The Miami Dolphins played one of the best football teams in the National Football League on Sunday — the Detroit Lions — and while the defense was able to ground their opponents’ typically high-flying offense, it was their own ineptitude while possessing the football that dug the Dolphins’ grave this past weekend.
Miami lost 19-9, mostly due to ugly offensive line play and a litany of penalties. The latter is understandable when you consider the youth movement the Dolphins are currently swearing by. They are seeing the most playing time by rookies out of all teams in the NFL. Still, at the midway point of the 2026 campaign, you’d hope to employ a more disciplined roster at this stage.
Advertisement
Our Fins Up player of the week is pass rusher Josh Uche. Uche ended the day with one sack of quarterback Jared Goff, two quarterback hits, one of which affected the trajectory of Goff’s pass and allowed rookie cornerback Chris Johnson to intercept his first pass as a professional.
Uche — 28 years old — signed a one-year deal with Miami that totals just a hair over $1.4 million. His quality season will allow the soon-to-be free agent to ink a more lucrative contract in the offseason — either with Miami or another team looking for pass rush help. Uche has already surpassed his season high best mark in tackles — he currently has 34 combined takedowns this year. He’s also contributed three sacks, five tackles for loss and a fumble recovery, giving Miami a veteran presence on defense that has been sorely needed on this difficult year.
Our Fins Down player is kicker Zane Gonzalez. Against the Lions, Gonzalez missed a 38-yard field goal try by doinking it off of the upright. It is his second consecutive game with a missed field goal — as he also shanked a kick against the Patriots in last week’s narrow defeat.
Advertisement
Gonzalez hasn’t shown enough in his three games with Miami to give general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan a reason to promote him full-time to an active roster spot — and with all three of his practice squad call-ups in the rearview mirror, don’t be surprised if the Dolphins are going shopping for a new place-kicker ahead of their clash with the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.
