5 THINGS WE LEARNED
DeVante Parker had an impactful return: Parker missed a month’s worth of games because of a hamstring injury, but returned to the offense against the Giants and was one of Tagovailoa’s go-to-targets to move the chains. Parker, who was taken off injured reserve on Saturday, finished the game with five receptions for 62 yards.
Jerome Baker’s role continues to expand: Baker, who is in his third season as the Dolphins’ leading tackler, continued to play on the edge, opening the door for Duke Riley to be a starting inside linebacker and an integral part of the Dolphins’ base defense. Baker, who finished the game with three tackles (two for a loss) has traditionally played inside linebacker during Flores’ reign as Miami’s head coach, but the Dolphins used him as an outside linebacker to defend Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and have been occasionally experimenting with that package for weeks.
Dolphins return game struggling: Miami had a strong special teams unit the first two seasons under Flores, but the unit appears to be watered down this season for various reasons. Since trading Jakeem Grant to Chicago for a 2022 sixth-round pick two months ago, Miami’s return game has been nonexistent, no matter who is back there — Jaylen Waddle or Jevon Holland — to handle kickoffs and punts. Part of the issue could be the team’s blocking, which has been subpar.
Dolphins’ much-improved run defense showed off again: After getting gashed on the ground to the tune of 133.6 yards per game, Miami has found its footing. Against the Giants, Miami held the rushing game to 91 yards, and that (slightly) increased their average run yards allowed the past eight games to a still-sterling 85.3. That surge has taken the Dolphins from bottom five in the league to top-10 after this week. Raekwon Davis’ return has been massive.
Meet an under-the-radar standout of the win streak: Michael Palardy had been as bad as the rest of his teammates during the 1-7 start, with a 38.8 net punting average and only 11 punts placed inside the 20 to provide forgiveness for that paltry net. But, in the five-game win streak, he has 27 punts for 1,133 net yards for a fine 42.0 average. Additionally, he has more than doubled his I20s, with a baker’s dozen. But even those have been exceptional, with the average starting field positions for the opponents at their own 11 after those 13 kicks.