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MNF: Miami 20, New Orleans 3
The Dolphins hardly relied on anything fancy, or on offensive fireworks, to produce this win, which was the seventh straight for Miami.
No, the Fins instead made sure that their physical defense frustrated the Saints all night long, making New Orleans look inept. Ultimately, it assured not just a win for Miami, but a lopsided and demoralizing loss for the hometown Saints.
Miami hung onto the ball for almost 34 minutes. They produced 259 yards and 16 first downs, while limiting New Orleans to just 164 yards and 10 first downs. Also, the Saints had two turnovers, to just one by Miami.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle had an enormous game for Miami with 10 catches, which were good for 92 yards and one touchdown. Fins quarterback Tue Tagovailoa was decent as well, completing 19 of 26 passes for 198 yards. with one touchdown and one interception.
In a losing cause for the Saints, quarterback Ian Book really struggled. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 135 yards and two INT's. The first interception happened in just the second pass that Book threw in his career, and resulted in a pick six that gave the Dolphins the early touchdown lead. Alvin Kamara added 52 yards on 13 carries for the Saints on a day when they simply had no answers for a physical and dominant Dolphins defense. Miami was able to sack Book eight times, for a total loss of 54 yards, and forced Book to a low quarterback rating of just 40.6.
It did not take long for Miami to assert their dominance. In the first quarter, the Dolphins jumped ahead, scoring 10 points and setting the tempo for the game by shutting down the Saints on offense. While New Orleans finally got on the scoreboard with a field goal in the second quarter, they never were able to get much more going on this night, and that field goal proved to be the only points that the Saints managed to score.
The Dolphins were able to produce some serious cushion with their only offensive touchdown in the third quarter, as Tagovailoa found Waddle in the end zone, making it 17-3. They added another field goal in the fourth quarter, although the Miami defense seemed to eliminate any and all mystery, repeatedly shutting down that ineffective Saints offense.
With the win, Miami earned their seventh straight victory and, for the first time since opening weekend, they get back to enjoying a winning record at 8-7.
As for the Saints, they hurt their chances at reaching the playoffs with this loss. They fall to 7-8, and would need help to qualify for the postseason. Even if they win their two remaining games, they need certain other teams to also lose, which is certainly not guaranteed.
My pick: Inaccurate
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