Cutler, Parkey Shine In Dolphins Season-Opening Victory Over Chargers
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LOS ANGELES (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins opened the season in dramatic fashion, squeezing by the Los Angeles Chargers 19-17.
New Dolphins kicker Cody Parkey was the hero, hitting all four of his field goal tries including a go-ahead 54-yarder with 1:05 to go in the game.
Los Angeles was set up for a game-winning 44-yard field goal with nine seconds left but rookie kicker Younghoe Koo pushed it wide right, his second miss of the day.
It was a solid debut for Jay Cutler and the Dolphins offense, which moved the ball very well in the second half but found the end zone only once.
Cutler looked for Jarvis Landry early and often, leading to a team-high 13 catches for 78 yards.
It was also nice to see a rapport developing between Cutler and former 1st round pick DeVante Parker. Cutler threw several 50-50 balls to Parker and the receiver rewarded him with a couple highlight grabs.
Miami opened the game with a field goal on its first drive but didn't put a point on the board again until the second half.
After receiving the post-halftime kickoff, the Dolphins deployed the no-huddle offense and marched down the field with relative ease.
To cap the drive, Cutler rolled to the right and found Kenny Stills on a 29-yard touchdown which tied the game up at 10.
The Dolphins scored on all four of their second half possessions while holding San Diego to just a touchdown, which came on LA's opening drive.
TOP PERFORMERS
Jay Cutler- Smokin' Jay completed 24-of-33 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown for a cool passer rating of 101.8. He appeared in control of the Dolphins offense from start to finish and played mistake-free.
Jay Ajayi- The other guy named Jay in Miami's backfield had a monster game, running for 122 yards on 28 carries, breaking the Chargers league-best streak of not allowing a 100-yard runner in 17 straight games.
Mike Hull- He was all over the field and didn't lag much in pass coverage, leading the Dolphins in tackles with 10.
UNDERACHIEVERS
Dolphins Defense- One sack, zero turnovers and little pressure on Phillip Rivers. It felt like the Chargers were on top of whatever Matt Burke was calling.
BIG PROPS
The Dolphins offensive line did a great job in both the run and the pass. Jay Ajayi consistently had solid running lanes and took advantage. Jay Cutler was sacked twice but overall had time to throw. It also must be mentioned that Los Angeles has a pair of premiere pass rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram that Miami largely held in check.
TWO MINUTE DRILL
Parkey is now a perfect 6-for-6 in his career on field goals of 50 or more yards.
Running back Senorise Perry had a couple nice plays on special teams, including a blocked punt in the fourth quarter.