Dolphins 20–3 Saints: Score, Stats & Recap | Week 16, 2021

Q: How did the quarterbacks play in Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints?

T. Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins), 57.6% completion, +3.0% CPOE, +0.10 EPA per dropback, +3.20 total passing EPA. I. Book (New Orleans Saints), 38.7% completion, -7.3% CPOE, -0.99 EPA per dropback, -30.68 total passing EPA.

Q: Who was FantasyHQ's player of the game in Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints?

J. Waddle (Miami Dolphins) was FantasyHQ's Game MVP with +7.03 total EPA on Receiving plays. across 12 snaps. Their top snap (+2.58 EPA): (6:51) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass short left to 17-J.Waddle to NO 42 for 18 yards (22-C.Gardner-Johnson). Pass 13, YAC 5.

Quick answer

Winner: Miami Dolphins
Final score: Miami Dolphins 20–3 New Orleans Saints
Halftime: Miami Dolphins 10–3 New Orleans Saints at halftime
FantasyHQ MVP: Jaylen Waddle
Top passer: Tua Tagovailoa
Biggest EPA play: (10:33) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book pass short right intended for 84-L.Humphrey INTERCEPTED by 40-…
Game date: 2021-12-27

Game summary

The Miami Dolphins beat the New Orleans Saints 20–3 on 2021-12-27. Jaylen Waddle posted a game-high +7.03 total EPA in the receiving.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 10 combined points.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	—	T
Miami Dolphins	10	0	7	3	0	20
New Orleans Saints	0	3	0	0	0	3

Scoring Map

Each pin marks where a score occurred on the field — yard line from play-by-play.

MIAMiami Dolphins

MIA 77

+3NO 30

+3MIA 20

NO 1

NONew Orleans Saints

FantasyHQ Analytics

Scoring timeline

7 scores

Chronological scoring plays — scroll to follow the game.

MIAMiami Dolphins
Q1 10:33TD
Nik Needham
Points+6
Yard line
MIA 77
Score
6-0
(10:33) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book pass short right intended for 84-L.Humphrey INTERCEPTED by 40-N.Needham (43-A.Van Ginkel) at NO 28. 40-N.Needham for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
MIAMiami Dolphins
Q1 10:25XP
Jason Sanders
Points+1
Yard line
NO 15
Score
7-0
7-J.Sanders extra point is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
MIAMiami Dolphins
Q1 2:16FG
Jason Sanders
Points+3
Yard line
NO 30
Score
10-0
(2:16) 7-J.Sanders 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
NONew Orleans Saints
Q2 2:49FG
Brett Maher
Points+3
Yard line
MIA 20
Score
10-3
(2:49) 19-B.Maher 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin.
MIAMiami Dolphins
Q3 5:15TD
Jaylen Waddle
Points+6
Yard line
NO 1
Score
16-3
(5:15) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass short middle to 17-J.Waddle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Pass -4, YAC 5
MIAMiami Dolphins
Q3 5:10XP
Jason Sanders
Points+1
Yard line
NO 15
Score
17-3
7-J.Sanders extra point is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
MIAMiami Dolphins
Q4 12:09FG
Jason Sanders
Points+3
Yard line
NO 16
Score
20-3
(12:09) 7-J.Sanders 34 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA).

1Jaylen Waddle · Miami Dolphins · Receiving · +7.03 total EPA · 12 snaps · +0.59 EPA/play
2Tua Tagovailoa · Miami Dolphins · Passing · +3.20 total EPA · 33 snaps · +0.10 EPA/play
3Ian Book · New Orleans Saints · Rushing · +2.20 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.20 EPA/play
4Mack Hollins · Miami Dolphins · Receiving · +1.90 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.95 EPA/play
5Durham Smythe · Miami Dolphins · Receiving · +1.79 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.60 EPA/play
6Mike Gesicki · Miami Dolphins · Receiving · +0.56 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.14 EPA/play
7Marquez Callaway · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +0.53 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.11 EPA/play
8Tyquan Lewis · Miami Dolphins · Receiving · +0.25 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.13 EPA/play

FantasyHQ Game MVP

Highest total EPA with the player's top snap and the game's biggest single play when different.

FantasyHQ Game MVP

Jaylen Waddle — MIA · Receiving

Jaylen Waddle posted the highest total EPA (+7.03) in the game, the strongest overall impact for Miami Dolphins. Across 12 counted snaps, they averaged +0.59 EPA per play.

Jaylen Waddle's top snap (+2.58 EPA): (6:51) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass short left to 17-J.Waddle to NO 42 for 18 yards (22-C.Gardner-Johnson). Pass 13, YAC 5

Biggest single play (-7.36 EPA): Ian Book — (10:33) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book pass short right intended for 84-L.Humphrey INTERCEPTED by 40-N.Needham (43-A.Van Ginkel) at NO 28. 40-N.Needham for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Quarterback report card

Tua Tagovailoa led all passers in efficiency for Miami Dolphins, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) · 33 dropbacks · 57.6% completion · +3.0% CPOE · +0.10 EPA/play · +3.20 total EPA
Ian Book (New Orleans Saints) · 31 dropbacks · 38.7% completion · -7.3% CPOE · -0.99 EPA/play · -30.68 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency.

Stat	Miami Dolphins	New Orleans Saints
Offensive EPA/play	-0.142	-0.524
Offensive success rate	37.0%	23.9%
Pass EPA/play	+0.042	-0.990
Rush EPA/play	-0.259	-0.175
Defensive EPA/play	+0.524	+0.142
Defensive success rate	76.1%	63.0%

Drive & efficiency notes

Despite the final score, Miami Dolphins generated the better offensive EPA per play (-0.14 vs -0.52), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

Season benchmark context (offensive EPA per play):

Miami Dolphins: -0.14 EPA/play (20th percentile vs. 2021 team-game averages)
New Orleans Saints: -0.52 EPA/play (1st percentile vs. 2021 team-game averages)

Miami Dolphins: 12 drives, -11.53 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
New Orleans Saints: 12 drives, -35.09 total EPA, 2 scoring drives

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal from official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

Miami Dolphins — Nik Needham (Q1 10:33)
Miami Dolphins — Jaylen Waddle (Tua Tagovailoa pass) (Q3 5:15)

Field goals

Miami Dolphins — Jason Sanders (Q1 2:16)
New Orleans Saints — Brett Maher (Q2 2:49)
Miami Dolphins — Jason Sanders (Q4 12:09)

Quarter by quarter

Quarter-by-quarter recap from live scoring plays.

The opening quarter: Miami Dolphins won the period 10–0. Miami Dolphins found the end zone from the MIA 77 (Q1 10:33); Miami Dolphins added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q1 10:25) — 7-J.Sanders extra point is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.; Miami Dolphins connected on a field goal from the NO 30 (Q1 2:16) — (2:16) 7-J.Sanders 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy..

The second quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 3–0. New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the MIA 20 (Q2 2:49) — (2:49) 19-B.Maher 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin..

The third quarter: Miami Dolphins won the period 7–0. Miami Dolphins found the end zone from the NO 1 (Q3 5:15) — (5:15) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass short middle to 17-J.Waddle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Pass -4, YAC 5; Miami Dolphins added 1 points from the NO 15 (Q3 5:10) — 7-J.Sanders extra point is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy..

The fourth quarter: Miami Dolphins won the period 3–0. Miami Dolphins connected on a field goal from the NO 16 (Q4 12:09) — (12:09) 7-J.Sanders 34 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most.

New Orleans Saints (Q1 10:33) — (10:33) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book pass short right intended for 84-L.Humphrey INTERCEPTED by 40-N.Needham (43-A.Van Ginkel) at NO 28. 40-N.Needham for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -20.9% · EPA -7.36]
Miami Dolphins (Q3 8:56) — (8:56) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass deep right to 86-M.Hollins to NO 45 for 40 yards (29-P.Adebo). Pass 37, YAC 3 New Orleans challenged the pass completion ruling, and the play was Upheld. The rulin [WPA +10.1% · EPA +4.04]
Miami Dolphins (Q1 3:08) — (3:08) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa sacked at NO 20 for -6 yards (92-M.Davenport). FUMBLES (92-M.Davenport) [92-M.Davenport], recovered by MIA-74-L.Eichenberg at NO 30. [WPA -8.4% · EPA -2.37]
New Orleans Saints (Q2 10:29) — (10:29) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book sacked ob at NO 41 for 0 yards (25-X.Howard). PENALTY on NO-41-A.Kamara, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced at NO 41. [WPA -6.8% · EPA -2.85]
New Orleans Saints (Q1 0:24) — (:24) 4-B.Gillikin punts 42 yards to MIA 36, Center-49-Z.Wood. 85-T.Lewis pushed ob at MIA 45 for 9 yards (53-Z.Baun). PENALTY on MIA-9-N.Igbinoghene, Illegal Use of Hands, 10 yards, enforced at MIA 3 [WPA +6.6% · EPA +0.63]

Impact plays

Highest EPA snaps that flipped field position.

New Orleans Saints (Q1 10:33) — (10:33) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book pass short right intended for 84-L.Humphrey INTERCEPTED by 40-N.Needham (43-A.Van Ginkel) at NO 28. 40-N.Needham for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -20.9% · EPA -7.36]
Miami Dolphins (Q3 8:56) — (8:56) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass deep right to 86-M.Hollins to NO 45 for 40 yards (29-P.Adebo). Pass 37, YAC 3 New Orleans challenged the pass completion ruling, and the play was Upheld. The rulin [WPA +10.1% · EPA +4.04]
New Orleans Saints (Q4 14:24) — (14:24) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book pass incomplete short right [94-C.Wilkins]. [WPA -2.7% · EPA -3.83]
New Orleans Saints (Q4 3:57) — (3:57) 16-I.Book pass deep left to 84-L.Humphrey to MIA 41 for 56 yards (8-J.Holland). Pass 20, YAC 36 [WPA +0.0% · EPA +3.63]

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with play-by-play context.

Miami Dolphins TD (+6) — Q1 10:33 · MIA 77 · Score 6-0
(10:33) (Shotgun) 16-I.Book pass short right intended for 84-L.Humphrey INTERCEPTED by 40-N.Needham (43-A.Van Ginkel) at NO 28. 40-N.Needham for 28 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Miami Dolphins XP (+1) — Q1 10:25 · NO 15 · Score 7-0
7-J.Sanders extra point is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
Miami Dolphins FG (+3) — Q1 2:16 · NO 30 · Score 10-0
(2:16) 7-J.Sanders 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q2 2:49 · MIA 20 · Score 10-3
(2:49) 19-B.Maher 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-Z.Wood, Holder-4-B.Gillikin.
Miami Dolphins TD (+6) — Q3 5:15 · NO 1 · Score 16-3
(5:15) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass short middle to 17-J.Waddle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. Pass -4, YAC 5
Miami Dolphins XP (+1) — Q3 5:10 · NO 15 · Score 17-3
7-J.Sanders extra point is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.
Miami Dolphins FG (+3) — Q4 12:09 · NO 16 · Score 20-3
(12:09) 7-J.Sanders 34 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-44-B.Ferguson, Holder-5-M.Palardy.

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research and follow-up box score digging.

Miami Dolphins earned the result — use the box score for snap-level context.
Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) led total EPA — start here for highlight and prop research.
Ian Book (NO) finished below expected efficiency despite volume.

Frequently asked questions

Who won Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints on 2021-12-27?

The Miami Dolphins beat the New Orleans Saints 20-3 in Week 16, 2021.

What was the score by quarter in Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints?

Q1: Miami Dolphins 10, New Orleans Saints 0; Q2: Miami Dolphins 0, New Orleans Saints 3; Q3: Miami Dolphins 7, New Orleans Saints 0; Q4: Miami Dolphins 3, New Orleans Saints 0; Final: Miami Dolphins 20, New Orleans Saints 3.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals in Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints?

Miami Dolphins touchdown — N. Needham (Q1 10:33) Miami Dolphins touchdown — J. Waddle (T. Tagovailoa pass) (Q3 5:15) Miami Dolphins field goal — J. Sanders (Q1 2:16, 3 pts) New Orleans Saints field goal — B. Maher (Q2 2:49, 3 pts) Miami Dolphins field goal — J. Sanders (Q4 12:09, 3 pts) Extra points followed each touchdown unless noted in the play-by-play.

How did the quarterbacks play in Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints?

Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins), 57.6% completion, +3.0% CPOE, +0.10 EPA per dropback, +3.20 total passing EPA. Ian Book (New Orleans Saints), 38.7% completion, -7.3% CPOE, -0.99 EPA per dropback, -30.68 total passing EPA.

Who was FantasyHQ's player of the game in Miami Dolphins vs New Orleans Saints?

Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) was FantasyHQ's Game MVP with +7.03 total EPA on Receiving plays. across 12 snaps. Their top snap (+2.58 EPA): (6:51) (Shotgun) 1-T.Tagovailoa pass short left to 17-J.Waddle to NO 42 for 18 yards (22-C.Gardner-Johnson). Pass 13, YAC 5.

Season records after this game

Miami Dolphins

Entered 7-7 Now 8-7 W

New Orleans Saints

Entered 7-7 Now 7-8 L

Miami Dolphins vs. New Orleans Saints: 2021 Week 16 Recap

Top fantasy performers · Dolphins

Top fantasy performers · Saints

Quick answer

Game summary