Breaking down the five plays that most decided the outcome in the Miami Dolphins' 21-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints
The Miami Dolphins extended their winning streak to three games with a hard-fought 21-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. We rank the five biggest, most important plays of the game :This is a no-brainer.
And it wasn't just that Minkah Fitzpatrick was all over Chris Olave on the two-point conversion attempt that could have tied the score, but his run back to the end zone for two points became huge after New Orleans recovered its onside kick. This was just brilliant man-to-man coverage across the field by Fitzpatrick, who cut under Olave to pick off rookie Tyler Shough.The whole final sequence played pretty strangely after Shough had a 9-yard completion to running back Devin Neal over the middle that initially was ruled a first down. Shough went deep to Olave from the Miami 35 on second-and-1, then was rushed into an incompleton third-and-1 to set up a game-deciding fourth-and-1 sneak that the Dolphins completely stuffed up the middle, with Jordan Phillips clogging the middle and Chop Robinson then bringing the quarterback down from the left end position.The significance of this takeaway really grew based on the outcome because this because a six-point turnaround, with the Dolphins able to go up 16-0 at halftime instead of 13-3. Credit Douglas' experience for reading the rookie quarterback's eyes and jumping the route on a play intended for Olave.The Dolphins' only touchdown of the game gave them a lead they never would relinquish and it was the result of some nick blocking on the right side of the offensive line plus a quick inside juke by De'Von Achane against cornerback Alontae Taylor that left Taylor looking lost.After New Orleans went three-and-out on each of its first three possessions, the Saints looked to be on the move after getting into Dolphins territory, but Fitzpatrick changed all that with his first career sack where he also forced a fumble that Zach Sieler recovered. The Dolphins gave the ball back on the very next play when Tua Tagovailoa was intercepted, but the pick came in the end zone and New Orleans had to start again on offense at its own 20-yard line and would remain scoreless the rest of the first half.Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls , the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.
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