How Waddle Came Up with a Statement Game

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver had his most productive game since the 2022 season in the Week 12 victory against New England

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders with running back De'Von Achane at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Jaylen Waddle got one heck of a birthday present on Sunday, even if it was a day early.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver resurfaced in the offense in a major way in the team's 34-15 victory against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium, producing the second-best outing of his NFL career in terms of yardage.

Beyond the fact that Tua Tagovailoa looked his way with more frequency than he had all season, there were other differences with Waddle on this day.

WADDLE MAKES THE TOUGH CATCHES

Waddle caught eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown against New England, with new season highs for catches and targets with nine. The only time Waddle had more than the 144 yards he accumulated against the Patriots came in Week 2 of the 2022 season when he had 171 yards in the remarkable 42-38 comeback victory against the Baltimore Ravens.

As always, Waddle made good use of his speed against New England, but he also made a couple of tough catches, something that frankly hasn't necessarily been his calling card since he arrived as the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

The first was a diving catch on a pass barely off the ground that was confirmed after New England challenged the ruling and was good for 21 yards.

The second came when he ran down the left sideline and jumped back toward the line of scrimmage to catch an underthrown pass for a 29-yard gain.

Those are not necessarily the kind of catches we're used to seeing Waddle make.

One might suggest that maybe Waddle came up with those because he was more engaged as a result of being used more extensively.

Whatever the reason, it was a great day for Waddle, who hadn't reached 60 receiving yards in a game since the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But Waddle refused to buy into the idea he had become frustrated with his lack of opportunities on offense.

"No, man, I was more afrustrated from the losses than individual, me having individual goals or anything," he said after the game. "That’s more like a media thing, really."

NO "WADDLE" FOR NOW

The wide receiver capped his day with a 23-yard touchdown catch that made it 31-0 when Tagovailoa hit him in the middle of the field while looking to the outside to move defenders away.

"Tua kind of did a no-look that kind of messed me up a little bit, but yeah, man, just had determination," Waddle said. "(WR coach Wes Welker) has been telling me about getting in the box all week, previous weeks, and just had to fight to get in there for real."

What was unique about Waddle's touchdown is that he didn't celebrate it the normal way. That meant no "waddle" like a penguin.

Waddle explained the reason behind the absence of his normal celebration.

"I don’t know, man," he said. "It was getting like out of hand. When I go out in public, people be trying to tell me to do it, so it’s just like, ah.

"I don’t know if it’s retiring. It needs a break for a little minute."