Jonnu Smith had a career high in yards in a game against the Raiders this past Sunday. His 6 catches for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns helped lead his team to a 34-19 victory. Below I will talk about the concepts that helped him have a career performance as well as some of the key plays that helped secure his team a victory.
Smith’s first catch was a massive one, it came on 4th and goal. The Dolphins were stuck on the 1 yard line and were in a 12 personnel set (1 running back and 2 tight ends) and had both tight ends Smythe and Smith attached to the right side of the line. They motioned Smith across on a fly motion and snapped the ball, Tua Tagovailoa immediately noticed he was open and hit Smith with good timing.
The greatest part of the sequence wasn’t even the touchdown, it was what happened afterwards. After Smith caught the touchdown and stood up, he threw the ball into the stands and it somehow was caught by his younger brother. What are the odds of that?
Smith had 2 more catches in the remainder of the half, his next big catch would come on the Dolphins first drive of the second half. Smith was lined up in the backfield on 2nd and 3. Smith ran a flat route and hit Smith immediately, he cut inside and fought for extra yardage. This catch and yards after catch were huge for the Dolphins, as they eventually ended up scoring a touchdown and taking a chunk of time off the clock.
Smith’s fifth catch was a massive one, and came on the drive after. It was 3rd and 4 and the Dolphins needed to move the chains for an opportunity to put points on the board. Smith ran upfield and cut out to the boundary, running a corner route to perfection. Tua Tagovailoa put the ball on him and Smith made a nice catch with a defender on his back. It is something that the Dolphins have been missing for a while, a contested ball winner.
The sixth and final catch was Smith’s biggest of the day. On 2nd and 11 with 3 minutes remaining, Jonnu Smith ran up the seam on the field and was wide open. Tua Tagovailoa saw him standing with no one within 20 feet of him, it was a foot race to the endzone and he scored. This touchdown iced the game for Miami.
It was not a seamless transition for Jonnu Smith, at the beginning of the year he was struggling to find his footing in this new complicated offense he was learning. However now it is safe to say, he has found a home in Miami.