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Week 6 Game Recap: Miami Dolphins 31, Cleveland Browns 41
What you need to know
| Miami Dolphins |
The Miami Dolphins, still looking to win their first game of the season, turned to the inexperienced quarterback Cleo Lemon to lead them against the Browns. Lemon's game was a tale of two halves as the first half saw a confused, almost lost quarterback at the helm. By the start of the second half, however, Lemon had settled in and led the Dolphins on two key scoring drives in the third quarter. Lemon would throw for 245 yards, complete 56% of his passes and account for four touchdowns -- two passing and two rushing.
Ronnie Brown led the Dolphins rushing attack, carrying the ball 19 times for 101 yards. He also added 69 yards on nine catches in the passing game. Overall the Browns were at a loss for ways to stop Brown. He was able to run up the middle and get open in the passing game. Brown and wide receiver Chris Chambers were the keys the Miami offense. Chambers was targeted 20 times during the game, and was often the primary option in the passing game. While Chambers was targeted a great deal during the game, he only came away with six receptions for 73 yards.
The Miami defense was at a loss to stop the passing attack of the Browns. The Miami defenders struggled to keep up with the Browns receivers, often getting moved off the line of scrimmage or failing to jam the Browns receivers at the line. In the end, the Browns were able to account for 384 total net yards of offense. Finally, the Dolphins, as a team, played a very undisciplined game, being penalized eight times for 90 yards.
| Cleveland Browns |
The Cleveland Browns won their third game of the season on the strength of a very effective passing game at the hands of quarterback Derek Anderson. Anderson completed 72 percent of his passes for 245 yards but most importantly he accounted for three passing and two rushing touchdowns. Braylon Edwards has quickly become Anderson's go to receiver, and Edwards continued his maturation into a true number one receiver with five catches for 67 yards and three touchdowns. Edwards' route running was crisp and in alignment with the timing of the play all afternoon. While he's never been afraid to go over the middle of a defense, he did most of his work running down the sidelines and working the corners of the field.
Kellen Winslow and Jason Wright helped round out the Browns offense. Winslow, quietly, had a big day catching five balls for 90 yards. He menaced the middle of the field and the underneath portions of the Dolphins zone coverage. Jason Wright, filling in for the injured Jamal Lewis, also had a nice day accounting for 59 yards on 20 carries and hauling in three catches for 39 yards. Wright is not the power back that Lewis is, and was used off tackle for most of the game. He has a decent set of hands, but his pass receptions were the result of good coverage, not design.
The only sore spot for the Browns, was a rush defense that struggled to contain Ronnie Brown and a pass defense that truly failed to generate any kind of sustained pass rush. Brown averaged over five yards a carry, and had a lot of success pounding the ball straight up the middle of the Browns defense. Had the Dolphins not been forced into playing from behind, their ability to run on the Browns could have easily tipped the game toward Miami.
What you ought to know
| QB Cleo Lemon, Pass: 24 - 43 - 256 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 9 - 2 |
Lemon looked like two different quarterbacks in the game. During the first half, he was clearly uncomfortable in the offense, forcing throws and missing receivers all over the field. Beginning with a 14 play, seven minute touchdown drive that covered 75 yards to start the third quarter, Lemon had settled in to the offense and began to play like a much more seasoned quarterback. He followed this drive up with another 62 yard, nine play drive to score another touchdown -- one that Lemon ran up the middle and into the endzone himself. While he did seem a little lost at times, Lemon has a very strong arm and was able to move in the pocket to avoid pressure. He seemed to get better at sensing pressure and working his receiver progressions as the game progressed.
| RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 19 - 101 - 0, Rec: 9 - 69 - 0 (11 targets) |
Brown was one of the centerpieces of the Dolphins offense. He showed his power running the up the middle, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He was often able to make one cut, make a defender miss, and get to the second level of the defense with ease. While he didn't show much of a speed burst, his strength and usefulness as a flat pass option more than made up for this shortcoming. For pass plays, the Dolphins used Brown out of the flat, as a safety option for quarterback Cleo Lemon. Brown showed good hands and did not drop a pass during the game.
| WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 6 - 73 - 0 (20 targets) |
Chambers was the focal point of the passing offense for the Dolphins today. Despite being such a focal point for the offense, Chambers' game could almost be described as lethargic. Early in the first half, having beat cornerback Daven Holley on a deep go route, Chambers failed to either dive or hit top speed to come up with a well thrown ball from Cleo Lemon. The pass would have clearly led to a touchdown, but turned into an incompletion. Furthermore, Chambers seemed unwilling or unable to wrestle the ball from defenders or go over the middle to make a catch. Chambers only came up with six catches today, and some of the difference between targets and catches can be attributed to Cleo Lemon, but some of the difference also falls on Chambers and a lack of effort.
| WR Marty Booker, Rec: 2 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) |
Booker was very quiet for most of the afternoon only catching two passes. He is clearly not part of the Chambers/Brown combination that is the heart of the Dolphins offense.
| TE David Martin, Rec: 3 - 18 - 2 (3 targets) |
Martin did catch two touchdown passes in the game, but only because he managed to get open while the pass play broke down. He was used as a safety outlet only and the Dolphins did not design much, if any of the passing game around him. His second touchdown catch was a good looking one as he was forced to jump and wrestle the safety for the ball.
| PK Jay Feely 1 - 1 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 7 points |
Feely had a routine day, kicking four extra points and a 43 yard field goal with no problems.
| MIA Rush Defense |
The Dolphins allowed the Browns to average four yards per rush and rack up 140 net yards rushing. The Dolphins rush defense was unable to prevent the Browns offensive line from sealing up the outside lanes and allowed multiple runs of four plus yards off the tackle. During the third quarter, the Dolphins were unable to prevent the Browns from running the ball with Jason Wright during a 12 play 66 yard touchdown drive.
| MIA Pass Defense |
The Dolphins pass defense came under fire early in the game as the Browns opened up the passing attack in the first quarter. Miami's pass defense was unable to keep up with the speed of the Browns wide outs and tight end Kellen Winslow. Furthermore, the Dolphins pass defense was out-wrestled for two touchdown passes by Browns receivers.
| QB Derek Anderson, Pass: 18 - 25 - 245 - 3 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 5 - 13 - 1 |
Anderson looked excellent in the game, throwing for over 200 yards and accounting for four touchdowns -- three through the air and one rushing. He was asked to make multiple timing throws with his receivers, and his passes were on time and on target all afternoon. Furthermore, Anderson stayed composed and in control of the offense throughout the game. Early in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins had narrowed the gap in the score to three points. Anderson led the Browns down the field on a 12 play, six minute drive to score a touchdown. Throughout the drive, Anderson looked calm and composed in the pocket, found the open receivers and delivered on time passes.
| RB Jason Wright, Rush: 20 - 59 - 1, Rec: 3 - 39 - 0 (3 targets) |
Wright was given the start due to the absence of Jamal Lewis in the Browns lineup. He is a speedy, shifty back, one who can not run up the middle with the power of Jamal Lewis. Despite this, Wright had an excellent game, running well to the outside and being a key player in the passing game. While not a first look in the passing game, Wright was often left alone in the flat and used his speed to turn the corner and get up the field. He did lose a fumble late in the fourth quarter trying to run up the middle. Wright failed to cover up the ball with both hands and Miami LB Jason Taylor was able to strip the ball out of his hand.
| WR Braylon Edwards, Rec: 5 - 67 - 3 (9 targets) |
Edwards showed why he is starting to live up to his third overall draft status. While catching three touchdown passes, Edwards demonstrated both his speed in getting behind defenders and his ability in jumping up over the cornerbacks for two of his three touchdown passes. His touchdown in the fourth quarter truly demonstrated why he is becoming such a key piece of the Browns offense. On this touchdown pass, Edwards ran a nice fade route to the outside corner of the endzone. Seeing an under-thrown pass from Derek Anderson, Edwards cut the route short, jumped over the defender, and came down with the ball and a touchdown. He was clearly Derek Anderson's first look on pass plays all afternoon.
| WR Joe Jurevicius, Rec: 3 - 28 - 0 (4 targets) |
Jurevicius had a quite game, but was targeted on a 27 yard end zone pass by Derek Anderson. While he didn't come down with the catch, pass interference was called on the Dolphins defender, resulting in a first and goal for the Browns.
| TE Kellen Winslow Jr, Rec: 5 - 90 - 0 (5 targets) |
Winslow had a very good game being a consistent presence for the Browns offense over the middle of the field. On one play late in the second quarter, Winslow sped up the middle of the field, flew past LB Jason Taylor and caught a 33 yard pass that ultimately led to a Browns field goal. On the play, Winslow demonstrated both great speed and the smarts to realize that he was facing man coverage against a slower opponent in Jason Taylor.
| PK Phil Dawson 2 - 2 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 11 points |
Dawson had a strong day, going five for five in extra points and making two field goals, the longest of which was a booming 40 yard shot.
| CLE Rush Defense |
The Browns rush defense struggled to contain Ronnie Brown and the Miami offensive line all afternoon. The Dolphins were very successful in moving the Cleveland defensive line off the line of scrimmage, giving Ronnie Brown all the room he needed to make some big runs. Miami was successful running the ball both up the middle and off tackle against the Browns defense.
| CLE Pass Defense |
The Browns pass defense struggled to slow down Cleo Lemon and the Miami passing game. Despite Lemon's inexperience at the starting quarterback position, the Browns were unable to generate either a consistent pass rush or a disguised coverage to force interceptions. As a result of this futility, the Dolphins were able to give Lemon time to read through his receiver progressions and execute the offense.
