Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has the team in the playoff hunt

PLAYOFFS?!?!? PLAYOFFS?!?!?!?

 

It seems like forever ago when Cam Newton was gashing the Dolphins defense leading to a Patriots victory 21-11. It seemed as though it was the same ole Miami Dolphins. All the hype the offseason brought, was for not. Fast Forward 7 weeks and the hype is back in full swing. Coming off a 28-17 defensive smackdown of the Los Angeles Rams, the media and Dolphins fans have hopped back on the bandwagon with eyes set towards the playoffs.

 

Miami has come a long way since week one and it seems as if they are hitting their stride. Week 5 Miami beat the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers 43-17. Week 6 Miami shut out the winless division rival New York Jets 24-0. Week 8 another Miami double-digit victory 28-17. In the last three games, Miami has held an 18 point lead heading into halftime for the first time in the NFL since the Peyton Manning led 2004 Indianapolis Colts. Clearly, this is a team that has bought into Brian Flores and his program.

 

The upcoming few weeks can either put Miami in a prime position to make a playoff run or have Brian Flores and company go back to the drawing board. Let’s take a look at the upcoming schedule and what we might be able to expect starting this week when Miami travels to Arizona.

 

WEEK 9 @ Arizona Cardinals 4:25 

Right away the first thing that comes to mind is Kyler Murray. Historically Miami has struggled when facing mobile quarterbacks and that is exactly what Murray is. Murray has rushed for 437 yards and 7 touchdowns so far this season and has also thrown for 1,847 yards with 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. A true dual-threat quarterback. Add in superstar Deandre Hopkins to go along with legend Larry Fitzgerald and speedster Christian Kirk Miami will have their hands full with this offense. Their defense has also improved under former Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to become the 9th ranked scoring defense in the NFL. Led by Budda Baker, the Cardinals have forced 10 turnovers through 7 games. This will be a good litmus test for Miami’s defense and how they handle Murray with his mobility. If they can limit the damage he can do with his legs, it puts Miami in a great position to win this game.

I’ll take Miami in this one. Barely.  5-3

WEEK 10 vs Los Angeles Chargers 4:05

 

Tua Tagovailoa vs Justin Herbert. #5 overall pick vs #6 overall pick. That will dominate the headlines going into this week. Justin Herbert has played phenomenal football since being thrust into the lineup in week 2. Herbert has thrown for 1,820 yards and 15 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions. I expect Flores and Josh Boyer to craft a game plan that will confuse the rookie quarterback similar to what they used vs Jared Goff. Defensively they rank 19th in scoring defense and haven’t been able to force turnovers recording only 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles. If Miami can confuse Herbert early and often as well as play smart football on the offensive side Miami should be able to handle the Chargers.

Record improves to 6-3

 

WEEK 11 @ Denver Broncos 4:05

 

Miami heads into week 11 traveling to Mile High Stadium to face an interesting Broncos team. The Broncos go as Drew Lock goes. When Lock is playing well, the team plays well. That sounds like a very obvious statement but it proves true with this team. In 2 of their 3 wins, they scored 37 and 31 points respectively. If Miami can force Lock to be the worse version of himself it bodes well for them. Defensively losing all-pro Von Miller has hurt their pass rush but Bradley Chubb still presents a challenge. They have forced 5 interceptions and 6 forced fumbles. Combine an opportunistic defense with the altitude of Denver at the end of November, it can be a difficult task for the South Florida Dolphins.

Tough read on this game. I’ll pick Denver this one. 6-4

 

WEEK 12 @ New York Jets 1:00

Dolphins win. By a lot.

7-4

 

WEEK 13 vs Cincinnati Bengals 1:00

 

Tua Tagovailoa vs Joe Burrow part 2. Joe Burrow has certainly lived up to the billing as the #1 overall pick in last year’s draft. Throwing for over 300 yards in 5 of his first 8 games is exactly what you’d hope for from a #1 overall pick. He possesses a maturity to his game that most rookies don’t have. It will be fun to watch Tua and Burrow go head to head for a second time and hopefully Tua gets his revenge. The Bengals offensive line is terrible and Miami should be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They lack the weapons to threaten Miami’s defense and it should result in Tua getting the best of Burrow.

Dolphins win. 8-4

 

Going into December if Miami can be 8-4 it opens up a very real possibility of the playoffs. Especially with the new 7th team this year. The December slate of games includes defending the super bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, @ Las Vegas Raiders, @ Buffalo Bills. That is a very tough stretch of games. If Miami wants to be taken seriously as playoff contenders, the next 5 games provide them the opportunity to answer some major questions. Let’s hope this team continues to show the growth they have over the last 4 weeks. If they do, playoffs? (enter Jim Mora GIF here)

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