The Miami Dolphins lost their first regular season game of the 2022 campaign, as they were defeated by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium.
Mike McDaniel’s team struggled to put up points in the contest. They turned the ball over twice and were unable to produce any takeaways. While the defense allowed just two touchdowns, Joe Burrow and company were efficient and got some chunk plays throughout the four quarters.
Obviously, Tua Tagovailoa is the biggest story to come out of the game due to the severity of his injury, and that’s something that will be monitored for at least the next week.
In Week 4, there were a few things we could take away from Miami’s performance.
Tagovailoa's injury is extremely concerning
Not many people know exactly how the process of ruling out a concussion went for Tagovailoa on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, but to have him go down in this game with a hit to similar areas of his body lead many to question whether he should’ve been in there at all.
The NFLPA is still investigating that procedure, so we won’t know for a while. However, now, everyone has focused on hoping for the best for the quarterback.
Any time there’s the fencing reaction to a hit to the head or neck, it’s shocking. It’s hard to focus on much else. Tagovailoa should be thinking about his long-term health, at this point, before he decides to step back on the football field again.
Xavien Howard is either more injured than he let's on, or he's regressed.
Howard went into the Week 3 game against Buffalo with a groin injury and was limited during practice before this Thursday night game with a glute issue as well. Then, during the contest, he was removed and was shown on the sideline with a leg wrap.
After the game, Howard denied that his injury hampered him.
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He’s being picked on this season, especially by Cincinnati. Through four games, Howard has allowed 11 completions on 18 targets for 167 yards and a touchdown for a 110.2 passer rating against, according to Pro Football Reference.
In memory, he’s been burnt for at least two long touchdowns this year — the 59-yard reception by Tee Higgins and the 75-yard catch and run by Rashod Bateman.
The special teams units need to be better.
Coming into Thursday night, Jason Sanders and Thomas Morstead were nearly perfect on the year. Sanders had made his only two field goal attempts and 11 of his extra points, while Morstead had averaged 43.9 yards per punt, including Week 3’s “butt punt.”
On Thursday, Sanders had one of his field goal attempts blocked and had one of his extra points hit the upright. That’s a four-point swing for a game that was a one-score difference until late in the fourth quarter.
Morstead also had a punt that he’d probably like to have back, as it traveled only 39 yards. It may have kept rolling, but gunner Justin Bethel inexplicably stopped its momentum. Following that punt, the Bengals had to move only 33 yards in eight plays to be in Evan McPherson’s field goal range.
Raheem Mostert had the first solid day of running
Prior to this game, Miami had been running the ball at an abysmal 3.3 yards per attempt, good for 31st in the NFL. Only the Los Angeles Chargers were less efficient (2.6 yards per carry).
However, Mostert was effective in this game, rushing 15 times for 69 yards (4.6 yards per carry). That’s much closer to what he had shown during his time with the San Francisco 49ers. If Miami can build on that, the offense will be much more difficult to defend.
On the other end of the spectrum, Chase Edmonds had a forgettable day. He brought in two receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown, but he also dropped another easy touchdown and rushed five times for six yards.
Miami bottled up Joe Mixon
Prior this game, Mixon hadn’t been very efficient this season, averaging 2.8 yards per attempt. He also hadn’t gotten into the end zone yet in 2022.
Miami held Mixon below his average, allowing 61 yards on 24 carries (2.5 yards per attempt). He did score his first touchdown of the year, but he was also limited to just 13 yards on four receptions in the passing game as well.
If Howard and Byron Jones return healthy in the coming weeks, this run defense, coupled with great play in the secondary, could make this group much more formidable.
