DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins defensive end William Hayes will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL he suffered trying to avoid a roughing-the-passer penalty.
Hayes was hurt when he sacked Oakland's Derek Carr during Miami's 28-20 victory Sunday.
"He was trying to not put body weight on the quarterback," coach Adam Gase said Monday. "His foot got caught in the ground."
Hayes leads the Dolphins with two sacks. His loss is costly even though the front four was the Dolphins' deepest area.
"He's one of our leaders and best run defender," Gase said. "That's going to be a tough one for us to swallow.
Injuries to defensive end Andre Branch (knee), tight end A.J. Derby (foot) and linebacker Chase Allen (foot) were still being evaluated but did not appear to be season-ending, Gase said.
The loss of Hayes, Branch and defensive tackle Akeem Spence, who was ejected, left Miami with only six defensive linemen. Offensive tackle Jesse Davis filled in as an emergency defender during a goal-line situation.
