Quick successes
Reinforcements are coming to Miami. Tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receiver Jakeem Grant return after losing last week’s victory over the Patriots.
Last week, the Dolphins showed their flexibility and commitment to the game plan approach week by week, using the tight ends Durham Smythe and Adam Shaheen in more than 40 clicks. Result: 250 yards on the ground, the maximum of the season.
The backfield also receives another player back with the return of Myles Gaskin. We’ll see how the Dolphins use Gaskin on their return, while newcomer Salvon Ahmed led Miami with 60% of offensive snaps last week, while Gaskin averaged 67.5% of offensive snaps in the games for which he was available. Ahmed’s 122 race yards last week were most marked by a Dolphins and Matt Breida’s 86 race yards against the Patriots were his most like a Dolphin.
Offensive guard Solomon Kindley is out, but Ereck Flowers returns after losing the Week 15 game – his first game lost as a Miami Dolphin.
Defensive side Shaq Lawson did not travel with the team. It will be their second lost game of the season (Week 5 in San Francisco), giving the Dolphins another opportunity to prove their courage in their absence. In that game, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s snap count rose to 46, after averaging 13.5 in the first four games of the season. Van Ginkel totaled six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in that game.