MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson, on Sunday, played his first game since the Sept. 7 opener against the Indianapolis Colts, and he looked like he had a solid outing.
Jackson was a force blocking downhill in the run game for a rushing attack that amassed 164 yards in the 21-17 win over the New Orleans Saints. While he may have allowed a pressure here and there, at least one which led to a sack of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, there weren’t too many blemishes after being away for 12 weeks.
“He’s a value-adder to just game-day experience, in general,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday. “He had a mindset of violence that we were counting on. So we put him at the point of attack in a lot of things. We kind of measured our expectations.”
“He probably exceeded my expectations to a degree and made us a better football team with his tonality, his aggressive conviction and his competitiveness. He fits into the style of ball that we’ve been playing where a convicted, aggressive approach that is less about perfection, more about conviction.”
Jackson detailed his return, after spending most of the season on injured reserve for a toe injury.
“I was excited to be back out there, doing what we do as an offense, as a team. I loved every minute of it,” he said.
Said center Aaron Brewer: “It was great to have AJ back out there, bringing his energy. In the run game, he’s a real force out there. He brings some more strength to the offensive line.”
McDaniel said both Jackson and tight end Darren Waller, also returning from IR after missing four games due to a pectoral injury, came out of their first game back healthy.
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No news is good news,” McDaniel said. “Bodies are inherently sore, but beyond that, it was positive. There was no regression.”
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle feels reincorporating Waller into the offense could ignite the pass game.
“Darren is just another weapon for us out there,” Waddle said. “The defense definitely has to be aware when he’s out there. He’s a big play ready to happen, so having someone with that talent out there is always exciting.”
Ingold update
Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold experienced a stinger in the first half of Sunday’s win over the Saints.
He did return to action but only played 15 offensive snaps and seven on special teams.
McDaniel said Monday Ingold is day to day and “doing all right.”
The Dolphins coach also indicated there’s a chance another player could return to practice from injured reserve this week. Possibilities would be left guard James Daniels, kicker Jason Sanders and offensive lineman Andrew Meyer. McDaniel previously said of Daniels he’s unsure if he’ll return at all this season.
End of half
Fans booed at the end of the first half Sunday when the Dolphins settled for a 48-yard field goal from kicker Riley Patterson instead of being more aggressive to try for a touchdown before halftime. The field goal which gave Miami a 16-0 lead came after taking possession, due to the interception from cornerback Rasul Douglas, at the New Orleans 42-yard line with 1:08 left in the first half.
Miami, first, ran for a De’Von Achane 9-yard gain and called its final timeout of the half with 1:01 remaining.
On second-and-1 from the 33, Achane was stopped for a loss of 2. Miami didn’t snap the ball for third-and-3 until there were 29 seconds on the clock, as Tagovailoa threw to Malik Washington for a 6-yard gain and first down.
The Dolphins then ran up to the line and waited until the final seconds of the half to spike the ball before Patterson’s kick.
McDaniel explained Monday he didn’t want to give New Orleans any time before the end of the half, considering the Saints were due to start with the ball in the second half.
“You try to end the half with points or the ball so that they don’t get the opportunity,” McDaniel said.
Once the clock was down under 20 seconds and running following the completion to Washington, McDaniel said he didn’t find the risk-reward to be worthwhile in running another play when Patterson showed a strong warmup hitting from that distance.
“We’re on the 30-yard line with no timeouts and high risk with a little reward. That’s what I thought,” he said.
