The Miami Dolphins came out in Chicago with an impressive first half, stretching to a13-0 lead courtesy of a Salvon Ahmed touchdown reception from Jacoby Brissett. But the highlights for the day ended there for the Dolphins, who slowly and steadily saw their lead whittle away to nothing as the teams got deeper and deeper into their depth charts.
Miami took a 13-3 lead into the half before the final clock struck all zeroes and the Dolphins down 20-13. Miami’s first preseason showcase offered plenty of reactions — what stood out the most? Here were three of the biggest takeaways for the defense.
A suffocating first half without major starters bodes well
The Dolphins entered today’s game without Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, Jaelan Phillips, Emmanuel Ogbah and others but still largely dominated the Bears for the first 30 minutes. Chicago’s first first down of the game came with less than a minute to go in the half as the Bears finally tacked on some points with a field goal. Miami’s starting defense, without half the starters, was as advertised.
QB Justin Fields killed Miami with his legs
Miami has struggled since forever with mobile quarterbacks, so it should come as no surprise that Justin Fields eventually started to bail the pocket, break contain and gouge Miami on the ground in the second half. If this were a regular season game, Miami likely would have taken extra measures to take that away. But it felt like the team was more focused on playing simple looks and letting their defenders win (or lose).
Miami’s depth at corner is known but still impressive
Howard and Jones didn’t play, which put the spotlight on defensive backs like Justin Coleman, Nik Needham, Noah Igbinoghene and others. For the most part, they didn’t disappoint. Needham was particularly impressive with reps both in the slot and outside; breaking up two passes with tight coverage. Igbinoghene got a much needed win with a good challenge downfield but his inconsistencies getting his eyes back to find the ball looms large as his next big challenge to help him prevent big plays downfield.