Miami Dolphins Week 15 Report Card

Breaking down how each position group performed for the Miami Dolphins during their 22-12 victory against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium

The Dolphins put together an impressive and methodical performance in the second half against the New England Patriots on their way to a 22-12 victory at Hard Rock Stadium.

It was a game dominated by their defense and running game, as reflected in the weekly report card:

Quarterbacks

Tua Tagovailoa was missing a lot of weapons in the passing game, but the Dolphins dominated the second half with the ground game. Tagovailoa had a high completion percentage (20-for-26), though his passing yardage was pretty low (145 yards). He was the victim of a clear drop by Mack Hollins on what should have been a 15-yard pick-up. Tagovailoa made a couple of questionable decisions in the pocket, including the one where he tried to throw after moving up and he ended up getting hit as he threw and the result was an interception that undid a 95-yard drive. Tagovailoa was faced with a similar situation in the fourth quarter, and that time he decided to keep running (after avoiding oncoming rusher J.C. Jackson) and the result was the first of his two rushing touchdowns. This was not a flawless performance, but still an overall efficient one. Grade: B

Running backs

The star of this game clearly was Salvon Ahmed, who came back from a three-game absence to produce the first 100-yard rushing performance by a Dolphins back since 2018 along with the team's longest run of the season. Ahmed was decisive in his running and ran with authority. Matt Breida also came back after missing a couple of games and he was equally impressive, with 86 yards on only 12 carries. Patrick Laird played a supporting role, though he did have that nifty 12-yard gain on a draw on third-and-8 on the game-winning touchdown drive. None of the backs were big factors in the passing game, though Ahmed did have a drop. Grade: A

Wide receivers

With DeVante Parker and Jakeem Grant both missing the game with hamstring injuries, Lynn Bowden Jr. again stepped forward with a team-high six catches, though he averaged only 6.2 yards per reception. Isaiah Ford caught all three passes thrown his way, though he was called for holding on a running penalty in the third quarter to basically derail a drive. Hollins had the one bad drop on what should have been a nice gain. This wasn't a day for the wide receivers to make much of an impact because the running game was so dominant. Grade: C+

Tight ends

With Mike Gesicki also missing the game because of an injury, Durham Smythe stepped up with a career-high five catches, good for a team-high 40 receiving yards. Adam Shaheen had only one catch, but he made it  count as he showed great open-field running ability to turn a short reception into a 15-yard gain. Smythe and Shaheen deserve credit for their blocking for the running game. Grade: B

Offensive line

The Dolphins again started three rookies, which certainly can be a challenge going against a New England defense. Granted, this isn't the same caliber Patriots defense they have fielded in recent years, but that doesn't take away from the great job the guys up front did. Ahmed and Breida deserve credit for the way they ran, but they also had some gaping holes on several occasions. The blocking on the Laird draw was outstanding, with a great pull by guard Michael Deiter, who got his first action of the season on offense after Solomon Kindley was injured. Tagovailoa was sacked twice, but the protection overall was pretty solid. Robert Hunt had the one penalty on the unit with a false start. Grade: A-

Defensive line

It's hard to complain about the defensive effort after the Dolphins kept New England out of the end zone, though it wasn't a flawless performance and it was helped by Newton's inconsistent passing. In the running game, for example, the Patriots averaged a hefty 5.3 yards a carry, topped by Sony Michel's 74 yards on only 10 attempts. The pressure on Cam Newton was spotty, though Zach Sieler and Emmanuel Ogbah got fourth-quarter sacks. Grade: B-

Linebackers

Kyle Van Noy and Elandon Roberts both returned after missing the Kansas City game with injuries, and they both made an impact. Roberts led the Dolphins in tackles with nine and had the one takeaway for the defense with a fumble recovery. Van Noy, for his part, had a tackle for loss. Jerome Baker continued his strong stretch of work with eight tackles and a sack, though he was flagged once for illegal contact. Andrew Van Ginkel also gave New England a free 5 yards when he got caught in the neutral zone before the snap. Grade: B

Secondary

Xavien Howard once again created a turnover, this time when he punched the ball out of the hands of Jakobi Meyers, but this wasn't a typical Howard performance. Meyers finished the game with 111 receiving yards and a lot of them came with Howard in coverage. In addition, Howard was called for defensive holding, as was Nik Needham. Byron Jones, Eric Rowe and Bobby McCain had quiet days, though rookie Brandon Jones had six tackles after getting the start at safety alongside Rowe. Newton finished the game 17-for-27 for 209 yards, and it needs to be mentioned again how spotty he was with his accuracy. Grade: B-

Special teams

There was very little of consequence that happened on special teams, though the two biggest plays weren't good for the Dolphins. The first came when Jason Sanders was wide left on a 52-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the first half, only his third miss of the season and his first from 50 yards or beyond after eight successful attempts. Then in the third quarter there was the great fake punt that saw Matt Haack complete a pass to Kamu Grugier-Hill for a first down, only to have the play nullified because the officials said that KGH never reported as an eligible receiver. There were no returns of note from either team. Haack averaged 46.7 yards on the three punts with a net of 41.3 yards. Grade: C-