive tackling UM down the field, if that defender or if the offensive player has to stop you, really good defenses make them pay and get turnovers UM in those type of situations. So that's something

that as a captain, we've counted on Christian. He's done a ton UM during the during the season. I think one of the bigger hits of the year came against UM Buffalo in a similar situation against Knox, I believe, and it's one of the strengths to his game to have consistent strain and that that affects UM players. They feel it, they hear it, Um, and you know it's part of the physicality of our defense that UM. You

know we we really when we're going at our best. Um, there's Uh not just him, but Um the whole deal line is able to get get some action chasing the ball. Can you tell how much fun I'm having this year by the fact that the podcasts are probably double the amount of time they were supposed to be when we originally began this venture back in I Digress And speaking of that, we only have three episodes this week and

three episodes for y'all next week. And the reason for that is because by the next time you hear my voice, I will be the proud papa of a second beautiful baby, a little boy. No podcast until the Friday preview of the Chargers game. No mail bag this week either, we're gonna be in the hospital for a couple of days. I'll be back with you guys on Friday and then

again on Sunday to recap. I will not be doing the postgame show on radio the next two weeks, so get a chance to to spend time with a family there. And by the time you hear this podcast, I'll probably we probably will have a little cam will be here with us. So we'll go two weeks of three shows per week and then get back on track for that stretch run starting on Christmas against the Green Bay Packers.

In the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me on Twitter at Lincoln NFL, follow the team at Miami Dolphins, Fish Tank Podcast, postgame show, Twitter spaces show every Wednesday night at eight o'clock. Probably gonna miss that one this week

as well, but also the team YouTube channel. Plenty of content heading your guys way on Dolphins Today, Drive Time, Fish Tank Content, media availabilities, all that stuff, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com Until next time finds up Caroline and cam Daddy. He's coming home.