Pressure Point: Dolphins showcase depth as stand-ins stand out in rout

No surprise that the Miami Dolphins easily dispatched another of the lesser teams that they have made a habit of bullying this season.

This time the patsy was the overmatched Commanders and the outcome was never in doubt on the way to a 45-15 rout Sunday at Washington. It boosted Miami to 9-3 — for the first time since 2001 — and extended the Dolphins’ lead in the AFC East to three games over idle Buffalo (bye week).

It was an opportunity for Miami stars to add to their impressive resume of eye-opening accomplishments. Notably, Tyreek Hill became the first Dolphins receiver with two touchdown receptions 60 yards or longer since Paul Warfield in 1971.

More on the numbers later. But what stood out most from a Dolphins standpoint was the way it showcased their depth with a number of players excelling as stand-ins for injured starters.

The poster boy for that was Andrew Van Ginkel, who stepped into the void created by Jaelan Phillips’ season-ending Achilles injury and turned in a high-energy performance. Van Ginkel jumped a short pass by Sam Howell and turned it into six points. He also flushed Howell into a sack.

Emmanuel Ogbah, who also saw his role increase due to Phillips’ injury, had one of the three sacks on Howell, his fifth of the season.

ANDREW VAN GINKEL!!!! pic.twitter.com/gVfPrPGGrS

— josh houtz (@houtz) December 3, 2023

Baker injured in collision with teammate

Safety Brandon Jones also had a productive day filling in for Jevon Holland (knee). Unfortunately, in making a touchdown-saving tackle, Jones inadvertently wiped out teammate Jerome Baker, injuring the linebacker’s left knee.

Duke Riley stepped in for Baker and immediately made his presence felt, matching David Long Jr. with a team-high seven combined tackles (four of them assists).
While it is a tribute to the depth of talent, the accumulating of injuries is concerning. Once again the offensive line was affected.

Star left tackle Terron Armstead, who always seems to be dealing with multiple issues, added another when he exited with an ankle injury. Robert Hunt, who returned at right guard, aggravated his hamstring and was unable to finish.

As has has often been the case throughout the season, the shuffled line gave a credible showing and allowed no sacks.

Achane returns with strong performance

Meanwhile, rookie running back De’Von Achane, returned from aggravating a knee injury two weeks ago and had a game-high 72 rushing yards (4.3-yard average) and two touchdowns. He also had three catches for 30 yards.

Hill, with 157 yards on five receptions continued on pace to become the first receiver with 2,000 yards in a season. The Cheetah pushed his season total to 1,481 with five games remaining. He’s averaging 123.4 yards a game.

With those TD catches of 78 and 60 yards pushing his season total to 12 and helping Miami streak to a 31-7 lead at halftime, Hill is building a strong case as a non-quarterback MVP candidate.

It also produced another innovative touchdown celebration.

Add another celebration to Dolphins list. pic.twitter.com/fIHeFJEft5

— Will Manso (@WillManso) December 3, 2023

Tua Tagovailoa bounced back from a mistake-marred performance against the Jets with one of his better statistical performances of the season, completing 75 percent of his passes (18 of 24) , a 141.0 passer rating, the two TD tosses to Tyreek and no turnovers (he had two interceptions including a pick-6 and lost a fumble against the Jets).

In addition, Running back Raheem Mostert had a 2-yard run for his league-leading 14th rushing touchdown. He’s two away from tying Ricky Williams’ Dolphins season record.
Except for injury concerns, it was another feel-good win for a Dolphins team chugging toward their first AFC East crown since 2008.

Curiously, they still don’t have a win over a team with a record above .500 — the Broncos were 6-5 before a 22-17 loss to Houston on Sunday. But with home dates the next two weeks against the 4-8 Titans and Jets, they may have the division sewn up before the closing stretch against the Cowboys, Ravens and defending division champion Bills.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.