Gaskin continues to stand out as Dolphins’ premier rusher
The Dolphins spent their offseason searching for answers at running back to repair their defective running game, adding one tailback through free agency and another via a trade.
It turns out, their best solution was on the roster all along.
Myles Gaskin continued to separate himself as the Dolphins’ top running back on Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It took just 12:19 on Thursday for the running back to match a season high with nine carries. He had Miami’s first nine rushes against the Jaguars, including eight on the Dolphins’ opening possession to set up
Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Preston Williams.
Gaskin added another carry and two catches on Miami’s second drive before fellow running back Jordan Howard ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 14-point, firstquarter lead in Jacksonville.
In the first half, Gaskin logged a season-high 10 carries for 33 yards and caught three passes for another 23 yards.
Gaskin, a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, played sparingly as a rookie last year until he rushed 16 times in the penultimate game of the season.
In the offseason, the Dolphins signed Howard to a two-year,
$10 million deal and traded a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for fellow running back Matt Breida, but Gaskin has emerged as the unlikely top option early this season.
The 23-year-old led Miami with nine carries in a seasonopening loss to the New England Patriots on Sept. 13 and his seven carries were tied for a team high in the Dolphins’ loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Miami Gardens. Gaskin topped both those totals in less than a half Thursday.
“He’s running hard. He’s playing well,” offensive lineman Jess
Davis said Monday. “As a player, he’s just carrying a different kind of confidence with himself. His ability to lead us with the run game has been fun to watch.”
FITZPATRICK’S HOT START
Ryan Tannehill can sleep soundly knowing his NFL record survived a serious threat from Fitzpatrick.
The quarterback completed his first 12 passes Thursday before he and tight end Mike Gesicki finally missed a connection with 47 seconds left in the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field. After he completed his final nine passes against the Bills at Hard Rock Stadium, Fitzpatrick fell four complete passes short of tying Tannehill’s record of 25 consecutive completions.
Tannehill set the record while playing for Miami in 2015. Philip Rivers tied the quarterback’s record in 2018 when he also set an NFL record by starting a game 25 for 25.
At the time of his first incomplete pass, Fitzpatrick had
thrown for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the half 12 of 14 and also ran four times for 24 yards.
Fitzpatrick started 12 of 12 before his first incompletion with 47 seconds left in the second quarter. He had 21 consecutive completions across two games. Before the incomplete pass to Gesicki, Fitzpatrick had 127 yards and two touchdowns, plus four carries for 24 yards.
REPLACING BYRON JONES
Cornerback Byron Jones
lasted just four snaps Sunday against Buffalo before a groin injury cut his day short and he was unable to return to the field in time for the Thursday’s game.
With Jones out, rookie cornerback Noah Igbinoghene made his first career start.
It was a shot at redemption for Igbinoghene, who struggled replacing Jones on Sunday. Even when Jones went down, Miami stuck to its game plan and made Igbinoghene its primary choice to cover Stefon Diggs — the assignment Jones had at the start of the game. The Bills wide receiver went off for eight catches, 153 yards and a touchdown in South Florida.
Igbinoghene began the game Thursday covering fellow rookie Laviska Shenault and got off to a much better start, tackling the Jaguars wide receiver on third down to force Jacksonville to punt on its opening drive. He also helped blow up a play on third down late in the second quarter to force a tackle for loss and eventually a turnover on downs.
Jones’ absence also cleared the way for Tae Hayes to make his Dolphins debut. Miami elevated the cornerback from the practice squad to the active roster before the game Thursday and he got meaningful snaps in the slot in prime time. The Dolphins did not need to make a corresponding roster move due to the NFL’s new COVID-19 roster policy.
Miami’s other inactives Thursday were tackle Adam Pankey,
defensive end Jason Strowbridge, safety Clayton Fejedelem, and running backs Malcolm Perry and Lynn Bowden Jr. The Jaguars were missing Pro Bowl wide receiver DJ Chark Jr.