The Dolphins stumble at home, against determined and effective Lions. The defeat prevents Miami from keeping the first place in the AFC East.
For the seventh week of the NFL in Miami the Detroit Lions arrive, fresh bye week team and eager to have their say in a difficult division like NFC North. For the Dolphins second consecutive week with Brock Osweiler in place of Ryan Tannehill, who continues to have problems with his shoulder and can not return to the field.
The lions roar
The first time if they win, with cleanness, the guests. The attacks brought by Lions are immediately effective, mixing very well the accuracy of their QB Matthew Stafford and the explosiveness of the RB freshman Kerryon Johnson, who in three possessions of his team already exceeds 100 yards in the race, thanks to two beautiful range from 24 to 71 yards, combined with shorter ones. Johnson is not able to score in the first half hour of the match, because the two blue signatures are signed by TE Michael Roberts and the expert RB LeGarrette Blount, who walks in the half from 2 yard offensive after a long possession well interpreted from his offense, in the last attack of the first half.
Roberts' 6 points, however, arrive on the first action in attack of the Lions, with a pass that catches the home defense too unprepared. between these two touchdowns, Detroit kicker Matt Prater finds a 3-point FG.
Miami instead is plastered, manages to score a TD with Kenny Stills at the end of a good position where Osweiler involves Albert Wilson well (on a 25 yard pass), which takes a blow in the action and is brought to the locker room for investigations - and it will not come back - and TE Mike Gesicki (27 yards) finally fully involved in the attack maneuvers.
The concreteness of the guests translates into an advantage of 10 points at the end of the second quarter and the advantage of starting off again in the third quarter. The defense of Miami seems out of phase, less effective than usual and the Lions, with relative tranquility, appear to be able to match them.
The third quarter still opens in the sign of the lions: Stafford in the control room leads the team well, bringing it into the red zone, but here wins the defense of Miami, which gives guests only the 3-ounce football. Osweiler takes the ball with the score of 20 to 7 for the Lions and the awareness of having to try to make another comeback.
A final bitter
The possession of Miami bears fruit: Osweiler still plays with Gesicki and finds him with a pass from 18 yards, then Kenyan Drake guilty to fall a promising passage, but the same RB knows how to immediately be forgiven, with a run of 54 yards that comes straight in half. The game continues, however, its run on the blue track, because Johnson and Blount are unstoppable and continue to march to the field, allowing Stafford the opportunity to connect with Roberts in the end zone, for the length of Detroit: 26 to 14. The score does not change because Matt Patricia, guest head coach, tries the conversion from 2 points, failing it.
The gears of the Dolphins are not oiled and the offensive line yields, so Osweiler goes to the ground, there will be 4 sacks suffered by the QB at the end of the race. It is oiled instead, instead, the attack Lions, Johnson seems unstoppable, Golden Tate receives a reverse and gains a first down, the Dolphins are finally heard and block the attack between 30 and 35 defensive, from where Prater can kick a field goal and stretch again: we are now under 15, is a game on the two recoverable possessions, but immediately need a TD. And he arrives. After having fallen well with a good mix of races and passes, even trying some long ones, Osweiler sees Danny Amendola and finds him in the goal: 24 yards and 6 points for the Fins, who become 7 after Jason Sanders PAT.
To try to balance it, however, also serves the defense response, and this is not coming and condemns the landlords. Stafford finds Tate for a first down and chews the chronometer with his RB, then a pass interference called Xavien Howard is worth a first automatic down and Detroit is already in range for the FG. After the attack is blocked 3 times, Prater shows up and performs perfectly: 3 points again and play, game, meeting for Lions: Miami has 1 minute and 55 and 11 points to be recovered, they are too many in too little time and the company fails. The desperate move by Adam Gase is to kick a long kick to Sanders and then try an onside kick, the number 7 but misses the target and Stafford only has to kneel twice for the W. It ends 32 to 21 a game that the Fins throw away. The best in the field for the home team was probably the punter Matt Haack, which says a lot.
Closing
Lions were well within the reach of these Dolphins, even without Tannehill, yet they managed the advantage from start to finish without ever going into trouble, almost as if they were the hosts. Miami has been limited and has never found any countermeasure against Stafford's arm and Johnson's legs, but should not the defense be the pride of this team? The attack appeared popped, static, sometimes completely without ideas, perhaps because of the injuries that have not been missing in this match, but this fact cannot be an excuse. We expect more difficult games in the season of this, if they are faced in this way, I do not think they will end well.
A quick glance at the race statistics: Brock Osweiler completed 22 of his 31 attempted passes, for 239 yards, with 2 TD and 0 interceptions (at least this is good news), Kenyan Drake raced 72 yards in 6 courses, one of which was a TD while Danny Amendola received 84 yards in 6 receptions, including a TD.
The Dolphins are now with a record of 4 wins and 3 losses, in second place of AFC East because the Patriots, winners in Chicago, are now in the lead only 5-2, with merit.
Friday night, Miami visits a dangerous team like the Houston Texans, in Tuesday Night Football; the weekly updates on the Dolphins, therefore, will arrive a few days before.
Comments