THE APEX TIMES
Rookies and second-year contributors accounted for standout defensive moments and key offensive production as Miami pushed New England, falling 24-19 at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins’ youth movement did not take a back seat in their 24-19 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami’s rookies helped keep the game competitive against the reigning AFC champions while several veterans continued to supply steady production.
Inside the defense, inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez recorded his first forced fumble as a pro. He jarred the ball from Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism, with cornerback Juju Brent securing the recovery, one week after Rodriguez was highlighted for his high-impact play-making in college.
Rodriguez’s forced fumble was part of a broader Dolphins rookie run. The team now has three rookies (Rodriguez, safety Michael Taaffe, and cornerback Chris Johnson) with a forced fumble in the same season, a first for Miami since 1998.
On the tackling side, Rodriguez finished with eight tackles, bringing his season total to 69, which was listed as the sixth most in the NFL. At the same time, veteran inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks hit the 900-career-tackle milestone, reaching it in 104 games as the eighth-fastest player in league history to the mark.
Miami’s offensive momentum showed most clearly on third down. The Dolphins converted 7 of 14 third-down tries in the game, lifting their season rate to 42.7 percent, ninth-best in the NFL, and quarterback Malik Willis was responsible for six of those seven conversions.
Willis went 7 of 10 passing on third down for 54 yards and a touchdown, also adding a two-yard run on third-and-1. The touchdown came on a completion to wide receiver Malik Washington, who finished with five receptions for 40 yards, moving him to 103 career catches.
The Dolphins also got rookie contributions through the passing game. Willis connected with rookie wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. for a touchdown, and Coleman led Miami with 46 receiving yards. Caleb Douglas added four receptions for 43 yards, giving him 226 receiving yards through his first four NFL games, the most by a Dolphins player over that stretch.