Two Dolphins defenders ranked among top NFL rookies in Week 1 by PFF
There weren’t a lot of silver linings on defense for the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. If you were searching for them, we would point to New England “only” scoring 21 points, the strong performance of second year defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and we’d probably point to the sufficient play in the secondary. Specifically the rookies.
The Miami Dolphins had two rookie defensive backs play a large role for the defense in Week 1 against Cam Newton and the Patriots: safety Brandon Jones logged 34 snaps and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene played 37 snaps. And, if Pro Football Focus’ scoring is to be believed, both Jones and Igbinoghene were among the top rookie defense performers in Week 1 of the season.
Jones finished Week 1 with a 65.3 score — the eighth highest score given out to a qualifying rookie defender throughout Week 1. Among the performers to receive a better score? 1st-round picks Chase Young, C.J. Henderson and Javon Kinlaw — not bad company to be in for Jones, who served a pivotal role as a 3rd-safety as the team looked to combat New England’s physical approach.
Igbinoghene was called into action in a variety of ways thanks to veteran cornerback Xavien Howard working with a “pitch count” in his first game back from offseason knee surgery. Given Howard’s time on the COVID-19/reserve list and that lost rehab and conditioning time, Igbinoghene became an even bigger asset to help fill in for Howard.
His 54.8 final game grade might not leap off the screen at you, but it scored better than fellow 1st-round picks such as CB Damon Arnette, LB Patrick Queen, CB AJ Terrell, LB Kenneth Murray and LB/SAF Isaiah Simmons.
The Bills were complete control all after in their season-opening win against the Jets. However, a series of self-inflicted wounds left the scoreline looking much closer than it should have been.
The first half was smooth sailing for Buffalo. Quarterback Josh Allen contributed to all three scores on offense, throwing for two and rushing for another touchdown. He was the most important part of Buffalo’s offense, going 20-of-26 for 161 yards in the passing game while rushing 12 times for 59 yards. The Bills offense had 19 first downs as compared to the Jets’ five first downs. Buffalo also out-gained the Jets to the tune of 223-102 total yards in the first half.
Buffalo did allow the Jets to hang in this game even though the Bills were far superior for most of it. Allen fumbled twice, essentially taking points off the board for the Bills. Rookie kicker Tyler Bass pushed two kicks wide of the right post, giving the Jets a glimmer of hope.
Buffalo’s defense gave up one big play to New York, as receiver Jamison Crowder took a short pass in the flat 69 yards to the house. Otherwise, the defense kept Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in check. Early in the fourth quarter, Bills safety Jordan Poyer stripped Chris Herndon on a tight end screen, getting the ball back into Buffalo’s hands. The Bills got three points off of that turnover, putting Buffalo up by two scores.
Final Score: Buffalo 27, New York 17
Bills offensive tackle Ryan Bates. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Josh Allen Show: It’s clear that Buffalo has decided that Allen is the focal point of the offense. Even with the improved weapons on the Bills offense, Allen was part of 38 plays in the first half alone (26 passes and 12 rushes). With the lead, Buffalo allowed Allen to take some more chances, which unfortunately only landed the Bills three points…First half success: It was smooth sailing for the Bills offense early on. They scored on three drives and moved the ball well on their other two first-half possessions. Buffalo out-gained the Jets by a two-to-one margin and took a 21-3 lead into half. Defense wins championships: Buffalo’s defense kept the Jets under wraps all afternoon. With the exception of one big play, New York struggled mightily to move the ball…Solid debuts: Several newcomers to the Bills roster made significant contributions in the game. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught eight passes for 86 yards. Zack Moss caught a four-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Defensive end Mario Addison recorded a sack…Mistakes don’t hurt: The Bills left several points on the board during the game. Allen fumbled twice while the offense was moving the ball well. Kicker Tyler Bass missed two field goals. Even after these miscues, the defense kept everything under control, limiting the Jets to 254 total yards on offense. For their part, the Bills defense forced an interception and fumble.
It was over when…
Bills kicker Tyler Bass. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
In the first half, it looked that the game was over once Buffalo’s offense took possession of the ball. However, the Bills’ miscues kept the game from becoming a blowout. Officially, the game was out of hand when the Buffalo’s offense bled the clock down on an effective 11-play, six-and-a-half-minute drive which culminated in a short field goal by Bass. This gave Buffalo a three-score lead with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
Josh Allen-Allen had a career day contributing to all three of the Bills touchdowns. He threw for a career-best 312 yards on a 33-of-46 passing day. He opened the scoring with a two-yard bootleg run. He followed that up with touchdown passes to Zack Moss and John Brown.
Buffalo’s defense–outside of garbage time, the Bills defense crushed the Jets offense. The Jets could only muster 52 yards on the ground. The unit forced two turnovers to keep New York from getting close on the scoreboard.
Stefon Diggs–Diggs had a solid debut with the Bills, catching eight passes for 86 receiving yards. He took some hits, and he bailed out his quarterback on a few occasions. This is a great start as the Bills’ WR1.
The Bills did not have a 300-yard passer for 49 games. That streak ended Sunday afternoon, as Allen passed for 312 yards on the day. The streak, which has been looming over Allen and the Bills, has not evaporated. In a league where 300-yard passes are becoming the norm, Buffalo has finally found a way to break this miserable drought. This progress is promising and may mean something for the Bills offense moving forward. As much as Sean McDermott discussed how the run game will be in control, the passing attack was on display Sunday.
What’s next?
Bills outside linebacker Matt Milano. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Buffalo travels to Miami to faceoff in their second consecutive AFC East clash against the Dolphins. Miami makes their home debut after falling to New England 21-11 in Week 1 action. Last season, Buffalo dominated the Dolphins, sweeping the series by a combined score of 68-41. In both games against Miami, Bills quarterback Josh Allen went 37-of-59 for 458 passing yards, five touchdown passes, and no interceptions.
Weather forecast for Dolphins’ Week 1 showdown with Patriots
Welcome to the first Miami Dolphins Sunday of 2020, Dolphins fans! The long wait is finally over and we’ll have the chance to watch all of Miami’s hard work this offseason to lay a new foundation for their football team. The litmus test is upon us — the Dolphins are all set to square off against the New England Patriots in an AFC East divisional showdown. The Dolphins should consider themselves thankful to have avoided another winter trip to New England, even after last year’s cold-weather win. But will the weather be a factor today for the game?
Here is the current forecast for Miami’s visit to Foxborough this afternoon, which is scheduled for a 1PM EST kickoff.
Today’s contest will feature smooth sailing on the weather front. Whether or not that translates to a win on the field for the Dolphins is yet to be determined — but our wait is over. Dolphins football has returned!
Buffalo Bills & New York Jets uniform combinations they’ll be wearing Week 1, 2020 NFL season.
The Buffalo Bills have announced their uniforms the team will wear for their season opener against the Jets. The team is going with a clean white-on-white look.
Check out the Bills uniform for this week against the New York Jets:
The Jets have yet to announce their jersey combination for Sunday’s game. However, they’ll likely sport a green look instead of their all-black look which is typically a considered uniform for home games. Here’s a preview of New York’s potential look:
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
