MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa proved against the Washington Commanders Saturday that he doesn’t need his star receivers to look sharp.
The Miami Dolphins‘ defense, meanwhile, certainly missed their missing pieces in preseason game No. 2.
We cover all that and more in our Commanders-Dolphins instant observations.
A Perfect Night for Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
There were questions about whether Mike McDaniel should play Tua Saturday night with four offensive starters out.
But Tagovailoa wanted the work, and he got it. The decision seemed smart in retrospect.
Tua was on the field for just one possession, but it was an effective one. The Dolphins traveled 61 yards to the end zone in 11 plays, capped by a perfect over-the-shoulder touchdown pass to River Cracraft that traveled 13 yards. (Cracraft got hurt on the play and did not return.)
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Tagovailoa stuck mainly to three-step drops with offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Aaron Brewer out. But his accuracy and timing were on point. Tagovailoa finished 5-for-5 for 51 yards and a passer rating of 148.8.
“I was happy with it,” McDaniel said on the broadcast at halftime. “We had the same play the first play of the drive as we did last year in Houston, and he completed it instead of throwing a pick, so that was a good start. And then ultimately, you just want to go see people communicate, how you rally around certain situations. We had a couple fourth-and-1ss, we did all right, so I was happy with it overall.”
Grounded Down
The running game suffered, however, behind a makeshift offensive line. The Dolphins’ starters, from left to right, were Kendall Lamm, Robert Jones, Liam Eichenberg, Lester Cotton, and Austin Jackson.
Behind that group, the sledding was tough for Raheem Mostert, who needed five carries to gain 7 yards. In Mostert’s defense, three of those five carries came in short-yardage situations, but it’s telling that those three attempts went for a total of 3 yards.
Mostert and De’Von Achane (44 yards from scrimmage on four touches) both saw action after getting last week off. But Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jaylen Wright did not.
So when fifth-stringer Chris Brooks got hurt in the third quarter, the Dolphins were forced to play rookie wide receiver Je’Quan Burton at running back.
Backup Battle Continues
McDaniel cautioned reporters last week not to read too much into the fact that Skylar Thompson has been ahead of Mike White in both practice and last week’s game.
But it’s certainly peculiar that the pecking order was Thompson first and White second again Saturday night.
Thompson, who entered the game in the second quarter, was better than he was the previous week, but still not great. He finished the night 8-for-15 for 61 yards and led the Dolphins on two field goal drives.
White, meanwhile, was again on the field with players who won’t be teammates in two weeks. He finished 11-for-20 for 116 yards.
Now, About That Defense …
The Dolphins’ defense was down even more starters than their offense — and it showed. Jalen Ramsey, Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer, Jaelan Phillips, and Benito Jones were all DNP.
When you take playmakers out of a defense, the defense tends to make fewer plays.
That was certainly the case for the Dolphins, who, in their first two defensive possessions, allowed 6.6 yards per play and had no sacks, turnovers, or tackles for loss.
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Cam Smith and Kader Kohou both had moments of good and moments of not-so-good. And credit Smith for hanging tough and breaking up a deep ball intended for Olamide Zaccheaus. But there is fresh concern about his health.
Smith, who was dealing with a soft-tissue injury earlier in camp, limped off the field holding his right hamstring following a punt coverage rep.
Rookie edge rushers Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara both made plays in the backfield in the second half.
Meanwhile, linebacker David Long Jr. left the game and did not return with an unspecified injury.