Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb will not play in the 2024 season.
Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Miami will not activate Chubb off of the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
Chubb suffered a torn ACL meniscus, and patellar tendon late last season.
“He just needs a little longer to build,” McDaniel said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “It was the nature of the injury and how his body responded.”
McDaniel noted that Chubb did not have a set back, but just isn’t ready to play at his usual high level.
Chubb recorded 11.0 sacks with 11 tackles for loss, 22 QB hits, and a league-high six forced fumbles for the Dolphins in 16 games last year.
Miami also is unlikely to have cornerback Kendall Fuller for Sunday’s matchup against the Browns, with McDaniel noting he’s week-to-week.
The Dolphins called on kicker Jason Sanders often during last Sunday’s game against the 49ers and Sanders came through every time.
Sanders made all five field goals he tried and also nailed a pair of extra points to account for 17 points in Week 16. That matched the 49ers’ point total and helped the Dolphins to a 29-17 win that kept their playoff hopes alive.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that Sanders has been named the AFC special teams player of the week. It’s the sixth time that he has taken the prize.
Sanders is 33-of-37 on field goals and 22-of-24 on extra points this season.
Tyreek Hill caught a touchdown pass during Sunday’s 29-17 win over the 49ers, but the Dolphins wideout’s focus was on plays he didn’t make when he spoke to reporters after the game.
Hill dropped a third down pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the team’s opening drive and then failed to reel in a pass that was tipped by 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir in the end zone later in the first quarter. It would have been a difficult catch, but it was one Hill said he should have had and he pointed to a lack of practice time as the reason for the miscues.
A wrist injury has led Hill to get more rest during the practice week this season and said after the game that “you can’t just show up on Sunday” without putting in work during the week.
“I need those valuable reps with Tua,” Hill said, via a transcript from the team. “Those vet rest days are starting to show. I completely blame myself for not getting my head around and not seeing the ball because, if I see a ball, we’re talking cross-court, 70-yard touchdown. But those Wednesday reps are definitely showing. As a leader, I’ve just got to be able to bite the bullet sometime and practice and get those valuable reps with QB1 because, if we’re able to stay on the field on third down, who knows what could happen.”
When asked about Hill’s comments, head coach Mike McDaniel said that a move to adjust the practice schedule to get the duo more work is “an easy one” to make so Hill should be seeing more of the practice field for what’s left of the Dolphins season.
The 49ers were eliminated from playoff contention before Sunday’s game in Miami got underway, but the Dolphins will live at least a little longer.
Cornerback Kader Kohou picked off 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy just after the two-minute warning and running back De’Von Achane sprinted 50 yards for a touchdown a couple of plays later to put the finishing touches on a 29-17 win. Achane probably should have taken a knee instead of scoring with 96 seconds left to play, but rookie Chop Robinson sacked Purdy to burn the final Niners timeout with 49 seconds left to play and the clock ran out from there.
Winning assures the Dolphins will still have a chance to make the playoffs heading into Week 17. They’ll need to beat the Browns and get help from the Bengals against the Broncos before even thinking about Week 18, so it’s not a great chance but it certainly beats the alternative.
Achane ran 17 times for 121 yards and caught six passes for 70 yards to pace the offensive effort on Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa also hit wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a touchdown in the first half to reach 100 for his career and kicker Jason Sanders made five field goals to provide the rest of the scoring.
Robinson’s sack was one of three for the Dolphins and the defense did a good job of keeping the 49ers from generating momentum over the course of the afternoon. Purdy finished 26-of-40 for 313 yards and he had two touchdowns to go with the pick while the injury-ravaged running back corps did little to move the ball on the ground.
The 49ers will host the Lions on Monday night in what will serve as a sad reminder of last season’s NFC Championship Game for the home team.
Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson said that he was viewing Sunday’s game against the Bengals as a chance to audition for the starting job in 2025, but he didn’t make much of a case for himself.
Thompson-Robinson was 20-of-34 for 157 yards and two interceptions while being sacked five times in a 24-6 loss. One of Thompson-Robinson’s interceptions came in the end zone and Thompson-Robinson didn’t try to find a bright side to his outing.
“It wasn’t a good day. I know we had good moments, but good moments don’t win football games,” Thompson-Robinson said, via the team’s website. “Good moments are not the definition of a quarterback. A quarterback is there to play a complete full game and to lead his team to victory. I did not do that today.”
Thompson-Robinson is set for another chance to show his stuff, however. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he plans to start Thompson-Robinson against the Dolphins in Week 17. Former starter Jameis Winston and Bailey Zappe are the other options on the 53-man roster.
