What have we learned thus far in Week 7? FOX Sports’ staff of NFL writers joined forces to deliver insight and analysis from around the league.
In this weekly story, we’ll tell you what we noticed, what we heard and what to keep an eye on next.
1. He gets overshadowed by Tyreek Hill, but Jaylen Waddle is a No. 1 receiver
When Indianapolis Cots receiver Marvin Harrison got hurt in 2007, another playmaker stepped up for a career-best season. Reggie Wayne had long been productive. But he’d never produced quite like he did when Harrison exited the Colts’ starting lineup.
After waiting in the wings, Wayne spent the ensuing years as the team’s WR1. And he proved he was capable — all along — of being the alpha in the offense.
Something similar is happening for the Dolphins with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. It doesn’t seem like Hill is dealing with a long-term injury. But in his absence on Sunday, Waddle showed the NFL why he can be every bit of a WR1 for Miami. He finished the day with eight catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. He did a lot of that work in the first half, recording six catches for 118 yards and a 60-yard touchdown.
The lack of production in the second half was due, in large part, to the team focusing on their rushing attack. New York was never really a threat to score as Miami won 30-0. In the second half, the Dolphins threw nine times and ran 15 times. It was a dominant win over the Jets, who — by the way — were touted to have one of the best CB tandems in the league, with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed.
While they’ve had good seasons, they had a bad day trying to keep track of Waddle. Even when he wasn’t putting up big numbers, he was putting up game-changing plays. He made a 25-yard catch, for example, on fourth down that extended the Dolphins’ drive.
The Jets came into this game looking for an upset, particularly with quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinking about making a speedy return from his Achilles injury. New York could have given him…
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Publish date : 2023-12-18 18:50:18
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