When it came to the Miami Dolphins’ first two NFL preseason contests against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons, caution was the appropriate response. And while fans still watching games that don’t really count, the third preseason game holds enough weight to determine if Dolphins fans will need delivery services for antacids or party favors this season.
It’s getting to be crunch time for franchises looking to start making decisions on final rosters. Here’s what we learned in the Week 3 hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Miami started quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick against Jacksonville — his performance rendered a yawn-inducing 5-for-11 with 33 yards in the first half against the Jaguars’ starting defense. As fans everywhere would be forgiven for throwing proverbial tomatoes at their televisions cursing “Fitzmagic” — but one bit of science must be added to the equation. Dolphins’ left tackle Laremy Tunsil did not participate in tonight’s contest.
For those who may think Tunsil’s impact is overblown, understand that Jacksonville recorded a whopping 12 tackles for loss throughout four quarters.
Josh Rosen took some snaps under center as well, hoping to prove his case for the starting job. Rosen ran for two first downs of ten yards or more in a 99-yard drive — one that culminated in a 3rd quarter score against the Jaguars’ second stringers. Rosen went 4-for-5 passing for 52 yards on that same drive, to boot.
Adding to fans’ concern? UDFA wide receiver Preston Williams failed to repeat his admirable performance from Week 1 against the Falcons — again. And running the football was a relatively unproductive prospect with Kenyan Drake out for this contest as well. Kalen Ballage posted a pedestrian 17 yards on 12 carries, though he was also impacted by offensive line woes.
Defensively, a number of crucial mistakes were made, the kinds that will quickly age head coach Brian Flores. Third-down stops became first-down conversions too often in this contest. But despite the mental miscues, the Dolphins held Jacksonville to seven points.
Defensive end Nate Orchard played a big part, making his presence felt up front. He recorded two sacks on the night, giving him a total of four in the preseason thus far. Of course, linebackers Jerome Baker and Sam Eguavoen were out in full force, too — each with a tackle for a loss of their own and numerous plays buzzing around the ball.
Eric Rowe represented the brightest spot for Miami’s secondary. He was quick to make up for committing a pass interference foul — a penalty that extended a Jaguars drive and ultimately led to Jacksonville’s only touchdown of the night. How? Rowe recorded two passes defensed and the first interception for the defense this preseason. This was one of two turnovers that the defense collected on the night, with the team nearly collecting a third on special teams when DB Chris Lammons popped returner D.J. Chark to force the ball loose. Chark was ruled down by contact upon review.
