Miami Dolphins: Top 5 individual performances of the 2021 season

Jaylen Waddle vs. Panthers, November 28th

9 catches/137 yards/TD

Jaylen Waddle vs. Saints, December 26th

10 catches/92 yards/TD

In what was a monster rookie season for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, he had two of his biggest games late in the season when the team needed him most.

Going in to the Week 12 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, Waddle’s season high in yards was 83. He had multiple games with huge catch totals, but the short-game tendencies from the Dolphins’ offense kept his yards low. But the best statistical game of Waddle’s young career came against what at the time was the top-rated pass defense in the NFL.

The rookie made the Panthers look silly. He caught 9 balls for a by-far career-high of 137 yards and added a touchdown. It was at this point that Waddle breaking the rookie catch record started to become a realistic goal. He would cement that thought just a couple of weeks later in the first prime time game in his career.

On a Monday night against the Saints, Waddle was the Dolphins’ most impressive player. He caught 10 balls for 92 yards and a touchdown, frustrating the shorthanded New Orleans defense that knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it.