Michael Ainsworth/APThe former Cowboys first-round draft pick played 27 games with Dallas, scratching out four sacks and one forced fumble. With his strip sack on Monday night, Charlton equaled both those numbers in a mere five games in Miami. -- SS
Don Wright/APWhere do we even start with what transpired on third-and-20 play from Miami's 45 yard-line with 26 seconds left in the first half? After a timeout, the Dolphins called a defensive play that rushed eight and dropped three defensive backs 20 yards into coverage, leaving the middle of the field wide open. That resulted in a 45-yard touchdown that closed the deficit to 14-10. Either that play was intentional to assist in the tanking, or these coaches are clueless.
Roger Steinman/APHaack did his job, with two punts, both inside the 20, with a meaty net of 45.5 yards. That shimmies his season net number to 43.4 yards per punt, with 11 inside the 20. Only Jacksonville's Logan Cooke and his 43.5 and 14 I20s is better among AFC punters averaging at least three punts per team game played. – SS
Wilfredo Lee/APSince Miami claimed Taco Charlton off the waiver wire following his release from Dallas, the former first-rounder has delivered four sacks in five games. His fourth sack of the season occurred on a play where he swiped at the ball Mason Rudolph was holding while Jerome Baker was attempting to bring the Steelers quarterback down. Miami wasn't able to recover the fumble, but the fact he leads Miami in sacks shows he possesses talent Miami can develop. -- OK
John McCall / South Florida Sun SentinelJesse Davis is the most important player on Miami's offensive line, and the Dolphins will struggle when its veteran right tackle struggles. That was the case against the Steelers, who manhandled Miami's offensive line, forcing their will. Davis gave up one sack and wasn't able to produce a surge in the run game. Miami needs more from him.
Justin K. Aller / Getty ImagesXavien Howard, who pulled down an interception and drew an offensive pass interference call that turned a touchdown pass into a penalty, was sensational in the game's first 34 minutes. Then he was part of a disastrous 3rd-and-20 call that featured Miami rushing eight defenders and dropping three back into coverage. That play resulted in a 45-yard touchdown that changed momentum and got Mason Rudolph going. Rudolph was 20-of-36 for 251 yards and two touchdowns (84.4 passer rating).
Taimy Alvarez / South Florida Sun SentinelThe journeyman defensive tackle put the Steelers center Pouncey on the figurative skates and drove him into Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph as he threw, causing the Dolphins first-quarter interception that led to a 7-0 lead. Jenkins later drew two holding calls on the seven-time Pro Bowl pick. – Steve Svekis
Keith Srakocic / APGood teams find ways to win close games. Awful teams gift-wrap losses to their opponents in them. That's the best way to describe how the winless Miami Dolphins unraveled during Monday night's nationally televised loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-4). From bad play-calls — especially a third-and-20 eight-man pressure that delivered a 45-yard Steelers touchdowns a minute before halftime — to tipped passes that turn into interceptions, and fumbles that extinguish offensive possessions and scoring drives. Here are 20 takeaways from Monday night's loss in Pittsburgh:
Taimy Alvarez / South Florida Sun SentinelThe Dolphins claimed Robert Nkemdiche, the Cardinals 2016 first-round pick, hoping that he'd return to being the disruptive player he was last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury last December. Miami's coaches got their first sampling of what the defensive tackle brings to the table on Monday night, when he was activated from the PUP list. Nkemdiche played nose tackle early, and seemed winded in his limited snaps. Miami needs Nkemdiche to become a reliable player because of the team's lack of depth on the defensive line. -- OK
Keith Srakocic/APRyan Fitzpatrick was sharp in the first quarter, throwing two touchdowns that gave Miami a 14-0 lead. But the offensive line struggled protecting him (four sacks) and the pressure eventually became overwhelming. Fitzpatrick, who completed 21-of-34 passes for 190 yards, threw two interceptions. But the first was a pass tight end Nick O'Leary tipped into the air and the second was the equivalent of a punt on third down because he was trying to give Jakeem Grant a chance to make play on a deep ball. Hard to criticize him for either turnover, but Miami needs to be more disciplined with each possession.
Meg Oliphant/GettyFormer Rams cornerback Aqib Talib runs off the field after L.A. defeated the Saints on Sept..
Joe Sargent / Getty ImagesRyan Fitzpatrick has developed a gunslinger reputation during his 15-year career, and Monday night's game against the Steelers personified the polarity that comes with his game. Fitzpatrick can provide plenty good plays, which keeps his team in games. But he can also deliver inopportune turnovers, like the two interceptions he threw against the Steelers. Even though one of them came on a pass tight end Nick O'Leary should have caught, and the other was a desperation throw-away pass that might as well have been a punt. When it's all added up, it equals a losing performance. -- OK
Keith Srakocic / APA third-and-20 play to close out the first half was the most inopportune time to blitz eight defenders, which left three defensive backs to defend half the field. But that's exactly what defensive coordinator Patrick Graham called, and it looked like the tank special of the 2020 season considering Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson scored a 45-yard touchdown on it, trimming the halftime deficit to 14-10 with less than a minute left in the second half. -- OK
Joe Sargent / Getty ImagesThe Dolphins played a solid game on special teams even though the unit wasn't much of a factor in the game's outcome. Matt Haack averaged a whopping 45.5 net yards on punts, and Preston Williams contributed 35 yards on three punt returns, proving he's more fitting for that role than Jakeem Grant.
Keith Srakocic/APThe Dolphins defensive front continued to get pummeled on the ground, allowing the Steelers to rush for 158 yards and average 5.4 yards per attempt. James Conner gained 145 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on his 23 carries before suffering a shoulder injury. The Dolphins need to do a better job of getting push from the defensive tackles and setting the edge.
Keith Srakocic/APJ.J. Watt's younger brother made the big Dolphins right tackle look overmatched on a number of plays, with chipping from Mark Walton or a tight end being seemingly the only thing to stem his straight line to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Watt is in prime position to win the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week after his two sacks and two forced fumbles. -- SS
Justin Berl / Getty ImagesThe Dolphins have inched their average points scored per game up to 11.0 a game with 77. That is the fewest points scored in Dolphins history through seven games, behind the 1967 Dolphins' 79. However, that team was shut out in week 8, so, as long as Jason Sanders makes any kick against the Jets, this years Dolphins will finally emerge from that ignominy. – SS
Tony Avelar/APThe Dolphins full-division opponents next season are the NFC West and AFC West. The known home games will be against the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and the team who finishes in the same position in the AFC North as the Dolphins do in the AFC East. Currently, the last-place Dolphins would be pathed to host the Cincinnati Bengals. On the road, along with the Patriots, Bills and Jets visits, there will be trips to Las Vegas to play the Raiders, and visits to the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and commensurately finishing team in the AFC South, currently the Tennessee Titans and Ryan Tannehill by virtue of a lost tiebreaker with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Dolphins could still end up playing a game in a foreign country as they have been a favorite such target of the NFL as Miami aims to do what it can to curry favor for Super Bowl hostings. Interestingly, of the 28 games played in the United Kingdom, a team from Florida has been chosen to lose a precious home game 13 times (of the 14 overall games the Sunshine Staters have played in England). The Dolphins have lost three home games, and also played the only Floridian 'road' game there. Conversely, the Green Bay Packers have never played any game, home or away, in England or Mexico. Thirteen other teams have sacrificed only one road date in the series' 13 years. -- SS
Matt Rourke/APEx-Dolphins coach Adam Gase is under siege only seven games into his term with Gang Green, a loss at Jacksonville dropping the 2019 Jets to 1-6, and Gase to 5-15 since a 3-0 start last year in Miami Gardens. … The Dolphins have won five of the past six matchups to trim New York's lead in the all-time series to 54-52-1. … Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has turned the ball over nine times in his past two games and has also been sacked on nine of his dropbacks. -- SS
Don Wright/APThe last time Pittsburgh lost a Monday Nighter, it was on Oct. 14, 1991, when they played at Three Rivers Stadium and the announcing crew was Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf. The Dolphins have been beaten twice in that streak (2007 and 2019). -- SS
Don Wright/APSince the Dolphins traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh, the Miami 2018 first-round pick has thrived as the Steelers' starting free safety, a position the Dolphins preferred Bobby McCain play instead of him. During Monday night's game, Fitzpatrick pulled down two interceptions, showing off the playmaking skills that motivated the Steelers to trade a 2020 first-round pick to acquire him. Maybe if Brian Flores had used Fitzpatrick as his free safety he'd still be in Miami. -- OK
Keith Srakocic / APAlbert Wilson didn't play many snaps against Pittsburgh, but he finally looked like the run-after-catch playmaker he's been his entire career on his 5-yard touchdown run. There's a whole segment of Miami's playbook designed for Wilson, and the Dolphins have had to put them on the shelf until Wilson's hip and calf injuries allowed him to get his shake-and-bake back. That one play showed that there's a chance it returns this season.
John McCall / South Florida Sun SentinelBobby McCain, a team captain, came onto the field for the coin toss, but didn't return for an entire quarter because he was being punished for allegedly spitting on a Buffalo Bills fan during last week's loss. Dolphins coach Brian Flores needed to send a message for the out-of-character incident and did just that in his decision to sit McCain for a quarter. Jomal Wiltz, who is typically used as Miami's starting nickel cornerback, replaced McCain for the first quarter of the game. -- OK
John McCall/South Florida Sun SentinelCoincidence or not, Miami's worst rushing game of the season happened on the same day the team traded away Kenyan Drake for a 2020 sixth-round pick, which has conditions that can turn it into a fifth-round selection. Mark Walton, who had played admirably as the Dolphins starter the previous two games, struggled against Pittsburgh because Miami's offensive line struggled against the Steelers defensive front. Walton lost a fumble at the end of a 12-yard fourth-quarter reception that extinguished Miami's chances of rallying back from a 24-14 deficit. -- OK
Justin Berl / Getty ImagesThe day Miami traded Kenyan Drake to Arizona for a 2020 late-round selection wasn't the ideal time to produce one of the worst rushing performances of the season, but that's exactly what Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage did. The pair produced 42 rushing yards on 14 attempts. If Fitzpatrick hadn't gained 17 yards on his five carries, they would have had their worst rushing performance of the season. The offensive line got manhandled at the line of scrimmage.- Michael Ainsworth/APThe former Cowboys first-round draft pick played 27 games with Dallas, scratching out four sacks and one forced fumble. With his strip sack on Monday night, Charlton equaled both those numbers in a mere five games in Miami. -- SS
- Don Wright/APWhere do we even start with what transpired on third-and-20 play from Miami's 45 yard-line with 26 seconds left in the first half? After a timeout, the Dolphins called a defensive play that rushed eight and dropped three defensive backs 20 yards into coverage, leaving the middle of the field wide open. That resulted in a 45-yard touchdown that closed the deficit to 14-10. Either that play was intentional to assist in the tanking, or these coaches are clueless.
- Roger Steinman/APHaack did his job, with two punts, both inside the 20, with a meaty net of 45.5 yards. That shimmies his season net number to 43.4 yards per punt, with 11 inside the 20. Only Jacksonville's Logan Cooke and his 43.5 and 14 I20s is better among AFC punters averaging at least three punts per team game played. – SS
- Wilfredo Lee/APSince Miami claimed Taco Charlton off the waiver wire following his release from Dallas, the former first-rounder has delivered four sacks in five games. His fourth sack of the season occurred on a play where he swiped at the ball Mason Rudolph was holding while Jerome Baker was attempting to bring the Steelers quarterback down. Miami wasn't able to recover the fumble, but the fact he leads Miami in sacks shows he possesses talent Miami can develop. -- OK
- John McCall / South Florida Sun SentinelJesse Davis is the most important player on Miami's offensive line, and the Dolphins will struggle when its veteran right tackle struggles. That was the case against the Steelers, who manhandled Miami's offensive line, forcing their will. Davis gave up one sack and wasn't able to produce a surge in the run game. Miami needs more from him.
- Justin K. Aller / Getty ImagesXavien Howard, who pulled down an interception and drew an offensive pass interference call that turned a touchdown pass into a penalty, was sensational in the game's first 34 minutes. Then he was part of a disastrous 3rd-and-20 call that featured Miami rushing eight defenders and dropping three back into coverage. That play resulted in a 45-yard touchdown that changed momentum and got Mason Rudolph going. Rudolph was 20-of-36 for 251 yards and two touchdowns (84.4 passer rating).
- Taimy Alvarez / South Florida Sun SentinelThe journeyman defensive tackle put the Steelers center Pouncey on the figurative skates and drove him into Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph as he threw, causing the Dolphins first-quarter interception that led to a 7-0 lead. Jenkins later drew two holding calls on the seven-time Pro Bowl pick. – Steve Svekis
- Keith Srakocic / APGood teams find ways to win close games. Awful teams gift-wrap losses to their opponents in them. That's the best way to describe how the winless Miami Dolphins unraveled during Monday night's nationally televised loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-4). From bad play-calls — especially a third-and-20 eight-man pressure that delivered a 45-yard Steelers touchdowns a minute before halftime — to tipped passes that turn into interceptions, and fumbles that extinguish offensive possessions and scoring drives. Here are 20 takeaways from Monday night's loss in Pittsburgh:
- Taimy Alvarez / South Florida Sun SentinelThe Dolphins claimed Robert Nkemdiche, the Cardinals 2016 first-round pick, hoping that he'd return to being the disruptive player he was last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury last December. Miami's coaches got their first sampling of what the defensive tackle brings to the table on Monday night, when he was activated from the PUP list. Nkemdiche played nose tackle early, and seemed winded in his limited snaps. Miami needs Nkemdiche to become a reliable player because of the team's lack of depth on the defensive line. -- OK
- Keith Srakocic/APRyan Fitzpatrick was sharp in the first quarter, throwing two touchdowns that gave Miami a 14-0 lead. But the offensive line struggled protecting him (four sacks) and the pressure eventually became overwhelming. Fitzpatrick, who completed 21-of-34 passes for 190 yards, threw two interceptions. But the first was a pass tight end Nick O'Leary tipped into the air and the second was the equivalent of a punt on third down because he was trying to give Jakeem Grant a chance to make play on a deep ball. Hard to criticize him for either turnover, but Miami needs to be more disciplined with each possession.
- Meg Oliphant/GettyFormer Rams cornerback Aqib Talib runs off the field after L.A. defeated the Saints on Sept..
- Joe Sargent / Getty ImagesRyan Fitzpatrick has developed a gunslinger reputation during his 15-year career, and Monday night's game against the Steelers personified the polarity that comes with his game. Fitzpatrick can provide plenty good plays, which keeps his team in games. But he can also deliver inopportune turnovers, like the two interceptions he threw against the Steelers. Even though one of them came on a pass tight end Nick O'Leary should have caught, and the other was a desperation throw-away pass that might as well have been a punt. When it's all added up, it equals a losing performance. -- OK
- Keith Srakocic / APA third-and-20 play to close out the first half was the most inopportune time to blitz eight defenders, which left three defensive backs to defend half the field. But that's exactly what defensive coordinator Patrick Graham called, and it looked like the tank special of the 2020 season considering Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson scored a 45-yard touchdown on it, trimming the halftime deficit to 14-10 with less than a minute left in the second half. -- OK
- Joe Sargent / Getty ImagesThe Dolphins played a solid game on special teams even though the unit wasn't much of a factor in the game's outcome. Matt Haack averaged a whopping 45.5 net yards on punts, and Preston Williams contributed 35 yards on three punt returns, proving he's more fitting for that role than Jakeem Grant.
- Keith Srakocic/APThe Dolphins defensive front continued to get pummeled on the ground, allowing the Steelers to rush for 158 yards and average 5.4 yards per attempt. James Conner gained 145 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on his 23 carries before suffering a shoulder injury. The Dolphins need to do a better job of getting push from the defensive tackles and setting the edge.
- Keith Srakocic/APJ.J. Watt's younger brother made the big Dolphins right tackle look overmatched on a number of plays, with chipping from Mark Walton or a tight end being seemingly the only thing to stem his straight line to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Watt is in prime position to win the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week after his two sacks and two forced fumbles. -- SS
- Justin Berl / Getty ImagesThe Dolphins have inched their average points scored per game up to 11.0 a game with 77. That is the fewest points scored in Dolphins history through seven games, behind the 1967 Dolphins' 79. However, that team was shut out in week 8, so, as long as Jason Sanders makes any kick against the Jets, this years Dolphins will finally emerge from that ignominy. – SS
- Tony Avelar/APThe Dolphins full-division opponents next season are the NFC West and AFC West. The known home games will be against the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and the team who finishes in the same position in the AFC North as the Dolphins do in the AFC East. Currently, the last-place Dolphins would be pathed to host the Cincinnati Bengals. On the road, along with the Patriots, Bills and Jets visits, there will be trips to Las Vegas to play the Raiders, and visits to the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and commensurately finishing team in the AFC South, currently the Tennessee Titans and Ryan Tannehill by virtue of a lost tiebreaker with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Dolphins could still end up playing a game in a foreign country as they have been a favorite such target of the NFL as Miami aims to do what it can to curry favor for Super Bowl hostings. Interestingly, of the 28 games played in the United Kingdom, a team from Florida has been chosen to lose a precious home game 13 times (of the 14 overall games the Sunshine Staters have played in England). The Dolphins have lost three home games, and also played the only Floridian 'road' game there. Conversely, the Green Bay Packers have never played any game, home or away, in England or Mexico. Thirteen other teams have sacrificed only one road date in the series' 13 years. -- SS
- Matt Rourke/APEx-Dolphins coach Adam Gase is under siege only seven games into his term with Gang Green, a loss at Jacksonville dropping the 2019 Jets to 1-6, and Gase to 5-15 since a 3-0 start last year in Miami Gardens. … The Dolphins have won five of the past six matchups to trim New York's lead in the all-time series to 54-52-1. … Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has turned the ball over nine times in his past two games and has also been sacked on nine of his dropbacks. -- SS
- Don Wright/APThe last time Pittsburgh lost a Monday Nighter, it was on Oct. 14, 1991, when they played at Three Rivers Stadium and the announcing crew was Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf. The Dolphins have been beaten twice in that streak (2007 and 2019). -- SS
- Don Wright/APSince the Dolphins traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh, the Miami 2018 first-round pick has thrived as the Steelers' starting free safety, a position the Dolphins preferred Bobby McCain play instead of him. During Monday night's game, Fitzpatrick pulled down two interceptions, showing off the playmaking skills that motivated the Steelers to trade a 2020 first-round pick to acquire him. Maybe if Brian Flores had used Fitzpatrick as his free safety he'd still be in Miami. -- OK
- Keith Srakocic / APAlbert Wilson didn't play many snaps against Pittsburgh, but he finally looked like the run-after-catch playmaker he's been his entire career on his 5-yard touchdown run. There's a whole segment of Miami's playbook designed for Wilson, and the Dolphins have had to put them on the shelf until Wilson's hip and calf injuries allowed him to get his shake-and-bake back. That one play showed that there's a chance it returns this season.
- John McCall / South Florida Sun SentinelBobby McCain, a team captain, came onto the field for the coin toss, but didn't return for an entire quarter because he was being punished for allegedly spitting on a Buffalo Bills fan during last week's loss. Dolphins coach Brian Flores needed to send a message for the out-of-character incident and did just that in his decision to sit McCain for a quarter. Jomal Wiltz, who is typically used as Miami's starting nickel cornerback, replaced McCain for the first quarter of the game. -- OK
- John McCall/South Florida Sun SentinelCoincidence or not, Miami's worst rushing game of the season happened on the same day the team traded away Kenyan Drake for a 2020 sixth-round pick, which has conditions that can turn it into a fifth-round selection. Mark Walton, who had played admirably as the Dolphins starter the previous two games, struggled against Pittsburgh because Miami's offensive line struggled against the Steelers defensive front. Walton lost a fumble at the end of a 12-yard fourth-quarter reception that extinguished Miami's chances of rallying back from a 24-14 deficit. -- OK
- Justin Berl / Getty ImagesThe day Miami traded Kenyan Drake to Arizona for a 2020 late-round selection wasn't the ideal time to produce one of the worst rushing performances of the season, but that's exactly what Mark Walton and Kalen Ballage did. The pair produced 42 rushing yards on 14 attempts. If Fitzpatrick hadn't gained 17 yards on his five carries, they would have had their worst rushing performance of the season. The offensive line got manhandled at the line of scrimmage.
Michael Ainsworth/AP
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The former Cowboys first-round draft pick played 27 games with Dallas, scratching out four sacks and one forced fumble. With his strip sack on Monday night, Charlton equaled both those numbers in a mere five games in Miami. -- SS
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The Miami Dolphins have added a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback and Super Bowl champion to their roster before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
If this player plays a down for the Dolphins this season, however, remains to be seen.
The Dolphins acquired injured cornerback Aqib Talib and an undisclosed draft pick from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a future pick, the South Florida Sun Sentinel has confirmed. ESPN was the first to report the trade, and says the pick Miami received from Los Angeles is a 2020 fifth rounder.
The Dolphins will pay Talib, who is on injured reserve after fracturing his ribs, the $4.2 million he is owed for the rest of this season.
“We had the opportunity to acquire him and some draft capital, and we felt like it was the best for us,” coach Brian Flores said Tuesday.
“Obviously, he’s dealing with an injury. We’ll see where that’s at. This has all happened very quickly so there’s a lot of things we have to assess and evaluate. It’s hard to make a blanket statement on what it’s going to be, playing time-wise, etc.”
The extra draft pick sweetens the deal for Miami, adding to their extensive haul of draft picks they plan to use to kick-start their rebuilding process.
Talib could return at some point this season from his injury, but whether that is likely is another story. He is eligible to return from IR in Week 15, so he could play in the final three games of the season.
Talib, who spent two seasons with the New England Patriots while Dolphins coach Brian Flores was part of the staff, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Talib, who turns 34 next season, has pulled down 35 interceptions and earned $52 million over the course of his 12-year career. He is a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback and earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2016. Talib has played in 148 career games with 134 starts, totaling 459 tackles (382 solo), one sack, 125 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Talib has played for Tampa Bay (2008-12), New England (2012-13), Denver (2014-17) and the Rams (2018-19) in his career. He originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (20th overall) by Tampa Bay in the 2008.
The Dolphins could table the idea of re-signing Talib to a deal until the coming offseason to see if he can fill their longstanding void of having a capable cornerback who can play opposite standout Xavien Howard next season.
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Acquiring Talib was the second trade deadline move the Dolphins made, following their Monday trade of former running back Kenyan Drake to the Arizona Cardinals for a conditional sixth-round draft pick on Monday.