Miami Dolphins players of the game: Xavien Howard and Albert Wilson
By Nick Belotto
The Miami Dolphins did not play a great game of football on Sunday against the Raiders despite the fact they advanced to a 3-0 record.
During the first half, the Miami Dolphins weren’t able to move the ball effectively and looked like they wanted to lose on defense. That being said, after halftime the Miami looked like a different team.
Two players specifically did everything they could to make sure that the Dolphins would come away with a win. I couldn’t pick one of them so I have to give out “co-players of the game” awards to Xavien Howard and Albert Wilson.
Let’s start with Howard.
Dating back to last season, Howard has slowly been cementing himself as the most underrated corner in the league and today he cemented his place as one of the top corners in the game.
He provided total coverage of Raider’s wideout Amari Cooper, holding him to 2 receptions for 17 yards. He also had 2 huge interceptions on the day, bringing his total to 3 on the year. His consistent coverage helped out a defense that looked somewhat sluggish and unimpressive.
Howard has emerged as a lockdown corner who deserves the respect of the opposing teams. He has been completely shutdown all year and did everything that he could to keep the Dolphins in today’s game.
Moving on to Wilson.
When Wilson was signed this offseason, I, along with many others, was skeptical of giving $8 million to a player who didn’t have the stats to justify the price tag. I was over that after week 1 and now I think that Miami may have gotten a steal, here.
Over the three games he has played for Miami, Wilson has shown great speed and catching ability. Today, he proved that he is a valuable and versatile weapon for this offense. Wilson threw a beautiful touchdown pass to Jakeem Grant after a perfectly designed trick play to put the Dolphins in front of the Raiders. Wilson then caught a 74 yard touchdown pass that proved to be the game winner. As a cherry on top, he recovered Oakland’s onside kick attempt to complete the win. He, quite literally, did it all.
Both of these players put together great performances and were able to keep Miami in a game that they struggled through. Both are deserving to be recognized at the end of this game for their efforts on the field.
Let me know your player of the game in the comments below.