Cornerback Xavien Howard had one of the key plays in the fourth quarter, when he punched the ball out of receiver Sammy Watkins‘ arms, picked it up, and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown. That gave Miami a 15-3 lead, which was enough to beat Baltimore on Thursday night. That play was also a big part of why Howard has been named AFC defensive player of the week. Howard also had five tackles in the contest. In his sixth season, Howard has 30 total tackles, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, a pair of forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries. Last year, he led the league with 10 picks and 20 passes defensed.
I told y'all he saw the handwriting on the wall. There was no way he was going to repeat (or improve) last season's performance, so the team was going to leverage this year's numbers to renegotiate his deal. Even though he's having a good season, it stood to reason he couldn't repeat a historically great season. With that being said, we are wasting his talent with our scheme.
