Miami: Three Performances of Note
Miami’s O-Line
Miami’s bottom-tier pass blocking (-14.5) has been one of many reasons for their putrid record, but they made huge strides in improving this weakness the previous week against the Kansas City Chiefs, giving up just one hit and no sacks or pressures, and last week they continued in this positive direction. The dominant Jake Long showed up, holding stud OLB Brian Orakpo to just two pressures. RT Marc Colombo was once again the weakest link, but was not terrible, giving up a sack and two pressures. Center Mike Pouncey, RG Vernon Carey, and LG Richie Incognito meanwhile combined to give up only a hit and two pressures, usually giving Matt Moore a comfortable pocket to work in. This unit also got after the Redskins in the run game, with only Colombo grading negatively (-0.4) and Incognito performing the best at +1.8. Their day can be epitomized by one block on Bush’s one yard TD run with 8:25 left in the first quarter; Incognito pulls left and nails edge defender Laron Landry, who has been above-average in run defense, allowing Bush to run untouched into the end zone before then throwing Landry to the ground.
Nice Performances on the Inside
Both ILBs Kevin Burnett (graded red in five of the first six games) and Karlos Dansby (red in three of the first six games) struggled in the beginning of the season, but have since stepped up their game and that trend continued this week. Both did their best to make sure the Redskins’ non-existent running game remained so (+1.6 run defense each), while also contributing to the game in other ways. Burnett was thrown at three times but only allowed one of those passes to be caught for nine yards, while Dansby was tested a bit more, allowing four of six passes to be caught for 55 yards but also had perhaps the coverage play of the game, picking off Grossman in the red zone. Dansby also disrupted the passing game with a sack and a pressure in 12 rushes. If these two continue to make plays they’ve shown they are capable of making, Miami has a good chance to pile up some more “W”s this year.
Tight Ends contributing
Miami’s Tight Ends also contributed significantly in this victory. Former Dallas Cowboy Anthony Fasano, earning the highest overall offensive grade (+3.7), was coming off a two-touchdown performance, and continued to show off his impressive receiving ability by catching three of four passes for 60 yards. Watch him stretch to make a leaping one-handed 21 yard catch at 8:59 in the fourth quarter. He was also a solid pass blocker (no pressures given up in seven attempts) and run blocker (see his block on Kerrigan that helped spring Bush’s second TD, referenced above). Charles Clay, serving mostly as a full back but also catching a pass, and Jeron Mastrud, who stands up and neutralizes Orakpo on Bush’s first TD run, also helped this squad get its second win of the season.
Game Notes
- Kerrigan once again played every snap and has not missed one all year.
- Grossman’s NFL passer rating was higher when pressured (77.5, no picks) than with no pressure (50.2, two picks) while Moore was dramatically better with no pressure (98.4) than he was when he felt pressure (13.9, one pick).
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