The first chapter of the NFL story was written by Ian Book and ends with a loss. The Miami Dolphins were able to keep their playoff hopes alive as they extended their winning streak to seven games after defeating the Saints and their rising linebacker on the road 20-3.
That game came in handy for Miami pretty early on as they were able to pick Book – who was starting on his first-ever NFL game due to both Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian being relegated to the COVID list – in only his second pass attempt from Night and bring it back 28 yards to land. It happened upon New Orleans’ opening offensive possession in the evening and they have found themselves playing from behind ever since. Meanwhile, Miami would continue to advance, particularly in the third quarter when they went on an 86-yard touchdown drive that really ruled out any kind of shot the Saints could have had to get back into this competition.
Dolphins’ defense made life very difficult for Book out of the gate by hiding pressure and mixing coverage by dropping multiple defenders and simply dashing three. When they went after him, they did so with tremendous success, with a total of eight bags for 54 yards. The 2021 fourth-round pick ended up completing 12 of his 20 passes for 135 yards and two picks.
For dolphins, Jaylen Waddle is still the X-factor of attack. Miami lined up with him across the field and saw a lot of action, hitting 10 of his 12 goals for 92 yards and touchdowns. Waddle now only tracks Anquan Boldin into most receptions by a rookie in NFL history, passing Saints star Michael Thomas on Monday night. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa went in 19 of 26 passes for 198 yards, touchdowns and interceptions.
From here, the Dolphins will head to Nashville for their Week 17 game against the Tennessee Titans. After that, they will return to Miami in the regular season final against the New England Patriots. If the dolphins can keep the streak going over that stretch, they will hit a card to the playoffs. As for New Orleans, they’ll be hanging out around the Caesars Superdome and waiting for the Carolina Panthers next week before heading out on the road to end the year with a tag team game against the Atlanta Falcons.