ALSO INSIDE
He catches seven balls for 180 yards, hits two milestones.
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Loss takes thrills out of big game for Stills,
MIAMI GARDENS—This should have been one of the most satisfying days of Kenny Stills’ career.
All the numbers said so — except for the most important ones on the scoreboard.
Stills had seven catches for a career-high 180 yards, but the Dolphins lost 30-20 to the Bucs on Sunday. This despite Stills being questionable with a back injury that cost him practice time last week.
Stills’ 61-yard touchdown reception from Matt Moore gave the Dolphins a 20-all tie with three minutes left. But when the Bucs drove down field for a last-second field goal, Stills’ career day became the Dolphins’ fourth loss in a row.
That happens to teams with 17 penalties and five turnovers.
“You look at the statistics ,” Stills said .“When people have penalties starting on a drive or throughout a drive, it’s pretty difficult to put points on the board and that’s what the game is about. We’ve got to eliminate the penalties if we want to put points on the board and win games.”
Stills hit two milestones along the way, recording his 200th career catch and 25th touchdown. His previous career high in yardage was 162.
Jay Cutler and Moore had a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting him, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Just caught them in the right coverage,” Stills said of his 61- yard TD .“The defender kind of sat, and I got behind him, and Matt threw a good ball.”
Moore said, “You just put the ball up and let him go get it.”
Stills finished with a 25.7 average, the fourth-most in team history. Nat Moore caught seven passes for 210 yards, a 30.0 average, in 1981 against the Jets. Mark Duper had a 28.9 game against Buffalo in 1983 and a 27.1 against the Jets in 1985.
The Dolphins seemed to have that extra spark when Moore relieved Cutler at halftime. Cutler was in the concussion protocol.
“I think sometimes the defense sees Matt come in and they think, ‘Backup quarterback. Let’s put some pressure on him,’ “Stills said. “Matt does a good job of getting rid of the ball and letting us make plays.”