Play-action passing plays were vital to Mike McDaniel’s offense as the Miami Dolphins finished fourth in passing yards in his first season as head coach. Third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa looked comfortable in an offense that led to career years from wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Only seven teams averaged fewer rushing yards than Miami’s 99.2 yards per game but that didn’t stop the offense from taking advantage of play-action pass attempts — especially on early downs.
NFL analyst Warren Sharp tracked how often teams utilized play-action passing plays on first and second down — the Atlanta Falcons finished first by calling play-action passes 58 percent of the time on early downs.