The Miami Dolphins won their third straight game on Sunday by narrowly defeating the New Orleans Saints by the score of 21-17. Here's a look at the three players who helped Miami keep their playoff hopes alive and those who need to improve if they are to have a legit shot at the postseason.
Miami Dolphins winners and losers vs. Saints in Week 13
Winners
Riley Patterson
Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson was here in the winners' column two weeks ago when Miami last played, and he lands here again. The Dolphins' offense frequently made it to the New Orleans' side of the field in this game, but they often came up short in punching it into the end zone. Never fear, because Patterson did his best version of kickball, going 4-4 on field-goal attempts.
Patterson has given the Dolphins something to think about for the future when it comes to longtime veteran Jason Sanders. Sanders is the better kicker of the two, but Miami may not wish to continue paying him big money. And if the difference between him and someone like Patterson is minuscule, the Dolphins could opt for the cheaper route.
De'Von Achane
It's always cheating when adding running back, and team MVP De'Von Achane to the winners square, but the former Texas A&M RB had another terrific outing that did not go unnoticed. In his third straight game of rushing for over 100 yards, Achane notched the first 1,000-yard season of his young career.
Surprisingly, Achane was not a factor in the receiving game for this one at all, finishing without a catch for the first time this season. But at 6.1 yards per carry on 22 totes, it made sense for head coach Mike McDaniel and company to keep feeding him on the ground. At this point, Achane is just making it look easy, and as Miami's best player, the front office will have to look at extending him before the start of next season.
Chop Robinson
Several players on defense could be considered winners from this game, despite the late collapse (as it should be against a rookie quarterback at home). But I'm giving the nod to the player who probably needs it the most, Chop Robinson.
Robinson has struggled in his sophomore season after playing lights out as a rookie. Entering the game, Robinson had just one sack on the season. However, he more than doubled his total after the win vs. New Orleans. The second-year pass rusher out of Penn State finished the day with 1.5 sacks, to go with three QB hits, and a tackle for loss.
It didn't come against the most challenging opponent, with the Saints' offensive line ranked in the bottom 10 in several categories, and Tyler Shough getting just the fourth start of his career. Nevertheless, Robinson can build some confidence from this game and, hopefully, finish the season on a strong note.
Losers
Tua Tagovailoa
It was another tough week to watch Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Miami won this game on the back of its run game, while Tua again struggled to get it to his receivers. He threw just one pick on the day, but it came directly after defensive tackle Zach Sieler had recovered a fumble to give the Dolphins great field position. He nearly threw another in the fourth quarter that was so close enough for the Saints to challenge, but ultimately, the pass was ruled incomplete.
It was the same song and dance with Tagovailoa against the Saints, as the Dolphins won more despite him rather than because of him. It was the third straight game Tua failed to reach 200 passing yards, and the third time in the last four games he didn't record a TD pass.
New Orleans made the game interesting coming out of the second half, and while much of that can be placed on the Dolphins' defense for allowing extended drives, Tua and the offense could've given them a breather by keeping them off the field. Yet, outside of the opening drive, Miami's offense looked flat for the majority of the game.
Dolphins' hands team
Miami's special teams, between Patterson, the return game, and Jake Bailey's punting, were fine, but the one play of the hands team in the final moments was an embarrassment, and it cast a cloud over Craig Aukerman's bunch. Somehow, the Dolphins' return team was basically caught napping on the Saints' last-ditch effort at an onside kick. New Orleans recovered the onside, while Miami's players were essentially just standing around.
Upon review, it looked like illegal touching from New Orleans, but the officiating crew had declared that it had touched a Miami player beforehand. Regardless, it shouldn't have come to that, as the Dolphins' hands team should've fallen on it at the first opportunity and called it a day. The Dolphins' defense was able to hold the Saints on a 4th-and-1 conversion to seal the win, but this could've ended in disaster.