Inside The Numbers: Breaking Down The 2018 Season

Three days after the end of the 2018 regular season, we take a statistical look back at some of the highlights of the past four months:

• Big plays was the story of the season for the Dolphins, who led the NFL with 12 touchdowns of 50 yards or longer. That was three more than the next-highest total, the nine registered by the Kansas City Chiefs.
• The Dolphins' 12 touchdowns of 50 yards or longer included six passes, three runs and three returns. The six long receiving touchdowns included two by **Albert Wilson** and one each by **Kenny Stills**, **Jakeem Grant**, **Leonte Carroo** and **Kenyan Drake**. The runs were produced by Drake, **Brandon Bolden** and **Kalen Ballage**. The returns included a punt and kickoff return by Grant, and an interception return by rookie first-round pick **Minkah Fitzpatrick**.

• There were only four teams in the NFL with at least one touchdown pass, run and return of at least 50 yards, with the Dolphins joined by Houston, Denver and San Francisco.
• The Dolphins' six touchdown passes of 50 yards or longer ranked second in the NFL, behind only Kansas City's seven.
• Only the New York Giants, with four, had more 50-yard-plus touchdown runs than the Dolphins.
• The Dolphins' three return TDs of 50 or more yards was the highest total in the NFL; Buffalo, New England, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Kansas City each had two.

• Along with the two touchdowns by Grant and the one by Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins also got touchdowns on returns by linebacker **Jerome Baker** and safety **Reshad Jones**, giving Miami five touchdown returns on the season. That tied for second-highest total in franchise history and was the highest total since 2001 when the Dolphins had seven. The Dolphins also had five in 1966, 1973, 1990 and 1996.
• When **Kenny Stills** threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to **Ryan Tannehill** in the season finale at Buffalo on Sunday, it made the Dolphins the first team in NFL history with three wide receivers with a touchdown pass in the same season.
• The Dolphins had five different players threw touchdown passes in 2019, the first time that's ever happened in one season. The five were Ryan Tannehill, **Brock Osweiler**, Albert Wilson, **Danny Amendola** and Stills.

• Running back Kenyan Drake ended with the season with 535 rushing yards and 477 receiving yards, making him the first Dolphins running back since 1995 to with at least 400 in each category. Terry Kirby was the last player to do it.
• **Kiko Alonso** finished the season with 125 total tackles, the highest total for a Dolphins player since 2015 when Reshad Jones had 135 and the most for a Dolphins linebacker since 2012 when Karlos Dansby had 134.
• Alonso was the only player in the NFL with at least 100 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.
• Alonso joined Colts rookie linebacker Darius Leonard as the only players with at least 100 tackles and at least six "turnover" plays (INT, forced fumble, fumble recovery).

• Second-year player **Raekwon McMillan** finished with 105 tackles, giving the Dolphins two linebackers reaching triple digits for the first time since 2013 (Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe).
• Defensive end Robert Quinn led the Dolphins in sacks with 6.5, and that marked only the third time since 2010 the team leader wasn't **Cameron Wake**. The only player other than Wake and Quinn to lead the team in sacks over the past nine seasons was Olivier Vernon in 2013 and 2015.
• Despite missing the last four games of the regular season, cornerback **Xavien Howard** finished tied for first in the NFL with his seven interceptions. He was tied with Atlanta safety Damontae Kazee and Chicago cornerback Kyle Fuller.

• Kicker **Jason Sanders** finished third in the NFL in touchback percentage on kickoffs at 78.6 (55 of 70). He trailed only Dustin Hopkins of the Washington Redskins (80.0) and Chandler Catanzaro of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (79.6).
• Sanders ended the season 18-for-20 on field goal attempts, giving him the fifth-best season in team history in terms of accuracy (minimum of 20 attempts).
• Punter **Matt Haack** was fifth in the NFL with a team-record 35 punts inside the 20.

• Running back Kenyan Drake ended the season as one of the nine players in the NFL with at least four rushing and four receiving touchdowns. The others were Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara, Saquon Barkley, Melvin Gordon, Kareem Hunt, Christian McCaffrey, James White and Tevin Coleman.
• The Dolphins offense finished in the top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards per play (9th) and fourth-down conversion percentage (8th).
• The Dolphins defense was second in the NFL in interception rate, fourth in goal-to-go situation, and ninth in fourth-down conversion percentage.
• On special teams, the Dolphins were ninth in punt return average and seventh in field goals made.