The Miami Dolphins stay out west following a tough loss last Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Miami will go from Santa Clara to Los Angeles and face the Chargers. This game was recently flexed to primetime, and this is the first time Miami has been flexed into Sunday Night Football since the NFL instituted flexible scheduling in 2006.
The Dolphins have won three of their past four games against the Chargers including the past two road games one in Los Angeles in 2017 and the other in San Diego in 2016. Sitting at 8-4, the Tua Tagovailoa-led Dolphins will face a 6-6 Charger team led by Justin Herbert, and Los Angeles will be fighting for their playoff lives.
Miami looks to keep in contention for the AFC East Division crown, as winning out would mean the title is theirs. Also in play could be the number one overall seed should Kansas City slip just one more game.
Before getting ahead, the Dolphins do need to focus on Herbert and the Chargers on Sunday night, as the nation will be watching, and surely hitting the social channels on literally every throw the two will make.
Tua Tagovailoa needs to rebound from tough outing, and return to MVP form
Through 12 games this season the Miami Dolphins rank fourth in total offense with 380.2 yards per game and eighth in scoring offense with 24.9 points per game.
Despite a tough game against the 49ers, right now Tagovailoa is the NFL’s highest-rated passer at 112.0, on pace to break the Dolphins record of 108.9 set by Dan Marino in 1984. Tagovailoa also leads the NFL in third-down passer rating (137.8) 4th-quarter passer rating (125.1) and red-zone passer rating (115.0).
The Dolphins are second in the league in yards per play at 6.29, and Tagovailoa still leads the league in yards per pass attempt at 8.11.
Tyreek Hill on verge of Miami Dolphins history
In a fun coincidence, Tyreek Hill is 11 yards away from breaking the Miami Dolphins single-season receiving yards record held by Mark Clayton from 1984. He’ll almost certainly accomplish this early on against the Chargers Sunday night.
In a related stat, Clayton’s 143 yards on 9/7/86 were tops in the all-time series between these franchises.
Hill still leads the league in yards, currently with 1,379 and receptions with 96 and has four games with at least 10 receptions and 150 receiving yards this season. Hill is in great company, now tied with Pro Football Hall of Famers Tim Brown, Calvin Johnson, Jerry Rice and Antonio Brown for the most such games in a single season in NFL history.
Hill also has five games left this season.
Hill leads the NFL with 16 receptions of 50+ yards since he entered the league in 2016 and has two plays this season of over 50 yards.
Christian Wilkins having Pro-Bowl campaign
Wilkins had a career-high 12 tackles Sunday and it was tied for the most by a Miami Dolphins defensive lineman since at least 1994 (defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had 12 tackles on Sept. 18, 2016, at New England).
Since 2019 only one defensive lineman has more tackles than Christian Wilkins and his 258. That would be five-time (and currently consecutive) Pro Bowler from 2017-21 and three-time All-Pro, Cameron Heyward with 272.
Xavien Howard finally gets a interception this season
Howard recorded an interception against San Fransisco, and it was the 28th of his career.
Since 2016, he’s still the NFL leader in picks, despite yesterday being his first of the 2022 season. He’s just one away from moving into a tie for fourth place in Dolphins history, joining Glenn Blackwood and Howard’s current assistant coach, Patrick Surtain.
Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips each on sack-streak, as Miami's pass rush improves
The Dolphins have recorded multiple sacks in four straight games and nine in their past two games. Chubb has three straight games for Miami with at least 0.5 sacks, and 2.5 total since joining the team. He’s played four games for Miami.
Phillips is also on a three-game sack streak and was recently named Miami’s representative for the NFL’s 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Zach Sieler having great season, and getting hot before winter
Paired with Wilkins on the defensive line, the two have become a tag team of running-stopping menaces. Sieler got in on a sack against the Niners as did Wilkins. Sieler recorded seven total tackles and hit the quarterback twice.
In the Dolphins’ first six games, Sieler had 16 tackles, none for a loss, and no sacks with one pass defended and a pair of quarterback hits. In the last six games he has recorded 31 tackles, three for loss, five quarterback hits, and three passes defended.
