Week 6: Dolphins vs. Jaguars Positional Grades

The Miami Dolphins lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Here are Miami’s positional grades from the Week 6 game:

Quarterbacks: B-

Tua Tagovailoa put together a solid, respectable performance after being sidelined for three weeks due to a rib injury. The Alabama product completed 70% of his passes for 329 yards. Tua played cautiously, but was effective and calculated with his decisions. Miami’s offensive line is not solid enough to rely on play-action passes and down-field plays.

Running Back: C

It seems like Myles Gaskin let down his biggest fan. The Washington Product broke his streak of averaging five yards per carry, finishing with just nine yards on five attempts. Running backs Salvon Ahmed and Malcolm Brown received the majority of the work-load, each tallying at least five carries.

Wide Receivers/ Tight End: B

Jaylen Waddle has put together some puzzling stat-lines over the past few weeks. Partly due to Miami’s elementary offense, the lion’s share of Waddle’s targets have stemmed from wide receiver screens or quick platform, three-step drop throws (slants or outs where Waddle is the primary target). Waddle hauled in 10 catches for 70 yards, reaching the end-zone twice. Tight-end Mike Gesicki’s recent string of performances make him a legitimate Pro-Bowl candidate. Gesicki totaled eight receptions for 115 yards. Gesicki is a crucial fit in an offense that thrives off of check-down throws. Injuries to DeVante Parker, Will Fuller and Preston Williams forced Mack Hollins to set up as one of Miami”s primary receivers. Hollins caught four passes for 61 yards, leading Miami in yards per catch (15.2).

Offensive Line: D+

Sunday’s contest was Miami’s first game this season without allowing a sack. However, Miami’s slow run-game was indicative of the fact that Miami was not getting much done up front. The lack of sacks was the product of a game plan that shied away from any plays that required time to develop. Miami has three offensive linemen that rank in the NFL’s top 10 for most quarterback hurries. 

Defensive Line/Linebackers: C

Miami’s defensive line hurried Trevor Lawrence at times, but was overall ineffective. Christian Wilkins impressed, totaling two tackles and a sack while anchoring the defensive line. Jaguar running back James Robinson totaled 73 yards on 17 carries, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Jerome Baker was able to inflict some pressure on Trevor Lawrence, narrowly missing a sack on three occasions. 

Defensive Backs: D

As expected, Miami’s defensive backs did not impress in the absence of star corners Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence posted a QBR of 93.4 while tallying 319 yards and a touchdown. After being a healthy scratch several times this season, 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene was targeted nine times, giving up seven catches for 104 yards.