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2021 Dolphins vs. Jaguars review: Offensive and defensive snap counts for Miami

By Kevin Nogle
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Jacksonville Jaguars v Miami Dolphins - NFL London Games 2021 - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images

Another week. another Miami Dolphins loss. This one hurts as they become the first team in 21 games to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The last time Jacksonville won a game was Week 1 of the 2020 season. That streak ended as a last-second field goal sailed through the uprights and the Dolphins headed home from London with oh so many questions that need to be answered.

Miami has clearly fallen well short of their preseason expectations and now have to just try to salvage the season. Things are quickly spiraling out of control, with the spotlight clearly focused on head coach Brian Flores and no clearly answers coming any time soon. The next few weeks will determine if the Dolphins are heading toward yet another rebuild or will they claw their way out of the basement and turn things around this year?

Admittedly, we missed last week with our snap counts post. As we have done every during the 2021 season (other than Week 5), we take a look today at the Dolphins through the snaps played by each player against the Jaguars. Below you will find charts for the offensive and defensive snap counts, along with the each player’s season total. Finally, some thoughts of each position group close out each side of the ball.

Offense

2021 Offensive Snap Counts

Pos Player Season Played Snaps Season Total Snaps Percent Season Total Week 12 Played Snaps Week 12 Total Snaps Percent Week 12 Week 1 Played Snaps Week 2 Played Snaps Week 3 Played Snaps Week 4 Played Snaps Week 5 Played Snaps Week 6 Played Snaps Week 7 Played Snaps Week 8 Played Snaps Week 9 Played Snaps Week 10 Played Snaps Week 11 Played Snaps
Pos Player Season Played Snaps Season Total Snaps Percent Season Total Week 12 Played Snaps Week 12 Total Snaps Percent Week 12 Week 1 Played Snaps Week 2 Played Snaps Week 3 Played Snaps Week 4 Played Snaps Week 5 Played Snaps Week 6 Played Snaps Week 7 Played Snaps Week 8 Played Snaps Week 9 Played Snaps Week 10 Played Snaps Week 11 Played Snaps
QB Tua Tagovailoa 450 819 55% 74 74 100% 52 9 IR IR IR 69 73 69 DNP 32 72
QB Jacoby Brissett 368 819 45% DNP 74 0% 2 65 83 52 54 1 DNP DNP 74 37 DNP
QB Reid Sinnett 0 819 0% -- -- --% PS PS DNP DNP DNP Inact Waived -- -- -- --
RB Myles Gaskin 463 819 57% 37 74 50% 29 45 43 12 37 25 46 40 54 42 53
RB Phillip Lindsay 15 819 2% 15 74 20% HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU HOU
RB Salvon Ahmed 148 819 18% 13 74 18% 11 23 5 5 11 19 22 16 14 9 Inact
RB Patrick Laird 56 819 7% 12 74 16% PS PS PS PS PS PS PS 10 7 16 11
RB Malcolm Brown 129 819 16% IR 74 0% 16 9 34 35 5 25 5 IR IR IR IR
RB Duke Johnson 6 819 1% PS 74 0% JAX PS -- -- -- -- -- PS PS PS PS 6
TE Durham Smythe 470 819 57% 66 74 89% 38 22 34 21 36 58 29 29 45 41 51
TE Mike Gesicki 602 819 74% 59 74 80% 21 47 55 36 42 49 60 67 59 56 51
TE Hunter Long 53 819 6% 24 74 32% 18 Inact 2 Inact Inact 9 Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact
TE Adam Shaheen 301 819 37% Inact 74 0% Reserve/ COVID-19 20 28 20 21 Inact 51 41 36 38 46
TE Cethan Carter 43 819 5% ST Only 74 0% 13 16 ST Only 1 5 4 ST Only ST Only 4 ST Only ST Only
WR Jaylen Waddle 674 819 82% 55 74 74% 43 47 73 41 43 65 61 65 65 61 55
WR Albert Wilson 256 819 31% 35 74 47% 22 41 Inact 25 12 23 3 2 17 38 38
WR Preston Williams 158 819 19% 23 74 31% Inact 22 Inact Inact 40 Inact 30 Inact Inact 18 25
WR Mack Hollins 288 819 35% 19 74 26% 7 16 24 2 14 68 39 4 60 13 22
WR Isaiah Ford 63 819 8% 12 74 16% PS PS PS PS 3 5 19 8 4 11 1
WR DeVante Parker 274 819 33% IR 74 0% 45 55 64 47 Inact Inact Inact 63 IR IR IR
WR Will Fuller V 65 819 8% IR 74 0% Susp Inact 51 14 IR IR IR IR IR IR IR
WR Kirk Merritt 11 819 1% PS 74 0% PS PS PS PS PS DNP PS PS 11 PS PS
WR Jakeem Grant Sr. 17 819 2% -- -- --% 7 7 2 1 Traded -- -- -- -- -- --
OL Robert Hunt 819 819 100% 74 74 100% 54 74 83 52 54 70 73 69 75 69 72
OL Jesse Davis 790 819 96% 74 74 100% 54 45 83 52 54 70 73 69 75 69 72
OL Liam Eichenberg 774 819 95% 74 74 100% 54 29 83 52 54 70 73 69 75 69 72
OL Austin Jackson 765 819 93% 74 74 100% ST Only 74 83 52 54 70 73 69 75 69 72
OL Austin Reiter 422 819 52% 73 74 99% NO PS NO PS NO PS NO PS DNP DNP 73 69 66 69 72
OL Cameron Tom 1 819 0% 1 74 1% PS PS PS DNP PS PS DNP PS PS DNP DNP
OL Michael Deiter 211 819 26% IR 74 0% 54 74 83 IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR
OL Greg Mancz 185 819 23% IR 74 0% DNP DNP DNP 52 54 70 Inact ST Only 9 IR IR
OL Solomon Kindley 121 819 15% ST Only 74 0% 54 67 ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only
OL Robert Jones 7 819 1% ST Only 74 0% DNP 7 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP ST Only ST Only ST Only
OL Greg Little 0 819 0% IR 74 0% Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact IR
DL Christian Wilkins 4 819 0% D Only 74 0% D Only D Only D Only D Only 1 D Only D Only D Only D Only 2 1

Tua Tagovailoa returned to the lineup on Sunday and clearly had an impact on the rhythm of the game. The Dolphins offense opened up more fluid and more attacking than we had seen over the past few weeks. He played all but one snap, with Jacoby Brissett entering the game in a short-yardage situation to run a quarterback sneak that was really a 25-yard pass. Reid Sinnett was inactive for the game after not appearing in the last three weeks while serving as the primary backup to Brissett.

At running back, Myles Gaskin and Malcolm Brown evenly split playing time at 25 snaps each, with both players on the field for 36 percent of the game. Salvon Ahmed was on the field 27 percent of the time. The play that will be discussed the most for the running backs is the Miami 4th-and-1 play with 1:49 remaining in the game at their own 46-yard line. The Dolphins lined up in the shotgun, handing Brown the ball and expecting him to run straight up the middle of the conversion. He was stopped for no gain and the Dolphins turned over the ball on downs, giving the Jaguars 1:42 to move into field goal range - which they obviously did. From a snap-count perspective, Gaskin and Brown splitting playing time evenly - and both players recorded five carries - and Ahmed getting close to their play-time, is either a case of the coaches not trusting one runner to get into a rhythm, or a case of no runner being able to get hot. Either way, something needs to be adjusted here to get someone established as the lead rusher and let them control the playing time.

Tight end was an interesting position. Mike Gesicki is regaining his position as a major portion of the passing game, especially in a game without many of the top receivers for the Dolphins, but he fell to second in snaps played among tight ends. Gesicki was on the field for 49 snaps (70 percent), while Durham Smythe was on the field for 58 snaps (83 percent). Obviously, the two players were on the field together a lot on Sunday, and this could be a case of making sure Smythe was in to assist the offensive line in protecting Tagovailoa in his return from broken ribs. Hunter Long played nine snaps while Cethan Carter appeared in four plays. Adam Shaheen, who is the third tight end in the group normally, was inactive with a knee injury.

The wide receivers saw the biggest shakeup on offense this week as Will Fuller remains on injured reserve and DeVante Parker and Preston Williams were inactive due to injuries; add in the trade of Jakeem Grant to the Chicago Bears and suddenly a deep position is extremely thin. Mack Hollins, who had 63 total snaps on offense in Weeks 1 through 5 led the way with 68 snaps on Sunday, good for 97 percent of the available playing time on offense. Jaylen Waddle was just behind him with 65 snaps played. Albert Wilson, who seemed to be in line for an increased share of the playing time, really started at about his season average, playing 23 snaps, while Isaiah Ford, elevated from the practice squad, appeared in five plays. Kirk Merritt was also elevated from the practice squad for the contest, but did not play.

The offensive line seems to finally be stabilizing with Liam Eichenberg at left tackle, Austin Jackson at left guard, Greg Mancz at center, Robert Hunt at right guard, and Jesse Davis at right tackle. All five players played all 70 available snaps during the game. Robert Jones and Austin Reiter were both active but did not play while Solomon Kindley only appeared in special teams plays. Michael Deiter has completed the required three weeks on the injured reserve list, though it is unclear how serious his injury was and if he will be able to return at any point this season. If he is able to return, Deiter could either reclaim his starting role at center, or potentially move to right guard and push Hunt out to right tackle, moving Davis into a swing-tackle type of role. The Dolphins could also look to move Davis inside and Hunt outside if they feel the need to adjust something on Tagovailoa’s blindside.

Defense

2021 Defensive Snap Counts

Pos Player Season Played Snaps Seans Total Snaps Percent Season Total Week 12 Played Snaps Week 10 Total Snaps Percent Week 10 Snaps Week 1 Played Snaps Week 2 Played Snaps Week 3 Played Snaps Week 4 Played Snaps Week 5 Played Snaps Week 6 Played Snaps Week 7 Played Snaps Week 8 Played Snaps Week 9 Played Snaps Week 10 Played Snaps Week 11 Played Snaps
Pos Player Season Played Snaps Seans Total Snaps Percent Season Total Week 12 Played Snaps Week 10 Total Snaps Percent Week 10 Snaps Week 1 Played Snaps Week 2 Played Snaps Week 3 Played Snaps Week 4 Played Snaps Week 5 Played Snaps Week 6 Played Snaps Week 7 Played Snaps Week 8 Played Snaps Week 9 Played Snaps Week 10 Played Snaps Week 11 Played Snaps
DL Emmanuel Ogbah 562 827 68% 43 55 78% 48 47 63 37 37 41 42 60 53 46 45
DL Christian Wilkins 511 827 62% 31 55 56% 42 44 58 46 46 46 43 48 38 34 35
DL Adam Butler 456 827 55% 31 55 56% 48 47 41 33 38 26 31 41 40 47 33
DL Zach Sieler 332 827 40% 23 55 42% 28 33 42 39 32 29 26 14 21 26 19
DL Raekwon Davis 246 827 30% 23 55 42% 5 IR IR IR 39 36 33 25 31 23 31
DL John Jenkins 169 827 20% Inact 55 0% 45 18 47 49 Inact 7 Inact Inact Inact 3 Inact
DL Jabaal Sheard 13 827 2% -- -- --% PS PS PS PS 13 PS PS PS PS PS Released
LB Jerome Baker 677 827 82% 45 55 82% 74 63 83 71 66 65 10 Inact 68 73 59
LB Andrew Van Ginkel 545 827 66% 43 55 78% 53 46 34 44 34 47 48 35 51 67 43
LB Duke Riley 158 827 19% 30 55 55% 1 2 1 ST Only 8 1 6 67 7 26 9
LB Jaelan Phillips 449 827 54% 28 55 51% 22 18 49 29 57 54 15 61 37 41 38
LB Elandon Roberts 437 827 53% 21 55 38% 36 19 47 50 44 31 44 49 39 28 29
LB Sam Eguavoen 175 827 21% 7 55 13% 36 8 5 19 17 15 53 4 1 3 7
LB Vince Biegel 1 827 0% 1 55 0% -- -- -- -- -- PS DNP ST Only PS PS
LB Brennan Scarlett 161 827 19% IR 55 0% 26 20 18 28 10 8 18 7 15 2 9
LB Darius Hodge 0 827 0% Inact 55 0% CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN CIN Inact Inact Inact
CB Xavien Howard 732 827 89% 45 55 82% 75 62 80 71 62 Inact 63 73 69 73 59
CB Byron Jones 683 827 83% 45 55 82% 75 62 77 25 62 Inact 63 73 69 73 59
CB Nik Needham 429 827 52% 38 55 69% 35 2 57 51 56 41 24 49 44 4 28
CB Justin Coleman 311 827 38% 20 55 36% 2 49 25 37 12 66 ST Only 20 14 44 22
CB Noah Igbinoghene 76 827 9% 10 55 18% Inact Inact ST Only Inact Inact 66 Inact DNP DNP ST Only Inact
CB Javaris Davis 10 827 1% 10 55 18% PS PS PS PS PS PS PS PS PS PS PS
CB Jamal Perry 3 827 0% IR 55 0% ST Only ST Only PS PS PS PS PS ST Only PS PS 3
CB Trill Williams 0 827 0% Inact 55 0% Inact Inact Inact Inact Inact DNP DNP Inact Inact DNP DNP
CB Elijah Campbell 0 827 0% IR 55 0% Inact Inact Inact ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only ST Only Inact ST Only
S Eric Rowe 483 827 58% 50 55 91% 65 26 65 61 22 19 44 22 28 44 37
S Jevon Holland 653 827 79% 45 55 82% 24 50 42 19 72 66 63 73 68 73 58
S Sheldrick Redwine 10 827 1% 10 55 18% NYJ PS NYJ PS NYJ PS NYJ PS NYJ PS CAR PS CAR PS Inact Inact Inact PS
S Clayton Fejedelem 14 827 2% 6 55 11% ST Only ST Only 1 ST Only 6 ST Only ST Only ST Only 1 ST Only ST Only
S Brandon Jones 477 827 58% Inact 55 0% 11 41 36 2 55 48 39 70 65 73 37
S Jason McCourty 312 827 38% IR 55 0% 74 58 41 70 27 14 28 IR IR IR IR
S Will Parks 0 827 0% Inact 55 0% -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- SF PS SF PS SF PS

On the defensive line, Christian Wilkins was on the field for 70 percent of the snaps, playing exactly 46 plays for the second week in a row - not to mention his one offensive snap last week. Emmanuel Ogbah was just a few snaps back at 41 played, while Raekwon Davis manned the middle of the line for 36 plays, 55 percent of the game. Zach Sieler made 29 appearances on the field, while Adam Butler was out there for 26 snaps. John Jenkins was only in the game for seven snaps.

Jerome Baker continues to lead the way for linebackers, missing one snap on the day. Miami has to get him back to playing his attacking style rather than trying to rely on him as a coverage linebacker as much, letting him rush the passer and create chaos more than chasing after running backs or tight ends. Jaelan Phillips has clearly established himself as the number two linebacker on the roster now, having played 57 snaps in Week 5 then 54 this past weekend. Andrew Van Ginkel appeared in 47 plays on Sunday, followed by Elandon Roberts at 31, Sam Eguavoen at 15, Brennan Scarlett with 8, and Duke Riley making a one snap cameo.

Cornerback was rough for the Dolphins on Sunday, with both Xavien Howard and Byron Jones inactive due to injury. The team only played three players from the position group, with Justin Coleman and Noah Igbinoghene on the field for all 66 snaps. Nik Needham played 41 snaps, or 62 percent of the game. Trill Williams was active for the first time this year, but did not play, while Elijah Campbell continues to only see action on special teams.

The safeties obviously covered down on the cornerbacks some, but it is worth watching as Jason McCourty and Eric Rowe are seeing their playing time drastically reduced. McCourty played 70 snaps in Week 4, then just 27 last week and 14 this week. Rowe went from 61 snaps in Week 4, to 22 in Week 5 and 19 in Week 6. It has coincided with an increase for Jevon Holland, who played all 66 snaps this week, and Brandon Jones, who was on the field 48 snaps or 73 percent of the available snaps.

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