Game Recaps

QB Brian Griese was sharp in his Miami debut, throwing three short TDs in the first half and completing 15 of his first 16 passes. The Dolphins counted on Griese to complete short passes to move the chains. He took just one sack, and did not throw an interception.

The Miami pass defense recorded six sacks, three interceptions, and a safety. The pass rush rarely gave Drew Brees time to throw, and CB Patrick Surtain picked off two passes intended for David Boston.

RB Ricky Williams struggled (23-69 rushing, 5-26 receiving, 7 targets), often getting stopped for little or no gain. Miami threw more than they ran in the red zone. Williams failed to score, and lost a fumble deep in Dolphin territory.

San Diego Chargers

RB LaDanian Tomlinson did not break any long runs, but still finished with good numbers from scrimmage (142 rushing/receiving yards), and scored San Diego's only touchdown. When runs up the middle did not work, the Chargers went to him on flat passes and screens.

QB Drew Brees was constantly harasses by Miami's pass rush, and threw three interceptions. He never got comfortable in the pocket, rarely had chances to throw downfield, and did not throw a touchdown pass.

WR David Boston (5-82 receiving, 9 targets) was the only effective WR in an unexpected return to Sun Devil Stadium. The Chargers forced the ball to him, having two passed thrown his way intercepted, including one in the end zone.

WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW

Miami Dolphins

QB: Brian Griese (20-29-192 passing, 3 TD, 0 INT) made a big splash in his Miami debut. Griese completed 15 of his first 16 attempts, including three short touchdown throws to three different receivers. Griese threw most of his passes 6-10 yards downfield, usually had plenty of time to throw, and rarely threw into heavy traffic. Five of the nine plays Miami ran in the red zone were passes. He looked extremely confident and calm in the pocket.

The big question of course is did Griese do enough to keep the starting job. When asked this, Griese replied, "I don't have any idea. I went out there and I played as hard as I could. The outside circumstances that I don't have any control over, I didn't really worry about. I'm going to come to practice on Wednesday and continue to get better and see what happens."

RB: Ricky Williams (23-69 rushing, 5-26 receiving, 7 targets) only averaged three yards per carry, and failed to score on four rushes in the red zone. Williams did have a few decent gains, but was ineffective on most of his first-down runs. Williams lost a fumble deep in Miami territory that set up San Diego's only touchdown.

WR: Chris Chambers (4-79 receiving, 1 TD, 7 targets) caught Griese's first pass for a 5-yard touchdown. Chambers was used more than usual in the middle of the field, and caught a pass for a 51-yard gain (much of the yardage after the catch) late in the first half to set up Miami's third touchdown. Chambers was targeted in each quarter, and scored on the only ball thrown to him in the red zone.

James McKnight (6-43 receiving, 1 TD, 6 targets) caught one pass to for a third-down conversion in the 1st, and finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown catch. McKnight was used primarily on underneath routes.

Derrius Thompson (2-20 receiving, 4 targets) saw some action in the second half. He did nothing spectacular.

TE: Randy McMichael (3-24 receiving,1 TD, 4 targets) caught Griese's third TD. He was the beneficiary of a great pass-action fake, and was wide open in the end zone for a 7 yard score. He was the only Miami TE used in the passing game.

K: Olindo Mare made a 44-yard FG early, but missed a 36-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Pass Defense: by far the best unit on either side of the ball on either team. The pass rush was fierce, sacking Brees six times and rarely giving him time to throw, even without blitzing very much. The defense also intercepted three passes, including two on San Diego's first two drives, setting the tone for the rest of the game. In the fourth quarter, the pass defense recorded a safety on a sack/fumble of Brees in the end zone.

Rush Defense: gave Tomlinson little operating room between the tackles, and did not give up any double-digit gains on designed running plays. Stuffing Tomlinson on back-to-back short yardage plays deep in Miami territory put the game away in the third quarter.

San Diego Chargers

QB: Drew Brees (19-30-190 passing, 0 TD, 3 INT, 2-23 rushing) threw interceptions to end San Diego's first two drives, and failed to throw a touchdown pass. Brees faced heavy pressure all night. He was sacked six times, and had few opportunities to throw downfield. One of his picks was unlucky - the ball bounced off Tomlinson and into the air, and LB Zach Thomas pulled in the interception. Overall, Brees and San Diego's passing game were not sharp.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson (24-62 rushing 1 TD, 11-80 receiving, 14 targets) was the workhorse in both the running and passing game, leading the Chargers in carries and receptions. Tomlinson never broke a long gain, and rarely had much running room on the ground. He was stuffed on third-and-one and fourth-and-one deep in Miami territory in the third quarter, ending any chance the Chargers had to get back in the game. His touchdown run was up the middle for one yard. In the passing game, Tomlinson was used mostly on screens or as a safety valve.

Lorenzo Neal (3-5 rushing, 1-2 receiving, 1 target) was primarily used as a blocker.

WR: David Boston (5-82 receiving, 9 targets) was the WR most targeted by Brees. He led the Chargers in receiving yards despite often getting extra attention from the Miami defense. Boston was targeted twice in the red zone, including one pass intended for him in the end zone that was intercepted by CB Patrick Surtain. His longest gains were on plays up the sidelines. He wasn't too popular in his return to Sun Devil Stadium where he played as a Cardinal. Each reception drew boos from the boisterous crowd.

Eric Parker (2-26 receiving, 3 targets) caught two passes early, but did not see the ball much after that.

Tim Dwight (2-14 rushing, 0-0 receiving, 0 targets) had two rushes on trick plays, but did not have a pass thrown to him.

TE: Josh Norman (0-0 receiving, 3 targets) was thrown to three times in the end zone early in the fourth quarter, but did not catch a pass. Norman was the only San Diego TE used in the passing game.

K: Steve Christie made a 51-yard FG in the first quarter. The attempt hit the left upright and ricocheted through.

Pass Defense: Poor pass defense in the first half helped Miami jump out to an early lead, allowing Griese to complete 13 of his 14 passes in the first 30 minutes. The pass rush was not a factor, generating just one sack. All three Miami touchdowns were scored on short passes, all seven yards or fewer.

Rush Defense: Overall did a pretty good job keeping Williams in check. First down runs were mostly minimal gains. They forced a Williams fumble and recovered deep in Miami territory to set up the Chargers' only touchdown. Miami had to throw to sustain drives.