Following the Miami Dolphins’ 31-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, cornerback Xavien Howard explained why rookie Noah Igbinoghene was chosen to cover the Bills’ top receiver, Stefon Diggs.
Xavien Howard says it was the game plan to NOT have him on Stefan Diggs. "Coach did what was best for us," Howard said.
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) September 20, 2020
Igbinoghene was inserted into the lineup after starting cornerback Byron Jones left the game with an injury early in the first quarter.
The end result was that Diggs had a huge day, grabbing eight passes for 153 yards and also caught his first touchdown pass of the season. That came on a pass from Bills quarterback Josh Allen and when Igbinoghene was defending against him in the second quarter.
While Igbinoghene was one of the Dolphins’ first-round picks in April, the strategy for many coaches would have been to have a veteran handle the opposing team’s top receiver.
However, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores’ own strategy may have been skewed by the fact that Howard has spent the offseason and much of training camp recovering from knee surgery.
The Dolphins will try and collect their first win of the year on Thursday night when they travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
