10 things we learned from Dolphins’ win

MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins must be getting punished by the football Gods for last year’s good fortune.

In 2016, the injurydepleted Dolphins bounced back from a 1-4 start to qualify for the playoffs despite missing a number of key starters. To produce the franchise’s first winning season and playoff berth since 2008 the Dolphins benefited from a couple of lucky bounces, and favorable calls.

Karma seems to be catching up with the team in the first few weeks of training camp and the exhibition season because injuries to starters like Ryan Tannehill, Jay Ajayi and Ted Larsen are piling up.

During Thursday night’s preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons Raekwon McMillan, the team’s rookie linebacker, suffered a knee injury on his very first NFL snap.

Here are 10 things we can take away from Thursday night’s preseason opener:

Anyone thinking the game was an audition for Matt Moore to become a starter is sadly mistaken. It was nearly impossible to evaluate Moore in his limited playing time because he handled three snaps in his one series against the Falcons, and two of those touches were handoffs to Damien Williams. Moore’s one pass turned into a 5-yard catch for Devante Parker, which came up 3-yards short of earning the first down. Don’t be surprised if Jay Cutler gets the bulk of Miami’s first-team snaps next week.

Blaming Miami’s coaches for Raekwon McMillan’s knee injury would be irresponsible. Special teams, which is where McMillan got injured, is an important phase of the game, and shouldn’t be overlooked. Not only do rookies have to fill special teams roles, but so do wellestablished starters. And that’s not just the Dolphins. It’s every team.

The Dolphins need to reconsider moving Kiko Alonso or Lawrence Timmons inside again. Those two veteran linebackers were working on the outside because it opened the door for McMillan, a rookie, to become a Day one starter. Now the Dolphins have to consider whether playing Mike Hull on the inside is a better option than playing Neville Hewitt on the outside, and moving one of the two every down starters inside. Last season, Hewitt started six games and contributed 64 tackles and one sack.

Maybe rookie Davon Godchaux does have a realistic chance to start. The Dolphins have downplayed the former LSU standout working with the starting defense line instead of Jordan Phillips all week, saying it’s simply to see him practice against better competition. However, watching Godchaux start the game next to Ndamukong Suh made it seem a bit more realistic that his elevation could be permanent.

Only one starting offensive linemen suited up for first-team work. Right guard Jermon Bushrod was the only starting offensive lineman on the field against the Falcons. Laremy Tunsil returned to the team after spending all week away handling a personal matter. Ted Larsen will miss at least half the season because of a biceps injury. And Ja’Wuan James and Mike Pouncey are nursing injuries that prevented them from playing. The offensive line spent all game mixing and matching what was left to uneven results.

Falcons offense felt Charles Harris’ presence. The Dolphins’ first round pick had a couple of snaps where he flushed Atlanta’s quarterback out the pocket, applying pressure, and he also drew one holding call. Harris, a former Missouri standout, was having a quiet training camp, so it was good to see him come alive when the action was live.

Tight end MarQueis Gray’s strong camp should raise his standing with the team. Gray, who is beginning his second season with the Dolphins, has become a reliable playmaker this camp, and his success carried over the preseason game. The former Minnesota quarterback, who is beginning his fifth NFL season as a tight end, caught three of the four passes thrown his way for 26 yards.

The Dolphins’ offense began the preseason exactly how they finished 2016, struggling on third downs. The Dolphins were dominated in time of possession and total plays Thursday night’s because of the offense’s inability to convert third downs. If this problem isn’t fixed it will add unnecessary pressure to an already concerning defense.

It was a good thing Miami added Jay Cutler because the performance of the backup quarterbacks was uneven. Brandon Doughty handled the secondteam snaps and threw some poor passes, one of which turned into an interception. But he did throw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Leonte Carroo. Fales, who worked with the third team, threw two touchdown passes, but had an interception in the red zone.

Miami’s backup receivers delivered plays for their quarterbacks. Jakeem Grant climbed a ladder and brought down a 12-yard reception for Doughty. Carroo made a great adjustment to bring in a 36-yard touchdown pass from Doughty. And Fales threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Francis Owusu, and a 99-yard touchdown pass to Damore’ea Stringfellow, who are undrafted rookies.