Top Performers From The Dolphins Loss In Detroit
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The Miami Dolphins lost a heartbreaker on Sunday in the final seconds against the Detroit Lions. The ending was very reminiscent to the Dolphins loss to the Green Bay Packers earlier in the season as Miami held a lead in the game's final minutes only to give up a touchdown with only seconds left on the clock. The bottom line is that the Dolphins once again played a tight game against one of the better teams in the NFL and ultimately came up short.
Both the Dolphins and the Lions came into the game boasting two of the league's best defenses, and the low-scoring affair reflected how well each unit played. Unfortunately for Miami, it wasn't the Dolphins defense that got the last laugh. They did force a Lions punt when Detroit got the ball following the Dolphins taking a 16-13 lead with just over four minutes left, but Miami's offense quickly went three and out when a couple of first downs could have sealed the victory. Before moving on to Thursday's division battle against Buffalo, here are the top performers from the Dolphins loss to Detroit.
Cameron Wake
Wake had another solid game on Sunday, constantly making things difficult for Lions QB Matthew Stafford. He finished the game with two sacks, an additional two quarterback hits and a tackle for a loss. Wake now has 8.5 sacks on the season.
Jarvis Landry
With every passing game Landry continues to show improvement and growth in the Dolphins offense. He is becoming one of Ryan Tannehill's favorite targets and his after the catch ability shows just how high the ceiling is on this kid. Landry also had two kickoff returns of 46 and 31 yards to go along with his seven catches and 53 receiving yards.
Caleb Sturgis
It's been a very up-and-down season for Sturgis, who has been solid on his short distance field goals but he's struggled from distance. He gave Dolphins fans an encouraging sign by hitting just his second 50+ yard field goal of the season, and first since Week 3 against Kansas City, while adding a pair of short field goals as well. Sturgis has now made 19 of his 23 field goal attempts this season, and all 24 of his extra points.
Ja'Wuan James
The rookie offensive lineman has played great during his first half-season in the NFL but really showed just how good of a player he was on Sunday in Detroit. When the Dolphins Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle Brandon Albert went down with a knee injury, James had to make the immediate switch from right tackle to left. He didn't miss a beat and had an excellent game despite playing against one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
Dion Jordan
The Dolphins coaching staff is slowly working Jordan back into the mix after the 2013 1st round pick was suspended for the first six games of the season. Jordan had his most impactful game so far on Sunday against the Lions. He registered three tackles, broke up a pass intended for Calvin Johnson and returned a blocked field goal 58 yards down to the Lions 3 yard line, setting up the Dolphins only touchdown of the game.
Brent Grimes get an honorable mention this week for his remarkable one-handed interception. He played a solid game against Calvin Johnson, limiting him to seven catches on 15 targets, but the stud receiver still came away with 113 receiving yards and a 49 yard touchdown catch.
Watch Miami take on the Buffalo Bills this Thursday at 8 p.m. on CBS4, your official Dolphins station!
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