Miami Dolphins week 2 player of the game: Minkah Fitzpatrick
By Nick Belotto
The Miami Dolphins went up to New York and left with a big win against the Jets. Many are deserving of the nod, but my player of the game is rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Miami Dolphins beating a division opponent in their home stadium is not an easy task no matter who you are playing. You will need your entire team to play effectively to walk out with a win.
That is exactly what Miami did today against the Jets.
A lot of players played well Sunday, but only one deserves player of the game honors for this week. This is a much more complicated decision than last week’s choice (Reshad Jones), but this week’s winner is Minkah Fitzpatrick.
I’ll start by making a “not-so-bold” statement: Minkah Fitzpatrick will be a pro bowler by the end of his second season. Throughout the entire preseason and during the first game, Fitzpatrick had been a consistent and effective force for the Dolphins.
This Sunday was no different.
Fitzpatrick was all over the place and responsible for a number of big tackles. His stats don’t necessarily jump off of the page, finishing the day with 3 tackles but that didn’t stop him from making his presence felt throughout the whole game.
He played lock down coverage and helped out in defending the run, too. His name was called all day as he kept making plays and was all over the field.
His athleticism will keep him on the field every down and he will continue to make a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball.
Miami drafted a gem in Fitzpatrick and he is already playing at a veteran level.
Honorable mention for player of the game:
I didn’t do this last week, and I will try to refrain from doing this in the future, but I feel it’s necessary to give out an “honorable player of the game” to one of the unsung heroes from today: punter Matt Haack. Haack punted 6 times and pinned the Jets within their 20 on 5 of those kicks. His ability to force the Jets into terrible field position put a lot of pressure on the Jets offense and Sam Darnold in particular.
Leave your player of the game in the comments below.