![]() The offensive explosion by the Saints casts a different light the defense's performances over the first three weeks of the season. However, the New Orleans Saints proved otherwise, as Brees completed five passes to his tight ends for 104 yards and three total touchdowns. Those numbers could have been even worse but for a few breaks on penalties and replays.īefore Monday night, many fans and observers believed the lack of tight coverage against tight ends to be manageable. The defense walked into the Saints game having officially allowed 20 catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns to their opponents' TEs. The inability of the Dolphins defense to consistently cover tight ends is no longer just a curious footnote to a string of impressive victories. However, one could easily argue that Miller was forced to earn his scores-they came on runs from 10 yards and five yards out-whereas one of Daniel Thomas' touchdowns was gift wrapped to him when he subbed into a game with the Dolphins offense already at the opposition's 1-yard line. Over the same period, Thomas recorded 70 yards on 25 carries.īoth players have two touchdown runs. Miller ran 43 times for 196 yards through the first four games of the season. The game against the Saints only further revealed the wide disparity between Miller and his primary backup at running back, Daniel Thomas. The Dolphins felt they had to abandon the running game at that point and handed the football to a tailback only one more time the rest of the night. Miller's chances of reasserting himself as a ball-carrier faded when the Saints took the ensuing possession for a touchdown, making the score 28-10 less than halfway through the third quarter. The Dolphins were down 21-10 and were forced to punt after incomplete passes on second and third down. That final carry came on the first play after intermission. Miller carried the ball 10 times during the first half but only once in the entire second half. He also caught a six-yard pass on 3rd-and-7 and came inches away from reaching the first down.Īs the Dolphins got down on the scoreboard, they were forced to abandon the running game. Miller ran the football 11 times for 62 yards, including a five-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Miami Dolphins tailback Lamar Miller quietly had a very efficient day, despite his team being thoroughly outplayed under the bright lights of Monday Night Football. ![]() This is unsurprising, as the Dolphins did not play a single Monday Night Football game the entire year in 2012. The team looked young and inexperienced under the kind of pressure and scrutiny that comes with a Monday Night Football battle of undefeated teams in a difficult dome environment. They matched that total in the Saints game alone.įrom the start, certain players on the team did not seem ready to perform in such a high-profile setting. The Dolphins entered the game having turned the football over four times total over the previous three games. The Dolphins' play on the field certainly backed up Young's impression.Īfter committing an impressively low number of penalties (two) during the previous two games against the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons, the Dolphins were flagged five times against the Saints. ![]() That advantage only widened during the second half, as the Dolphins struggled to generate offense, while the Saints continued to punch the football into the end zone.Įventually, with the scoreboard working heavily against it, the Dolphins offense buckled under the pressure, giving up sacks and the ball to the Saints defense.ĭuring the postgame broadcast televised by ESPN, analyst Steve Young noted that prior to kickoff the Miami Dolphins players had a "wide-eyed" look, indicative of a team not being ready for a prime-time showdown in a hostile environment. Brees connected on another TD pass, giving New Orleans a 21-10 halftime lead. Miami managed to cut the deficit to 14-10, but an ill-timed interception thrown by quarterback Ryan Tannehill gave the Saints a short field. The Dolphins were only able to answer back with a field goal. The game started fast for the Saints, as they quickly drove down the field for a touchdown on the first possession of the ball game. The resulting 3-1 record puts the team one game behind the unbeaten New England Patriots in the race for the AFC East division title. The Dolphins loss comes on the heels of three consecutive victories, two of which came on the road against the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts. In this presentation, we will run through the main takeaways from Miami's discouraging defeat. The New Orleans Saints thoroughly defeated the Miami Dolphins in a 38-17 rout in front of their home crowd on Monday Night Football.
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