Dolphins @ Bears
Final Score: Bears 20, Lions 13
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)
It’s been a long offseason wait for Dolphins and Bears fans to get a better look at their young quarterbacks–sophomore Tua Tagovailoa and rookie Justin Fields, respectively. For Miami, last year was filled with QB controversy as many thought Ryan Fitzpatrick was the better immediate option on a 10-6 team with playoff aspirations. Their season ended with a thud as Buffalo destroyed the Dolphins in their season finale to keep them out of the playoffs. For Bears fans, last year was the definition of mediocrity. They were 8-8 behind the tandem of Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles, neither of whom showed much promise. Bears fans awaited their first look at rookie Justin Fields. The Bears would win this one 20-13. So how did the teams look? Let’s dive in.
Miami Dolphins
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa: 8/11, 99 yards, INT
Jacoby Brissett: 6/10, 67 yards, TD | 2 carries, 12 yards
Reid Sinnett: 6/10, 51 yards | 1 carry, 17 yards
So let’s provide some context to these stats. Tua Tagovailoa started for the Dolphins, and things were a little rocky out of the gate. Adam Shaheen dropped a nifty throw on the second play from scrimmage and then pressure from the Bears’ defense forced a throw-away on third down. After that, though, it was pretty much smooth sailing. On the Dolphins’ next series, Tua evaded pressure and found Shaheen for a short completion. It was reassuring to see him looking mobile and confident. Soon after, Tua sat behind good protection and struck deep to Mike Gesicki for 50 yards–the longest completion of the game.
Slingin’ it. 🤙 @Tua
📺: #MIAvsCHI on @NFLNetwork
pic.twitter.com/FXG2yAAQKO— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) August 14, 2021
Honestly, everything went well for Tua after that first drive, save for one mistake: his interception. With Miami in the red zone, Tua was looking for–you guessed it–Adam Shaheen over the middle. He failed to notice a Bears defender cutting off the throw, and the result was a turnover.
DeAndre Houston-Carson outta nowhere for the takeaway!
📺: @nflnetwork #MIAvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/ZcX8JMl5Nk
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 14, 2021
Despite that mistake, Tua had a great outing, and Dolphins fans should be excited for the next look at their young offense.
Running Back
Salvon Ahmed: 6 carries, 40 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards, TD
Myles Gaskin: 4 carries, 19 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
Patrick Laird: 3 carries, 12 yards
Jordan Scarlett: 1 carry, 8 yards | 1 target
Malcolm Brown: 9 carries, 8 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards
As we expected all offseason, the first running back to get a carry for Miami was obviously Malcolm Brown. Yeah, that Malcolm Brown–the one who just kept getting in the way in the Rams’ backfield when everyone thought Darrell Henderson was going to be a thing two years ago. Brown never found much room, regularly running into a swarm of Bears defenders as he reached his own line. Still, he had the first crack and he led the team in carries. Brown’s best play came on a Tua scramble where he dumped off to Brown, and Brown had some space to run. The biggest question here is going to be how much work Brown steals from Myles Gaskin.
Speaking of, Gaskin saw his first carry 10 minutes into the first quarter. He didn’t get much work today, and his highlight was a 14-yard run to the left side that put the Dolphins into the red zone–before the aforementioned interception.
Salvon Ahmed looked the best today, and his big play was a catch on a wheel route out of the backfield for a touchdown. Still, keep in mind that he feasted against backups.
1️⃣4️⃣ finds 2️⃣6️⃣ for the TD 😎
📺 @CBSMiami | @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/sfEf7xRGU9
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 14, 2021
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Mike Gesicki: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 56 yards
Lynn Bowden Jr.: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 47 yards
Mack Hollins: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Chris Myarick: 1 target, 1 reception, 14 yards
Isaiah Ford: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 13 yards
Adam Shaheen: 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards
Early on, it was all about the tight ends. It felt like every target went their way–starting with Adam Shaheen. Tua’s first target was a dart to Shaheen–who immediately dropped it. The coverage was good, but it should have been a catch if Shaheen wants to be a major part of this offense.
Mike Gesicki did more with his two looks. On his first target, he was lined up on the right side of the line covered by a linebacker. Gesicki ran down the middle of the field, cutting for the far sideline. He got open, caught a nice pass, and then shrugged off the first tackle on his way to a 50-yard gain. I don’t see any real challengers to Gesicki on this roster, so this is a connection to watch as the preseason continues.
Mack Hollins made a pretty contested catch for 14 yards with about two minutes left in the first quarter. He had another solid grab before that–for 16 yards–that was called back by penalty as well.
Lynn Bowden made a pair of nice grabs on back-to-back plays late in the third quarter leading to an eventual touchdown. Rookie Jaylen Waddle was quiet, save for a nice punt return early in the first. He caught the ball around his own 13-yard line and shook two defenders before running out of bounds for a 24-yard gain.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Andy Dalton: 2/4, 18 yards
Justin Fields: 14/20, 142 yards, 1 TD | 5 carries, 33 yards, TD
Nick Foles: 1/3, 8 yards
Andy Dalton started for the Bears, and his possessions felt like more of the same offense from last season. The Bears’ first drive was a three-and-out with two runs followed by an incomplete pass. Their next drive saw a short completion to Cole Kmet, followed by a holding penalty that led to a third-and-a-mile situation. Dalton checked down for a 15-yard gain, and that was it for his day. He played the whole first quarter, but only attempted four passes during that time.
Enter Justin Fields. Early on, this one was a bit messy for the rookie. He completed his first two passes, and then we saw a string of incompletions. He almost threw a pick when his receiver stumbled to the turf. He fumbled and almost lost the ball while trying to spin around a defender. Fortunately, things were better in the second half. He went 12/14 the rest of the way, and he made a number of big-time plays. On Riley Ridley‘s lone reception, Fields ran a bootleg outside and sold the defense on his scramble. Ridley’s defender ran up to meet Fields, who then threw over the top to his now open man. On the same drive, Fields hung in the pocket and threw a nice pass to Rodney Adams–who elevated to bring it down. The drive ended with a Fields scramble for an untouched score. This is the future Bears fans dream of. It will also make sitting the rookie tough if it continues.
Endzone, meet @justnfields. 🤝
📺: Fox32 & @nflnetwork #MIAvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/OrYCAF335z
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 14, 2021
Running Back
Artavis Pierce: 5 carries, 50 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards
Ryan Nall: 3 carries, 43 yards
Khalil Herbert: 6 carries, 38 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 11 yards
Damien Williams: 2 carries, 4 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards
David Montgomery: 1 carry, 3 yards
With Tarik Cohen on the PUP list, the big question is if David Montgomery will continue to eat–like he did at the end of last season. Well, we need to put that question on hold. Montgomery was quickly met at the line on his first carry before he spun outside to turn nothing into a 3-yard gain. He came up with a slight limp and sat the rest of the contest. The injury appeared minor, but he didn’t return.
Damien Williams was next up to bat, and he only recorded three touches on the first three series. His 9-yard reception came on a third-and-18 with the defense playing back. Still, if Montgomery misses time it looks like Williams would be the beneficiary. Khalil Herbert–the rookie sixth-round pick–was next, quickly establishing a connection with Fields right before the half. On a hurry-up drive that lasted 45 seconds, Herbert caught a pair of passes for five and seven yards, and he successfully ran out of bounds on each one to stop the clock. The drive gave the Bears their first three points as they headed into the half. Herbert came back out in the third quarter and flashed his elusiveness on a 16-yard run that put the Bears in the red zone–and led to a touchdown. If Montgomery’s injury lingers, Herbert could be one to watch here.
.@Ap_Juice2 breaks free for 51 yards! 🧃🧃🧃
📺: Fox32 & @nflnetwork #MIAvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/uyZp9HMDA1
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 14, 2021
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rodney Adams: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 57 yards
Jesse James: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 38 yards, TD
Riley Ridley: 1 target, 1 reception, 17 yards
Justin Hardy: 1 target, 1 reception, 15 yards
Cole Kmet: 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
Darnell Mooney: 1 target
If you were waiting for updates on the Bears’ marquee weapons, keep waiting. Allen Robinson didn’t play today, Darnell Mooney saw a single target, and Cole Kmet had one reception. However, this doesn’t mean there was no excitement. We mentioned Riley Ridley‘s grab, but it wasn’t the only play set up by Justin Fields‘ legs. In the third quarter, Fields ran a bootleg out to the right while tight end Jesse James ran away from the play. Apparently, no one was worried about James, because he caught one of the most wide-open touchdowns I’ve ever seen. He caught the ball and danced backward towards the endzone with no one seemingly even 10 yards away.
Another TD for the rook! 🐻@justnfields | @ChicagoBears
📺: #MIAvsCHI on @NFLNetwork (or check local listings)
📱: https://t.co/VJzItUyljP pic.twitter.com/iN3KbJ9Q5n— NFL (@NFL) August 14, 2021
Rodney Adams had the biggest day, and he made a great catch in the third quarter. He was running down the left sideline when Fields let the ball fly. Adams stopped and elevated over his defender to make a great catch. He kept his balance as he landed to stretch the play a few more yards.
— Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)