The Phinsider
Terron Armstead turns back the hands of time when needed the most.
The Miami Dolphins drew a breath of relief after beating division rival New England Patriots on Sunday in Foxborough, ending their three-game losing streak.
The 15-10 win may look like a soccer game powered by field goals, but it doesn’t show the vast improvement in just a week’s time with Tyler Huntley at the helm.
The offense may not have converted as much as hoped, but it doubled its total yards output of 372 from last week against the Tennessee Titans of 184 and nearly doubled the number of first downs generated from 12 to 24.
The offense was humming for most of the game, and there’s credit to distribute throughout the offense. Head coach Mike McDaniel cut out most of the pre-snap motion, stuck to the run, and dialed up plays that Huntley looked comfortable operating.
Huntley deserves credit for coming off the couch just a month ago and leading the Dolphins to a crucial win on the road. He also looked better than any other backup in the McDaniel era.
Alec Ingold was a force lead blocking all day and secured the only touchdown scored by the Dolphins. His play made him our MVP of week five and even got him on the Dolphins elevator.
Jaylen Wright and Raheem Mostert had strong days on the ground and were the focal point of the gameplan. They could easily be selected, but there’s a player who rarely gets his flowers despite being one of the best players on the team.
This player is not on the field as much as Dolphins fans would like, but when he is, he’s elite. He proved that once again, and week five’s “Unsung Hero of the Week” is none other than the old man himself, Terron Armstead.
It’s no secret that Terron Armstead is on his last legs in NFL years and that the Dolphins drafted his heir apparent in Patrick Paul. It’s not a play issue, it’s availability. When you’re highly compensated left tackle is consistently on the shelf for a third of the season, it’s just not going to work.
Even so, when Armstead is playing and healthy (because he plays through tons of injuries), he’s a top-tier tackle. Sunday against the Patriots, he had his best performance of 2024 and was an absolute brick wall on the left side.
The first stat that jumps out to me is 78 offensive snaps. He was out there the whole game and only had one pressure or quarterback hurry. Huntley had all day to throw on many of his attempts, and while that’s a credit to the whole line, his blindside tackle kept his jersey bright white.
Watching the tape, you can see how strong Armstead was on Sunday. Once he locks those hands in on the defender’s chestplate, it’s over. Those edge rushers looked like their feet were in cement once Armstead was engaged, and I’m willing...
