McDaniel updates Armstead news. And notes on every Dolphin position, Tagovailoa’s rankings
Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead could miss multiple games with a quadriceps injury sustained during Friday’s win against the Jets.
Coach Mike McDaniel called his status “week to week.”
Kendall Lamm would replace him at left tackle if his back injury allows him to play. Lamm -- who was added to the injury report Friday morning with a back injury -- played late in Friday’s game when the Dolphins were short on offensive linemen.
McDaniel said Armstead’s quadriceps injury isn’t as serious as Dolphins guard Isaiah Wynn’s season-ending quad injury that was sustained Oct. 22.
Armstead missed the first two games of the season, played two and then missed four with a knee injury. In his 11-year career, he has never been healthy for an entire season.
The biggest injury news Friday was Jaelan Phillips’ season-ending torn Achilles. For details on that and his replacements, please click here.
NOTES BY POSITION
▪ Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa’s 77.5 passer rating on Friday was his lowest of the season, but keep in mind that several other well-regarded quarterbacks (perennial MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts) also have struggled against the Jets.
Tagovailoa dropped from second to fourth in quarterback rating (fifth if you count Kirk Cousins, who sustained a season-ending injury in the Vikings’ eighth game).
Tagovailoa (103.7) rating now trails San Francisco’s Brock Purdy (112.3), Dallas’ Dak Prescott (107.4) and Denver’s Russell Wilson (104.3) in passer rating.
Tagovailoa and Buffalo’s Josh Allen are tied for second in the NFL in touchdown passes with 22, one behind Prescott’s 23.
But Tagovailoa’s 10 interceptions are tied with Green Bay’s Jordan Love and New England’s Mac Jones for third most, behind Washington’s Sam Howell (13) and Allen (12).
Tagovailoa is second in passing yards (3177), behind Howell. He’s third in completion percentage at 69.8, behind Purdy (70.2) and Prescott (70).
Tagovailoa has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 20 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest active streak and the second-longest in team history behind Dan Marino’s 30 from 1985 to 1987.
The Dolphins have won 22 of Tagovailoa’s last 31 starts. Only Hurts and Mahomes have a higher winning percentage among quarterbacks over that span.
On Friday against a stout Jets defense, Tagovailoa was sacked twice and pressured on just 14.7 percent of his drop backs. Per Next Gen Stats, that was his second lowest pressure percentage of the season.
Part of that is a byproduct of his quick release. It’s also a result of solid pass blocking against a very good Jets front. And to expand on that…
▪ Offensive line: Lester Cotton, who started at left guard, and Liam Eichenberg, who was filling in for Robert Hunt at right guard, did not allow a single sack or pressure in 34 pass blocking snaps apiece.
No. 4 offensive tackle Kion Smith ended up playing a combined 21 snaps at both tackle spots, a result of Armstead being limited to 49 snaps by the quad injury, No. 3 tackle Lamm dealing with a back injury and Austin Jackson’s fourth quarter ejection.
Smith allowed no sacks or pressures, but Miami dropped back to pass only five times when he was in the game.
Jackson relinquished only one pressure before that fourth quarter dust-up that also led to the ejection of the Jets’ C.J. Mosley.
After Jackson left, Lamm played eight snaps at left tackle and Smith played right tackle. Armstead allowed one pressure and no sacks in his 29 pass blocking chances before his injury.
Among offensive linemen, PFF said center Connor Williams, Smith, Lamm and Jackson were the Dolphins’ best run blockers on Friday. PFF rates Williams the NFL’s best center this season.
▪ Running back: Raheem Mostert (20 carries for 94 yards, 4.7 average) played 42 snaps and Jeff Wilson (11 for 56, 5.1) played 23 in what was Wilson’s most extensive action of the season.
Mostert’s two rushing touchdowns gave him a league-leading 13. He has 15 total TDs; Mark Clayton’s 18 TDs in 1984 are the most in a single season in team history.
And Mostert’s 785 rushing yards lead the AFC.
Darryton Evans, elevated from the practice squad, played five snaps but fumbled after gaining 16 yards on two carries.
De’Von Achane was inactive and didn’t play through his knee injury because “it didn’t feel quite right,” according to NFL Network.
▪ Wide receiver: With nine receptions for 102 yards on Friday, Tyreek Hill is now on pace to finish with 2046 receiving yards; no player has ever reached the 2000 yard receiving threshold. He also has a league-high 10 touchdown receptions.
Hill played 44 of Miami’s 70 snaps, and Jaylen Waddle played 46 snaps en route to 114 receiving yards, his second highest total of the season.
Asked about Hill not playing some snaps, McDaniel said: “Strategically, we want him to be at his best... We manage his snaps.”
Braxton Berrios, back from a hamstring injury, played 38 offensive snaps, compared with 27 for Cedrick Wilson Jr. and 24 for River Cracraft. None of those three players caught a pass.
▪ Tight end: Durham Smythe returned from an ankle injury and logged 54 snaps. Julian Hill played 21 and Tyler Kroft 6. Smythe permitted a sack, his first allowed this season.
▪ Defensive line: Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler - who rank in the top 12 in snaps for defensive tackles - played 37 and 32 of the Dolphins’ 48 defensive snaps. Raekwon Davis also played 32.
Wilkins’ two sacks gave him a career-high 6.5.
Da’Shawn Hand played his second-highest snap count of the season (23) and had his first sack as a Dolphin.
The Dolphins allowed only 29 rushing yards (on 10 carries), their fewest rushing yards permitted since they held the Patriots to 25 in a game in 2017.
▪ Linebacker: At inside linebacker, Jerome Baker played 41 snaps, David Long 39 and Duke Riley logged 17 - more than usual for him this season.
Andrew Van Ginkel played 29 snaps between inside and outside linebacker.
Jaelan Phillips left with his Achilles injury after 35 snaps. Bradley Chubb played 46 of Miami’s 48 defensive snaps, and Emmanuel Ogbah played 14, mostly after Phillips’ injury.
PFF rated Ogbah Miami’s second-best defender on Friday; he had 1.5 sacks. Baker had an interception and PFF rated him Miami’s third-best player on defense.
Cameron Goode, now the No. 4 outside linebacker, played 10 snaps when the margin was lopsided.
▪ Cornerbacks: Miami played the entire game with at least three cornerbacks always on the field. Xavien Howard, Jalen Ramsey and Kader Kohou played all 48 defensive snaps.
Per PFF, Ramsey allowed all three targets against him to be caught, but for just 25 yards. Kohou permitted all three against him to be caught, but for just 17 yards.
Jets quarterback Tim Boyle threw only one pass against Howard, and that was incomplete.
Nik Needham played 12 snaps and Cam Smith 11 when the Dolphins were comfortably ahead. Smith allowed both passes in his coverage area to be caught, for 20 yards.
▪ Safety: Jevon Holland’s 99-yard interception return was the third longest in team history (behind Louis Oliver and Brock Marion), and PFF graded him the top Dolphin defender on Sunday and the top safety in football overall this season.
Holland left late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury but said after the game that he’s fine.
The Dolphins’ lopsided lead allowed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to give playing time to his reserve safeties – Brandon Jones (14 snaps) and Elijah Campbell (10).
