Month: August 2017

Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings
U.S. Bank Stadium
August 31, 2017 | 8 PM ET
POSTGAME NOTES

GRANT’S SPECIAL FIRST HALF

• WR Jakeem Grant had a night to remember as he was a critical factor in all three of Miami’s first-half touchdown drives. Grant caught four passes for 141 yards (35.3 avg.) with a 65-yard touchdown and drew three penalties for 30 yards. It’s the second time this preseason the Dolphins have had a 100-yard receiver as WR Damore’ea Stringfellow had 116 yards in the first preseason game against Atlanta. Prior to this year, the last Dolphins player to post a 100-plus receiving yards in a preseason game was WR Brian Manning, who caught four passes for 127 yards (31.8 avg.) and two touchdowns against the Denver Broncos in Mexico City on Aug. 4, 1997.

DOLPHINS BIG PASS PLAYS

• QB David Fales’ 65-yard touchdown pass to WR Jakeem Grant in the second quarter highlights a growing trend of hitting on the deep ball under Head Coach Adam Gase. The 65-yard score was Miami’s fourth-longest pass of the preseason as Grant caught a 69-yard touchdown last week at Philadelphia, WR DeVante Parker hauled in a 72-yard pass at Philadelphia and WR Damore’ea Stringfellow caught a 99-yard touchdown in the first preseason game vs. Atlanta. In the 2016 regular season, Miami quarterbacks completed a pass of 50-plus yards in nine of the team’s 16 games.

30-PLUS POINTS AGAIN

• Tonight’s 30 point total is the second time this preseason the team has scored 30-plus points in a game as Miami scored 31 points last week at Philadelphia. It’s the third time in team history the Dolphins have scored 30-or-more points two preseason games and the first time since 1981. The other instance was in 1974.

FALES THROWS THREE TOUCHDOWNS

• QB David Fales was impressive in the preseason finale, completing 12-of-20 passes (60.0 pct.) for 193 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He finished with a 131.9 quarterback rating. Fales is the first Dolphins quarterback to throw three TD passes in a preseason game since Don Strock on Aug. 29, 1987 in Miami’s 35-3 win at the Philadelphia Eagles.

DRAKE GIVES MIAMI AN EARLY LEAD

• RB Kenyan Drake gave the Dolphins an early lead with a 1-yard touchdown run on Miami’s first possession of the game. It capped off a 10-play, 78-yard drive that was highlighted by a 28-yard completion from QB Brandon Doughty to WR Jakeem Grant and a 19-yard pass interference penalty drawn by Grant. Drake finished the evening with eight carries for 27 yards (3.4 avg.) and one touchdown.

UP NEXT: TAMPA BAY

• The Dolphins open the 2017 regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. against Tampa Bay at Hard Rock Stadium. It is the first time Miami will open the regular season at home since 2014 when it beat New England, 33-20. The Dolphins are 5-5 all-time against Tampa Bay, including a 3-1 mark at home. This is the third straight season Miami has opened the season with an NFC opponent, but just the second season opener vs. an NFC South foe (at Atlanta, 9/13/09) since the league expanded to the current division format in 2002.

INJURIES REPORTED IN THE PRESS BOX

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• None

CAPTAINS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• WR Jakeem Grant, TE MarQueis Gray, CB Lafayette Pitts, DE Julius Warmsley, T Sam Young

QUICK HITS

• There were 66,409 tickets distributed to tonight’s game.

Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
Hard Rock Stadium
August 24, 2017 | 7 PM
POSTGAME NOTES

MIAMI SCORES MOST POINTS IN A PRESEASON GAME SINCE 1999

• The 31 points scored by the Dolphins tonight are the most by the team in a preseason game since 1999, when the team also scored 31 in a 31-10 win vs. Detroit on Aug. 28, 1999. It’s tied for the seventh-most points in a preseason game in team history. The 69 combined points tonight are the most in a preseason game in Dolphins history topping the 65 scored by Miami (45) and New Orleans (20) on Aug. 10, 1974.

CUTLER DIRECTS MIAMI OFFENSE TO 21 POINTS IN 18 PLAYS

• QB Jay Cutler directed the first-team offense for 18 plays tonight and helped the team score 21 points. In those 18 plays, the Dolphins gained 152 yards (8.4 yards per play) and had nine first downs. The first-team offense scored touchdowns in all of its three red zone trips. Cutler was 5-of-8 (62.5 pct.) for 105 yards and one touchdown, posting a 145.8 quarterback rating.

AJAYI SCORES TWICE

• RB Jay Ajayi rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter. The last Dolphins running back who scored two rushing touchdowns in a preseason game was RB Mike Gillislee against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 3, 2015. Ajayi had eight rushing touchdowns during his 1,272-yard campaign in 2016.

DVP FOR 72 YARDS

• WR DeVante Parker made his presence known early in the game, hauling in a 72-yard reception over an Eagles defender to bring the Dolphins down to the 2-yard line. RB Jay Ajayi put the Dolphins on the board with a touchdown run on the next play. Parker’s longest regular season gain of his career was a 56-yard touchdown at Buffalo on Dec. 24, 2016.

JORDAN PHILLIPS SETS UP SECOND DOLPHINS TD

• DT Jordan Phillips picked off a deflected pass from Eagles QB Carson Wentz and returned it 18 yards to the 3-yard line in the first quarter to set up Miami’s second touchdown. DE William Hayes got a hand on the Wentz pass. Phillips also intercepted a pass last year in the regular season and returned it close to the goal line when he picked off Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on Dec. 17, 2016 and returned it 17 yards to the Jets 14-yard line, setting up a Dolphins field goal.

TIMMONS GRABS FIRST DOLPHINS PICK

• LB Lawrence Timmons intercepted Eagles QB Matt McGloin with an acrobatic grab in the second quarter inside the Eagles 10-yard line. It was his first preseason interception for the Dolphins after he joined the team as an unrestricted free agent from Pittsburgh on March 10, 2017. Timmons has 12 career regular season interceptions.

JULIUS THOMAS SCORES HIS FIRST DOLPHINS TD

• TE Julius Thomas caught a 1-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, the first preseason score of his Dolphins career. Thomas ranks No. 2 among all NFL tight ends in touchdowns scored since 2013 with 33 of them. The Dolphins acquired him in a trade with Jacksonville on March 9, 2017.

JAKEEM GRANT TAKES IT TO THE HOUSE

• WR Jakeem Grant caught a pass, broke two tackles and was off to the races in the third quarter for a 69-yard touchdown. Grant entered tonight with three receptions for 20 yards (6.7 avg.) in the preseason. He did not catch a pass in his rookie season last year but did have five receptions for 73 yards (14.6 avg.) in the 2016 preseason.

UP NEXT: MINNESOTA

• The Dolphins head to Minnesota next week for their fourth and final preseason game. It will be the team’s first game in U.S. Bank Stadium, which will play host to Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018. The Dolphins are 8-12 all-time in preseason games against the Vikings but this will be the first preseason meeting between the two since 2001.

INJURIES REPORTED IN THE PRESS BOX

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• RB Senorise Perry, questionable, knee (third quarter) – did not return
• TE Thomas Duarte, out, concussion (fourth quarter)

PLAYERS WHO DID NOT DRESS TODAY

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• S Walt Aikens, LB Neville Hewitt, C/G Ted Larsen, CB Tony Lippett, CB Jordan Lucas, LB Rey Maualuga, LB Raekwon McMillan, TE Chris Pantale, WR Rashawn Scott, C/G Kraig Urbik, LB Brandon Watts

CAPTAINS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• RB Jay Ajayi, DE Andre Branch, LB Mike Hull, C Mike Pouncey, RB Damien Williams

QUICK HITS

• There were 69,596 tickets distributed to tonight’s game.

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins
Hard Rock Stadium
August 17, 2017 | 7 PM
POSTGAME NOTES

MAXWELL’S FORCED FUMBLES

• CB Byron Maxwell forced two fumbles in the first quarter this evening, though Baltimore was able to recover both. In 2016, Maxwell forced four fumbles, a career high and tied for seventh-most in the NFL that season. His four forced fumbles were the most by a Dolphins defensive back in franchise history and the most by an NFL cornerback since Charles Tillman had 10 in 2012.

HOWARD RECORDS HIS FIRST INTERCEPTION OF THE PRESEASON

• CB Xavien Howard intercepted Ravens QB Ryan Mallett down the field in the first quarter. It was Howard’s first interception of the preseason. A second-year player, Howard recorded one interception last year in the AFC Wild Card game at Pittsburgh.

 TANKERSLEY’S FIRST PICK

• CB Cordrea Tankersley, a third-round draft pick out of Clemson, recorded his first interception of his young NFL career when he ripped the ball away from Ravens WR Quincy Adeboyejo near the end of the first half.

PERRY SCORES HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN AS A DOLPHIN

• RB Senorise Perry got the Dolphins on the board with an 11-yard touchdown run with 13:44 remaining in the second quarter. It was the first touchdown of Perry’s Dolphins career. He rushed three times for 20 yards (6.7 avg.) on the scoring drive. Perry joined the Dolphins’ practice squad on Oct. 12, 2016 before he was signed on Jan. 10, 2017.

UP NEXT: PHILADELPHIA

• The Dolphins will battle the Eagles next week for their third preseason game. Miami will head up to Philadelphia early, meeting the Eagles for joint practices on Monday and Tuesday. It’s Miami’s first preseason matchup against the Eagles since 1990.

INJURIES REPORTED IN THE PRESS BOX

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• CB Jordan Lucas, fourth quarter, groin – did not return

BALTIMORE RAVENS

• None

PLAYERS WHO DID NOT DRESS TODAY

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• S Walt Aikens, S Nate Allen, DE Andre Branch, WR Leonte Carroo, RB Kenyan Drake, LB Neville Hewitt, WR Isaiah Ford, C/G Ted Larsen, CB Tony Lippett, LB Raekwon McMillan, WR Rashawn Scott

CAPTAINS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• LB Kiko Alonso, G/T Jermon Bushrod, LS John Denney, TE Anthony Fasano, S Reshad Jones

QUICK HITS

• There were 64,464 tickets distributed to tonight’s game.