Dolphins WR Kenny Stills explains his crucial 71-yard drop vs. Seattle
The Miami Dolphins came close to pulling off the biggest upset of the NFL’s opening weekend, falling to the Seattle Seahawks, 12-10. The Dolphins were a made field goal, defensive stop, or fourth-down conversion away from claiming the win over the Seahawks, but the biggest gaffe came early in the game.
In the second quarter, Kenny Stills broke wide open deep down the field. Ryan Tannehill saw him and uncorked a perfectly thrown pass Stills’ way, only to see if clank off his receiver’s hands and fall to the turf. It was a play that would have resulted in a walk-in touchdown and a 7-3 lead.
Uh oh.
— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2016
Kenny Stills was WIDE open...
And he drops the surefire 71-yard TD. ? #MIAvsSEA https://t.co/AUBzw6fqRM
Stills unsurprisingly took a lot of heat for the play and accepted blame, but he also explained what was going through his mind with the ball in the air.
As seen on the tape, there wasn’t a defender within 5 yards of him and no one was standing between him and the end zone.
There’s no doubt Stills should have caught the pass and given the Dolphins a lead early in the game, but mental lapses happen. Stills vows to get better from this mistake, and grow from it.
Stills had been the team’s best receiver in the preseason, but he opened the regular season with just one catch for 16 yards. The drop cost him 71 yards and a score, but more important, it hurt the Dolphins’ chances of starting 1-0.
