Dolphins squeak out first preseason victory
Dolphins showed a bunch of good in their preseason game
The Dolphins played their first preseason game last night and were able to come away with a 26 to 24 victory against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Kicker Jose Borregales hit the post on the final kick of the game, which allowed Miami to squeak out the victory. The Bucs were without Brady and 28 other starters and Miami sat out 20 starters, so clearly this should be taken with a grain of salt. Still a win is a win!
Skylar playing sky high!
The Dolphins decided to allow rookie QB Skylar Thompson to play the full game, and he ended up doing a darn good job. He went 20 for 28 for 218 passing yards, 1 touchdown, added 3 runs for a total of 25 yards, and most importantly no turnovers. It could be hard for Miami to keep 3 QBs on the 53 man roster, but if Thompson continues to play well in the preseason, Miami may need to make the hard cut to keep him on the team.
The most productive receiver for us was Lynn Bowden Jr., who caught 3 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Bowden Jr. and Preston Williams were reported to be put on the trade block this past week, so it will be interesting to see what Miami ends up doing with them. I think Bowden Jr. can help our team with his unique skill set and see him as one of the top 5 or 6 wide receivers on the team. We should keep him on the roster. Williams on the other hand has publicly complained about not getting many opportunities in practice and was not even targeted in this game. Most of the pay per head sites are betting means his days in Miami are numbered.
On the downside our run game was horrible
The Dolphins running attack didn’t look much better than last year with only 14 rushes for 49 yards and 3.5 yards per carry. Gaskin and Thompson were the biggest contributors in the run game, whereas everyone else didn’t show much. Hopefully once the full starting Offensive line and running back group plays this will improve.
On defense we caused 2 turnovers with 1 fumble recovery run back for a touchdown by Sam Eguavoen. However, the depth in the Dolphins secondary looks weak and got weaker by the end of the night with Trill Williams suffering what appears to be a significant injury. Former first round pick Noah Igbinoghene did not help his case, and gave up multiple big plays. Unfortunately, Igbinoghene looks to be quickly approaching bust status. As a result, Miami may be looking around the league for some veteran cornerback help.
Lastly, kicker Jason Sanders, who had his struggles last season, kicked off the preseason on the right foot, by connecting on all 4 of his field goal attempts, including one for 53 yards. Hopefully, he can play more like he did in 2020, which will be a boost for our team. Miami must make it happen this year, so we can use every boost we can get!
What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans thoughts on our first preseason game?
