Miami Dolphins at the half: Offensive line injuries overshadow Jalen Ramey interception
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins are beating the Patriots by 10 points heading into the locker room and they will get the ball back to start the second half but will they have enough offensive linemen?
The headlines for the early half of the game have to be the injuries that now leave only Austin Jackson as the lone starter playing. Robert Hunt went down in the 2nd quarter with what was reported as a possible calf injury.
Hunt went down on the Dolphins 2nd touchdown drive and while he walked off the field under his own power, he headed directly to the blue tent for evaluation. The announcers say he is questionable to return.
On the next drive, the Dolphins lost Kendall Lamm who went down. He too left the field walking but is questionable to return with an abdominal injury.
With both of Miami's left tackle and right guard out, the Dolphins still are using Liam Eichenberg at center despite having Connor Williams active and ready to play.
Kion Smith is now playing at left tackle with Robert Jones at right guard. Eichenberg is at center with Lester Cotton at left guard and Austin Jackson at right tackle. The Dolphins running game is not doing well against the Patriots front.
Miami has rushed for only 38 yards including an eight-yard scramble by Tua Tagovailoa. With the offensive line taking more hits, it will be hard to get that going in the second half but it is something they have to do to win.
Defensively, the Oline issues have overshadowed the return of Jalen Ramsey who picked off Mac Jones in his Dolphins debut. Ramsey jumped in front of the Patriots' WR and took it back about 40 yards before stepping out of bounds.
Ramsey has looked great in his coverage but while he is playing well, the Dolphins front are struggling to get consistent pressure on Mac Jones and have not registered a sack in the first half.
As for Tua Tagovailoa, he is 18 of 26 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Statistically, he looks fine but his play has been mediocre through two quarters. He has missed on several passes that came up short and his interception was severely underthrown. Still, he has the Dolphins in the lead and is finding Jayle Waddle and Tyreek Hill when he needs them.
Tyreek Hill has five receptions for 74 yards and his 8th TD of the season. His 74 yards puts him only 24 yards from reaching the 1,000-yard mark through 8 games which is an incredible feat.
The Dolphins will get the ball back to start the second half and lead 17-7.