ROOKIE WATCH GAME DAY 9 Recap – Houston Texans (Home)
Hey! We got one of those not loss things! A Win! Some will say “it’s only the Texans, we’re supposed to beat them” there are no easy wins in the NFL, just ask Buffalo last week… The strangest thing about this match up wasn’t the win, but that Tua was fit enough to dress, but only be the back up quarterback. Coaches say he was limited in his throwing, but he sustained that injury in the second quarter against Buffalo and played through it and even made his longest air time throw of his career. Let’s see if he plays against Baltimore tonight.
Jaylen Waddle – Wide Receiver #17
Not even close to my prediction last week, Waddle got 83 yards on 8 receptions with no touchdowns. Maybe that’s due to Brissett playing under centre, but that also ties for his best performance of the year in yards, so I’d like to hope that Waddle gets into triple digits if Tua plays, and amongst the NFL, Waddle is 6th in the league for receptions so it’s safe to say that he should see his fair share of targets against Baltimore.
Baltimore this season have been a very stringent defence letting in on average 19 points per game. Maybe I’m picking at straws but the Ravens have been less effective on defending the pass than stopping the run, a thing which should play into Miami’s hands if the offensive line can get its act together. Conceding 14 touchdowns, letting on average 282 passing yards per game and teams having a 63% completion rate against them, this could be the way Miami sees a way to victory, through the air. If so, I personally hope that it’s Tua under centre.
Bold Predicition For The Game: 1 Touchdowns, 65 receiving yards
Jaelan Phillips – Defensive End/Linebacker #15
Credited with 1 solo tackle, 1 assist and half a sack, it matches his performance against Indianapolis which upon initial viewing may seem pretty underwhelming considering the calibre of opponent last week. However, it was his 2nd lowest amount of snaps in five games on the field, 37, so to match that amount of production in so little snaps should be praised slightly.
This week sees a different calibre of opponent again, one that is a lot better than Houston, with Baltimore. The game plan will probably be a lot different again, and instead of aiming for sacks against Lamar Jackson, it will probably be containing him inside the pocket and limiting his running ability, as he leads the team in rushing with 600 yards. Baltimore have also outrushed their opponents by average with the Ravens getting on average 161 yards compared to their opponents with 91 yards. So if Jaelan and Miami’s defensive front can limit number 8 and his rushing ability then we could see some small glimpse of hope for a win.
Bold Prediction For The Game: 0 sack, 2 tackles, 2 assisted tackles.
Liam Eichenberg – Offensive Line #74
Let’s put this right at the start. We know our offensive line is poor, but having 3 offensive lineman all tied for 1st in pressures given so far this year is not acceptable. Is this due to poor talent? Liam didn’t give up a sack in his last 2 years in college, whilst the talent is a lot higher in the NFL, arguably the ability is there. Does he get a pass for being in his rookie season and thrown about all over the offensive line for the start of the year? For me, Yes. However, he does need to be better to stop the fingers being pointed at him.
I wish I could write some more optimistic things on here about our offensive line and how they may far against Baltimore, but with Patrick Queen, defensive end Oweh and great coaching it looks like it will be a long night for him and the rest of the line. The game plan of potentially throwing the ball also comes down to the line and it’s ability to protect our quarterback, so Liam will have to step up tonight and show that ability we all know that is there, and start to separate himself from the other 2 Miami offensive lineman leading pressures in the NFL.
Bold Prediction For The Game: 5 Pressures, drops to 3rd most pressures given in the NFL.
Jevon Holland – Free Safety #8
SOUND THE ALARMS! HOLLAND HAS HAD HIS FIRST CAREER INTERCEPTION! I’ve been predicting this for weeks now, so it’s great to see that he has finally broken that goose egg. The interception came deep in the end zone, and at a point which Houston could have easily gotten back into the game if that score came in, so whilst it was an easily caught interception, the timing of it was key. Now that he has one, I hope that he gets an appetite for it and starts something, as well as getting better in commanding the defensive from the back.
With the hopeful nature of Miami bringing in all their defensive back playmakers to the game tonight, this could be a great matchup to see. The Ravens have a 64% completion against who they play, with 266 passing yards per game on average, so it could be a busy night for #8 and with only 5 interceptions being snagged by rival teams, this could be more of a passes defended type of game instead of a plethora of turnovers. With the calibre of offensive playing tonight, I fully expect a quieter night for Holland statistically, but him to play a majority, if not all, the defensive snaps.
Bold Predicition For The Game: 2 Tackles.
And that will do us for another week of Rookie Watch! Let’s hope for another win for our Miami Dolphins and that we get close to some more bold predictions! FINS UP!
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