Tag: Xavien Howard

Bills at Dolphins: 6 storylines to watch for in Week 18

#Bills at #Dolphins: 6 storylines to watch for in Week 18:

The Buffalo Bills will turn to the final page of their 2023 regular season: A finale at the Miami Dolphins.

The Bills (10-6) are fresh off their huge win over the New England Patriots in a 27-21 fashion. Buffalo will hope to stay in their winning ways against Miami, however, the Dolphins (11-5) will be no pushover.

The stakes are insanely high, too.

But before we even get to kickoff, there will be a lot of Bills-related discussions and conversations to be had throughout the coming days.

With that, here are six storylines to watch for during the lead up to Bills at Dolphins on Sunday:

Mike McDaniel provides updates on group of injured Dolphins after Ravens game

The HC has some injury updates, including a negative update on a CB who went down on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins have been rather unlucky in recent weeks when it comes to the injury front, as it seems like they leave each game with at least two significant injuries.

On Sunday, against the Baltimore Ravens, the Dolphins had two players get carted off and one pulled late. We already found out that linebacker Bradley Chubb has a torn ACL and is done for the season.

With many injury statuses up in the air, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel updated everyone on the statuses of a few of his players.

Here’s what he had to say:

Dolphins CB Xavien Howard questionable to return vs. Ravens

Miami loses a CB early on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins went up 7-0 early over the Baltimore Ravens, but when Lamar Jackson and company got the ball, they were moving right away.

On their very first offensive play, wide receiver Rashod Bateman hit Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard with a move that left him reeling.

A few plays later, Howard went to the sideline where he was checked out by the training staff in the blue medical tent. The team announced that he’s dealing with a foot injury, and his return to action on Sunday is questionable. He was eventually carted the locker room.

Baltimore went down the field with ease to tie the game 7-7. If Howard can’t go, Miami will have to rely on Kader Kohou, Eli Apple and Nik Needham to step up alongside Jalen Ramsey.

UPDATE: Howard has been ruled out for the remainder of the game.

WATCH: Dolphins CB Xavien Howard mic’d up vs. Cowboys

A behind-the-scenes look from the perspective of a four-time Pro Bowler.

The Miami Dolphins took on the Dallas Cowboys at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and they walked away with a 22-20 victory to improve to 11-4 on the season.

Miami’s defense was solid outside of a few plays given up to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb early, including a 49-yard touchdown. Luckily, kicker Jason Sanders was there to save the day, making five field goals (three from beyond 50 yards) including the game-winner.

Throughout the game, cornerback Xavien Howard was mic’d up, so the Dolphins’ content team could get his reactions to plays and hear some interactions with teammates past and present.

The best moment from the video was when cornerback Nik Needham accidentally took Howard’s helmet, causing the four-time Pro Bowler to panic. Howard greeting former Dolphins cornerback Noah Igbinoghene was also awesome.

Studs and duds from Dolphins Week 16 victory over Cowboys

Who deserves credit, and who deserves criticism for their performances?

The Miami Dolphins earned their 11th victory of the season on Sunday, as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 22-20 at Hard Rock Stadium.

Mike McDaniel’s team struggled to play their best ball on offense and had some costly penalties on defense, but when it mattered most, they drove down the field and set their kicker up with an opportunity to win the game for them, and he delivered.

As we do after every game, let’s take a look at some of those who deserve credit and some who deserve criticism. for their performances against the Cowboys.

Dolphins injury updates after Week 15 win vs. Jets

Mike McDaniel updates the media and fans on injuries.

The Miami Dolphins have had a long list of injuries in recent weeks that have left them playing without starters in each phase of the game.

After their Week 15 victory over the New York Jets, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel spoke to the media and updated them and the fans about a number of players who have been sidelined due to injuries.

Here’s what he had to say during his availability on Monday afternoon:

Dolphins CB Xavien Howard suffers injury on first drive vs. Titans

Miami loses a CB just three defensive plays into the game.

The Miami Dolphins have had a lot of injuries on the defensive side of the ball in recent weeks, and the Week 14 matchup with the Tennessee Titans brought more of the same.

Just three defensive snaps into the game, cornerback Xavien Howard collided with safety Brandon Jones on an incomplete pass that resulted in the cornerback staying on the ground.

Favoring his hip, Howard eventually walked off of the field under his own power and went right to the blue medical tent.

It’s unclear if Howard will return to action at this time.

UPDATE: Howard returned on the next drive.

Throwback Thursday: Dolphins CB Xavien Howard records two INTs vs. Patriots

Looking back to six years when ago when a star was born in Week 14.

The Miami Dolphins are set to square off against the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football in Week 14.

As we take a look back on this “Throwback Thursday,” the last time Miami played a Week 14 Monday night game was quite memorable for star cornerback Xavien Howard.

Six years ago, during the 2017 season, the Dolphins were matched up against the defending champion New England Patriots led by legendary quarterback Tom Brady. Miami came into the game with a mediocre 5-7 record but was still competing for a wild-card spot.

At the time, Howard was in his second season with the Dolphins. The 2016 second-round pick earned himself a starting role in his sophomore year, starting all 16 regular season games in 2017.

It was this game against the Patriots where Howard would make a major statement showing his value as a future star on defense.

Howard recorded two interceptions against Brady.

The first came on New England’s opening drive with the Dolphins up 3-0. Brady tried to connect with wide receiver Brandin Cooks, but Howard covered the corner route perfectly to intercept the pass. The turnover help set up a field goal for the Dolphins, extending their first-quarter lead to 6-0.

Howard’s second interception came on the opening drive of the third quarter with the Dolphins up 13-10.

The former Baylor Bear was, once again, matched up with Cooks, whom Brady tried to hit on a fly route for a potential big play. Howard spoiled Brady’s plans by positioning himself perfectly underneath a slight underthrow for his second interception.

Miami’s offense capitalized on the turnover with a six-play, 46-yard drive which resulted in a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jay Cutler to receiver Jakeem Grant, extending the Dolphins’ lead to 20-10.

Miami maintained the lead the rest of the way to win 27-20, despite Brady almost pulling off another classic fourth-quarter comeback. Unfortunately for the 2017 Dolphins, this would be their final win of the season, as the team missed the playoffs.

This was a significant performance in solidifying Howard’s future with the Dolphins.

The week before this contest, Howard also recorded two interceptions against the Denver Broncos, one of which he ran back for a touchdown. This two-game stretch gave the rising star a few highlights to go along with his impressive 2017 campaign. The following season in 2018, Howard earned his first Pro Bowl selection.

Fast forward to 2023 and Howard is the longest-tenured player on the Dolphins, who are currently positioned atop the AFC. Howard has been wearing aqua and orange through some down years, but it’ll be exciting to hopefully see the now four-time Pro-Bowler show off his talents deep into the playoffs.

Dolphins will be without top pass rusher ahead of Week 13 matchup vs. Commanders

The Dolphins lost a key piece to their defense for the season last week.

When the Miami Dolphins come to FedEx Field on Sunday, they will be without one of their top defensive players. In Miami’s Black Friday win over the New York Jets, linebacker Jaelan Phillips suffered a torn Achilles and is unfortunately lost for the season.

The 6-foot-5, 263-pound edge rusher is in his third NFL season and was tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

To replace Phillips on the roster, the Dolphins are expected to sign longtime NFL veteran Jason Pierre-Paul from the Saints’ practice squad to their 53-man roster. A former first-round pick of the New York Giants, Pierre-Paul is a 14-year NFL veteran with 94.5 career sacks.

Miami’s defense is ranked No. 7 in total defense but No. 23 in scoring defense. The Dolphins have one of the NFL’s top cornerback duos in Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard.

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel shares thoughts on the trajectory of his defense

The defense has stepped up since the Week 4 loss to Buffalo

Following their dominant 34-13 victory over the division-rival New York Jets on Friday, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked about the trajectory of his team’s defense

McDaniel responded by hand-signaling an upward trajectory.

“I think our defense was kind of overlooked for a while,” he said. “I think since Week 8 up until this game, we had been number one in the league in defense stopping the run, and I think that epitomizes the whole team.”

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit was dominant in the Week 12 blowout of the Jets, totaling seven sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

“This has been hard work and dedication each week, belief in what they’re being coached, and complete ownership of responsibilities,” added McDaniel.

In the seven games since the Buffalo Bills dropped 48 points on the Dolphins, teams have averaged under 20 points against Fangio’s defense. The Philadephia Eagles are the only team to score more than 30 points on them since Week 4.

There have been a multitude of moving pieces on the team’s defensive depth chart, with injuries to the secondary and a deep linebacker room. Pairing corners Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard has added more strength to the Miami pass defense.

However, the unfortunate injury to linebacker Jaelen Phillips will be a massive blow to the defense moving forward. It will take some adjustments out of the front seven with players such as Andrew Van Ginkel, Jerome Baker and David Long Jr. needing to step up in Phillips’ absence in order for the defensive success to continue.