Going into Sunday’s game, the Miami Dolphins were 6-3, but the scariest part of their 6-3 record was that they hadn’t had that complete team win. The Dolphins had been winning games in shootouts or grind-it-out games. It was different on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns because the Dolphins played well on both sides of the ball. Which both the offense and the defense played good complimentary football for 60 minutes. 


It didn’t start out well, as the Browns had a long kickoff return and a couple of big plays on offense that ended with the Browns scoring a touchdown on the opening drive. However, the Dolphins responded as the offense went down the field and scored a touchdown to tie the game. Then the Dolphins’ defense turned things around. They set the tone by shutting the Browns’ running game down, which came into the game as one of the tops in the NFL. There were questions if the Dolphins could contain their running game, especially considering how strong the Browns’ offensive line was, but the defense rose up and dominated the line of scrimmage and swarmed to the football all game long. Outside of a 30-yard run by Nick Chubb in the 4th quarter, when the game was decided, there were no running lanes to run through. The Dolphins forced the Browns to throw the ball with the running game bottled up, and that played into the defense’s hand. 


The story was the offense because it was their most complete game of the season. The Dolphins had their best rushing game all season with 195 yards on the ground and dominated the line of scrimmage. Jeff Wilson, in two games, has done more than Chase Edmonds did in 8 games. The Bradley Chubb deal gets all the headlines, but Wilson was an excellent under-the-radar pick-up as he ran for over 100 yards in his second game. He is the tough physical runner the Dolphins have needed, and he compliments Raheem Mostert. The offensive line continues to get better and better every week, and this was considered a weakness going into the season. Terron Armstead is the leader of the line, and they are a force when he is healthy. Robert Hunt continues to grow as a right guard. To think about less than two months ago, Brandon Shell wasn’t on an NFL roster, and the Dolphins signed him after Austin Jackson got hurt. Now the question is will Jackson be able to get on the field because Shell is playing so well at right tackle, I can’t figure out how the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks let this guy go. Maybe he fits this offense better. I don’t know, but you can’t keep him off the field. Second-year undrafted rookie Robert Jones has been playing well for the injured Liam Eichenberg, and the Dolphins appear to finally have a coaching staff that has coached up his group. What does this say about the previous staff? 


With the running game going, the Dolphins didn’t have to rely on the passing game and the big play. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa spread the ball around and didn’t just focus on Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Guys like Trent Sherfield and Alec Ingold made contributions in the passing game. Tagovailoa was efficient and played another turnover-free game. He is silencing his critics and has some of them talking about him for MVP. Who would have thought that before the season began? If the Dolphins can have an offensive performance like this week in and week out, it will force the defense to crowd the line of scrimmage and open things up more.  


The Dolphins now go into their bye on a very high note at 7-3 and on top of the AFC East. It’s a time for them to rest their players with nagging injuries to get healthy for the stretch run. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, and the Dolphins look like contenders, but after they play the Houston Texans, they have a brutal three-game road trip that could go a long way to deciding their season. The AFC is loaded with good teams, and the Dolphins are one of them. The Dolphins haven’t been 7-3 since 2001. Wow, talk about a long time, but the Dolphins must keep this momentum going after the bye week to show they are a true contender not just in the division but in the AFC. 

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