The Miami Dolphins welcomed the Detroit Lions to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday for an interconference battle, and Jeff Hafley's team was handed a 19-9 loss, dropping them to 1-7 on the season.
Miami's offense struggled just as much as they have all year. Through the air, Malik Willis completed just 52% of his passes for 128 yards and an interception while taking three sacks. The offensive line didn't help, as he also had to throw the ball away quite a bit.
Caleb Douglas was the Dolphins' top target, catching six passes for 70 yards, but he also dropped a key target on fourth down in the fourth quarter. Kaytron Allen had the second-most receiving yards, hauling in a 46-yard fake-punt pass from Bradley Pinion.
On the ground, Miami wasn't great again,
with Ollie Gordon rushing for just 55 yards on 3.4 yards per attempt. Allen also rushed once for -1 yard.
Defensively, the Dolphins did well for most of the game, forcing one turnover and holding Detroit to four field goals and one punt. The pass rush did well early, with Joshua Uche, Jacob Rodriguez and Zeek Biggers getting sacks in the first half. Uche even hit Jared Goff's arm on a pass that resulted in an interception for rookie cornerback Chris Johnson.
Against the run, the defense was fine, limiting Jahmyr Gibbs to 74 yards and a touchdown on 3.7 yards per attempt.
Special teams continued to be an issue for Miami, as Pinion had a penalty on the opening kickoff to give Detroit great field position. He also shanked a punt. While Zane Gonzalez made three field goals, he also missed one from just 38 yards out off the right upright.
Penalties were also a huge story, as Miami had 11 penalties called against them. That's not something that a young team that's lacking talent can overcome, especially when the Lions are on the other side.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Instant analysis from Dolphins' Week 9 loss to Lions
