Grading Miami Dolphins QB Malik Willis in his debut, a loss to Raiders

LAS VEGAS — After months of talk and anticipation, quarterback Malik Willis made his debut for the Miami Dolphins in their opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Willis, Miami's top free-agent acquisition, was working with a receiving corps that had been almost completely revamped. The result - a 27-13 loss - was an initial outing that we probably could have seen coming. Call it an uneven day.

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Willis finished 15-of-27 for 220 yards, no touchdowns and one interception for a 66.9 passer rating. He was sacked five times for 35 yards, including a late play in which he nearly conceded a safety. On a positive side, he and rookie Caleb Douglas established a connection, good for five catches for 94 yards.

Willis may have had a case of nerves at the start. He bobbled the second snap from Aaron Brewer but managed to overcome it and hand off to De'Von Achane, who salvaged the play with a 4-yard gain.

Willis relied heavily on Achane on that possession but had a few moments to make plays, coming up short. A designed run by the QB went nowhere, as did a throw to Malik Washington, who was out of bounds when he reached for the ball.

Willis' second possession was a quick three-and-out, marred by a sack by Kwity Paye that was inevitable given how long Willis held the ball. It was a situation that was replayed later in the afternoon.

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The half ended on a better note: a couple of field-goal drives to get Miami on the board. Willis and tight end Greg Dulcich hooked up for 12 yards before Willis hit his stride, finding Douglas for a 25-yard gain.

The two connected again on the next possession, which ended on a field goal on the last play of the half. The Dolphins moved 61 yards in 67 seconds, highlighted by Willis hitting Douglas for 30 yards to effectively run the hurry-up offense.

Despite a 17-6 deficit at halftime, the Dolphins momentarily made a game of it after the break.

Rookie Michael Taaffe took advantage of an ill-advised throw by Kirk Cousins to open the second half. Four plays later, the Dolphins had cut the deficit to 17-13, sparked by a 25-yard pass to Bell. Willis ended the drive with a 14-yard scramble for a touchdown, shoving cornerback Eric Stokes aside at the goal line.

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It was a different story the next time Willis had the ball. Down 24-13, he launched a hopeful pass down the middle in the general direction of Douglas. Unfortunately for Willis, Stokes was playing deep center field and made the simple interception. Douglas was double-covered.

Willis again was guilty of holding onto the ball on a sack by Nakobe Dean, but this was a bit more understandable, coming on a third-and-5 play from the Raiders' 13. Willis was trying to cash in following Jaylen Wright's 79-yard kickoff return, but when Riley Patterson missed a 41-yard field-goal try, it didn't work out.

At that point, the Dolphins were fighting the clock as much as the Raiders. Willis was taking risks he might normally not. The Raiders knew Willis would have to throw, so they focused on bringing heat. In the end, the clock (and Raiders) won.

Malik Willis gets a C-minus for Dolphins debut

All things considered, it was an inconsistent outing. Some high points, some low. A preventable interception but a scramble for a touchdown. Plenty to correct, but also plenty to build on, including his connections with Douglas.

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Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Grading Miami Dolphins QB Malik Willis in his debut, a loss to Raiders

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