5 winners from the Dolphins huge thrashing of the Patriots in Week 12

In their win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins continued to showcase how good the offense can be after nearly ruining their season earlier in the year.

The Dolphins are chugging along with hopes of turning their ugly start into a post-season birth. Over the last three games, the Dolphin's offense has been nearly unstoppable, and against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, they did enough to win but came up short on defense.

Since the Bills game, Miami's offense has been clicking and most of that starts with the play calls by Mike McDaniel.

5 winners from the Miami Dolphins big Week 12 win over the New England Patriots

1. Jonnu Smith continues to be the best addition of the 2024 offseason

The Dolphins have struggled with tight-end usage for years. Mike Gesicki was a great pass-catching tight end, but he was so bad at blocking that he couldn't be on the field.

Jonnu Smith isn't the best blocker in the league, but he is far from being a liability. What he is, however, is a developing weapon in this offense that opposing teams are struggling to cover. Smith had another big game on Sunday, finishing with nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

2. Tua Tagovailoa has found the poise he had in 2023

For four weeks, the question of whether Tua Tagovailoa should continue playing or not was the talk of the water cooler. But since his return, Tagovailoa has been incredible.

He was fantastic against Buffalo in Week 9 and then used the Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, and Patriots as practice sessions. Against New England on Sunday, Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes and completed 29 of 40 for 317 yards.

3. Jaylen Waddle finally became a focal point of the offense

Before this weekend's game, Jaylen Waddle was more of an afterthought on the Dolphins offense. But on Sunday, Miami finally remembered they had him on the field.

Waddle was superb in the game, catching nearly every pass thrown his way and finally making it back into the end zone.

Waddle found room to work all over the field against the Patriots on Sunday, and it is yet another message to other teams that the Dolphins offense is hard to stop. Waddle finished the day with eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown.

4. Chop Robinson grew up on Sunday

Chop Robinson is having a great second half to his rookie season. When he isn't sacking a quarterback, he is putting constant pressure on them, forcing them to make errant throws and creating time for other defenders to get to the quarterback.

Robinson wasted no time getting to New England rookie quarterback Drake Maye. He finished with three quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks and was consistently disruptive the entire game.

5. Zach Sieler and Jalen Ramsey are the unquestionable leaders on defense

When the Dolphins need someone on defense to step up, you can bet on Zach Sieler or Jalen Ramsey to be the guy that does.

Sieler continues to make Dolphins fans forget about Christian Wilkins and his play elevates the guys around him on the defensive line. Sieler forced another fumble and recorded another sack on Sunday.

Ramsey is playing like he did with the Jaguars, which made him one of the best corners in the NFL. He looks nothing like the player some in the media said he would be in Miami.

He was a guy with diminishing skills as he got older. Instead, Ramsey found the Fountain of Youth and is giving those around him a leader to lean on. Ramsey also recorded a sack on Sunday.

More Dolphins News and Analysis