Xavien Howard’s run toward superstardom continued in the Dolphins’ season opener last week. Miami was at New England, protecting a one-point lead in the first game of a season of heightened expectations.
Tua Tagovailoa had thrown a fourth-quarter interception at mid-field, the kind of errant pass that leads to losses, particularly against Bill Belichick’s team. The Patriots drove down the field, set up with a first-and-10 at Miami’s 11-yard-line, the clock ticking under four minutes. A go-ahead—and likely game-winning—field goal seemed but a mere formality at that point, at least until Howard did what Howard does best.
The ball was snapped with 3:35 remaining on the game clock. The Patriots had dialed up a Damien Harris run, sending the back off the right tackle, toward Howard’s side of the field. Harris picked up his 99th and 100th yards of the afternoon, only to find one of the best and most complete cornerbacks in pro football waiting for him.
Howard managed to place his left hand on the ball. Harris leaned forward, hoping to gain additional yards, only for Howard to rip the ball loose. As Howard hit the ground, so did the ball—he gathered it in as teammates piled on top of him. Minutes later Jacoby Brissett’s QB sneak converted a game-clinching first down.
The Dolphins won, 17–16. But this play, this game and this win spoke as much to a cornerback’s evolution as to his team’s growth. In fact, Howard has turned his craft into something of an art form, one illuminated by 10 interceptions from his 2020 season. This is the story of his rise, told through the prism of those picks and everything that came before them.
