Fins Up, Fins Down | Winners And Losers From Miami Dolphins Week Eight Defeat

The Miami Dolphins took a ten-point lead into halftime on Sunday against the hated New England Patriots. Unfortunately, they were dominated in the second half of play — being outscored by Drake Maye and company 21-6 while ultimately falling by a final score of 24-19 on a soggy day in South Florida.

While losing is never fun, the Dolphins continue to play their opponents tough each and every week. I forecast better days ahead for this organization when general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is able to infuse the roster with more talent this offseason.

FINS UP

Our Fins Up player of the week is pass rusher Chop Robinson. Robinson finished Sunday’s game against New England with three tackles and two sacks of opposing quarterback Drake Maye according to Pro Football Reference.

In addition to his two sacks, Robinson had eight pressures on the day — good for a 47.1% pressure rate against New England according to Hussam Patel of the 5 Reasons Sports Network. That mark is the second-highest pressure rate of any NFL defender in a single game this season. Miami’s pass rusher now leads the National Football League in pressure rate with a 26.6% mark for the entire year.

FINS DOWN

Our Fins Down player is Jonah Savaiinaea. Miami’s second-year offensive lineman had been trending up through the first portion of the season when you compared his play to that of his abysmal rookie season. Sundays game against the Patriots was more reminiscent of his dreadful rookie season than his promising second year. Miami’s starting left guard, Kadyn Proctor, missed Sunday’s game due to a concussion, which caused center Aaron Brewer to have to help his replacement, Jarrett Kingston, more than he was able to help Savaiinaea against New England. That was not a recipe for success.

While Miami’s starting right guard has delivered massive improvement in 2026, Sunday’s poor showing proves he still has plenty of work to do if he wants to consider himself a quality starting offensive lineman in the National Football League. Savaiinaea and the entire Dolphins offense should benefit from the return of Proctor this upcoming Sunday when Miami hosts the Detroit Lions at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.