Miami boasts several talented pass catchers in their arsenal, led by wide receivers Tyreke Hill and Jaylen Waddle, tight end Jonnu Smith and running back De’Von Achane. To counteract their opponent, Tagovailoa will need to remain under wraps so as to limit big plays from occurring.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson turned over the ball on downs for Cleveland on their next possession, while Miami settled for Jason Sanders’ 54-yard field goal to take a 3-3 tiebreaker lead.
| Team | Player | Position | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Tyler Huntley | QB | Active | Stepped in for injured Tua Tagovailoa; led team with 2 total touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 passing) |
| Dolphins | Tyreek Hill | WR | Active | Played despite being listed as questionable; contributed to the offense |
| Dolphins | Jonnu Smith | TE | Active | Caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Huntley in the 4th quarter |
| Dolphins | Terron Armstead | OT | Active | Played despite being listed as questionable; key part of offensive line |
| Dolphins | Jaylen Waddle | WR | Inactive | Missed the game due to injury |
| Dolphins | Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Inactive | Missed the game due to injury |
| Browns | Jameis Winston | QB | Inactive | Did not play; backup quarterback unavailable |
| Browns | Jerry Jeudy | WR | Active | Led the team with 12 receptions for 94 yards |
| Browns | Myles Garrett | DE | Active | Recorded 2 sacks and 4 tackles; defensive leader |
| Browns | David Njoku | TE | Inactive | Did not play due to injury |
| Browns | Cedric Tillman | WR | Inactive | Did not play due to injury |
Defensive Line
The Browns will need strong performance from their defensive line to secure a playoff berth and reach the postseason this year, particularly Jowon Briggs, their promising seventh-round pick who has been an effective pass rusher against Miami offense which struggled in running game.
Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett has continued his stellar play this season and now boasts 14+ sacks – becoming only the fourth defensive player ever to do so in four consecutive seasons. To beat Myles, Dolphins must focus heavily on their defense.
On the other side of the ball, the Browns have been beset by injuries over recent weeks. Star tackle Terron Armstead (knee) will miss time while starting backup at left tackle; furthermore they are dealing with multiple cornerback injuries including Denzel Ward (shoulder).
Joel Bitonio, Germain Ifedi and Wyatt Teller all earned 83.7 PFF pass-blocking grades this week while center Ethan Pocic showed improvement with 70.6 run blocking grades. This trio may just be enough for Cleveland to claim its sixth consecutive home victory!
Dorian Thompson-Robinson has done an impressive job limiting turnovers for the Browns recently. Over his past three games he only committed two giveaways; this will prove important against Miami’s non-turnover-inducing defense this season.
If they want to make a comeback against the Dolphins, the Browns must improve their offensive ball protection and play more consistently as an entire unit on offense. They were only able to produce 2.8 yards per carry against Miami defense which wasn’t enough. To have any hope at making late season playoff runs.
Passing Game
The Dolphins’ offense will focus on passing, as is often the case. Tua Tagovailoa will have access to a diverse group of pass catchers like wide receivers Tyreke Hill and Jaylen Waddle as well as tight end Jonnu Smith and running back De’Von Achane to throw passes to. Their success also rests upon maintaining an uninterrupted pocket for Tagovailoa as well as strong rushers led by All-Pro linebacker Myles Garrett that can create havoc for Browns secondary.
Miami made their move quickly from a short field, marching downfield and crossing into the red zone on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to River Cracraft in the red zone. But, due to strong defense play from Cleveland, two punts and an interception resulted in early halftime.
Browns Front Four Led by Myles Garrett with Two SacksDespite an impressive showing from their front four led by Myles Garrett (two Sacks), they struggled to move the ball on the ground and sustain long drives through passing plays; Dorian Thompson-Robinson had difficulty finding targets and threw two Interceptions!
On Cleveland’s final drive of the first half, D’Onta Foreman attempted a fourth and one play from Miami 38 with an attempt at fourth down. Unfortunately, Foreman was stopped just short of reaching first down marker by Emmanuel Ogbah before giving Miami back possession deep in Browns territory.
On their initial offensive snap of the third quarter, Calais Campbell dropped Thompson-Robinson for a 3-yard loss on a keep play, and Ogbah then stripped it from him again to give Miami the advantage.
Whoever starts at quarterback for the Browns remains unknown; whoever it is must do better at taking care with the football than they have in recent games. As they sit 31st overall in terms of giveaways, and need to reduce errors if they wish to compete effectively and win games.
Offense
Browns Defense Stalls Dolphins Attack for Victory The Browns defense held off a hard-charging Dolphins attack to claim victory on Sunday afternoon, holding their offense and offensive line steady enough for victory while stopping any big plays by the Dolphins.
The Browns won the toss and elected to punt on their initial possession of the game, after two consecutive incompletions from quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson from within Miami 6-yard line. Unfortunately, Dustin Hopkins made a 25-yard field goal to give Cleveland a 3-0 advantage in this matchup.
On the Dolphins’ next drive, they went 3-and-out and punted. The Browns defense held them to only one first down during the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, however, after recovering after a turnover on downs in their own territory, Tyler Huntley found Jonnu Smith for a 7-yard touchdown to increase their lead and seal victory for them.
Myles Garrett had another excellent performance against Miami Dolphins offensive line. The All-Pro edge rusher from Cleveland recorded two sacks while also contributing significantly to their run defense that held Miami to just 74 total net rushing yards on Sunday.
Cleveland’s pass rush made Tua Tagovailoa uncomfortable in the pocket and caused multiple turnovers by pressure from Garrett-led Browns front four, who could pressure Tagovailoa into errors and create turnovers. Miami ranks 14th in passing yards per game. Garrett pressured Tagovailoa and caused multiple turnovers against them.
The Browns didn’t have an impressive run game on Sunday, but running back Isaiah Crowell managed to help keep things in check. They totaled 114 yards on their rushing efforts with an average yard per carry of just 4.1.
The Browns defense was able to generate some turnovers early and keep their opponent off of the field for prolonged periods in the first half, yet still trailed 6-3 at halftime despite these successes. A major cause was due to an ineffective offensive line which failed to protect against an aggressive Dolphins defensive front.
Special Teams
Special teams were an instrumental factor in Miami’s victory. The unit took control in the second half, helping steer their side toward victory.
In the first quarter, Dolphins punter Jake Bailey executed three punts that landed inside of 20 yards to give the Dolphins an early field position advantage. They would later capitalize on a miscommunication by Browns special teams and take advantage of it by sacking quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson who then fumbled and gave them an advantage of 7-0 over their opponent.
In the second half, the Dolphins continued their impressive special teams play, as Tyler Huntley ran 13 yards for a touchdown run while Emmanuel Ogbah stripped Thompson-Robinson. Additionally, their defense forced two failed fourth down challenges from Browns as they took an unassailable 24-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
Both teams found it challenging to move the ball on a wet and windy day, with Huntley emerging as the more effective runner due to his precise cuts on his run to the end zone. Huntley kept Miami alive after an effective third-down conversion by Cleveland and an interception from safety Damarious Randall on their next possession by making several key cuts while moving towards their goal line.
With two fourth-down conversions, the Dolphins gained entry back deep in Cleveland territory. A pass from Tannehill to Gibson and another attempt from Daniel Thomas put them near Cleveland’s 37-yard line, but a one-yard run by Thompson-Robinson on 3rd-and-9 brought up 3rd-and-13; Ogbah then scored on third down, forcing Thompson-Robinson into a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle D’Shawn Hand; this set up Caleb Sturgis for an eventual 31-yard field goal attempt by Caleb Sturgis.
The win not only improved their record to 9-3 but also guaranteed them a playoff berth in the AFC East. As of now, they hold onto second seed status within this conference and will travel next week to MetLife Stadium to face Jets – winning against them would help ensure division championship.
