The Dolphins entered Sunday’s game against Buffalo as the largest underdogs in Wild Card history, and for 3 & a half hours, they gave their fans hope.
The result will sting, Miami won’t play another down of meaningful Football until September, and the way the game concluded will be discussed up until that point. And yet, even more important than the result is that the Dolphins showcased a roster that can go up against anybody.
Two years ago, Miami went up to Buffalo and got smacked in a must-win game, even though the Bills rested a large chunk of their starters for half of the game. There were no bright spots; after two years, Miami put themselves in a position to win despite starting their 3rd string QB.
Why was that the case? Having a high-end roster with good coaching.
This Dolphins season was far from perfect, as their 9-9 record indicates, and there are plenty of reasons why that happened.
First, Miami’s defense didn’t live up to expectations this year, and there’s plenty of blame to explain that. Some of it will obviously go Josh Boyer’s way, and deservedly so, but it’s also important to note that they lost some key contributors. Byron Jones was supposed to be available for Week 1, but he was unable to see the field all year, Nik Needham went down with an Achilles injury, and Brandon Jones suffered a torn ACL. Xavien Howard also took a step back from playing at an All-Pro level.
Despite that, they made enough plays for Miami to win that ballgame. Jaelan Phillips, despite having a lower sack number this year, took a huge step forward and became a player the defense has to constantly account for. Christian Wilkins turned himself into perhaps the best-run defender in the league, and his pairing with Zack Sieler has been a constant bright spot for the team. Kader Kohou was also an essential piece of this group, which is insane since he was a long shot at making the opening-day roster, but he’s developed into a capable starter in this league. Jevon Holland didn’t take the leap many of us expected, but he’s still an ascending young player.
When it mattered, they all showed up, and that’s something you can build upon.
Explaining why the Dolphins’ offense faltered isn’t complicated; they were playing a rookie 7th-round 3rd-string QB, who was deemed a project when he was drafted.
In games where Tua Tagovailoa started & finished, Miami averaged 26.4 points, which would put them 7th in the league, including the Green Bay, where he got concussed before halftime. In the six games Miami didn’t start, they averaged 18.2 points per game, which would rank 26th in the league.
Before the season, there were plenty of questions regarding Tua, and in terms of ability, he answered them. His numbers indicate that of a Franchise QB, his durability now becomes Miami’s top priority.
Miami battling Buffalo with a depleted roster and without their Franchise QB showed they’ve built a team capable of competing at the highest level.
That’s not to say this team is perfect, some holes need to be addressed, and coaching needs to learn from some of the mistakes they committed this year. But when you have a team with young talent like Tua Tagovailoa, Jevon Holland, Jaelan Phillips & Christian Wilkins, you’re in a good spot, especially when you have proven veteran contributors like Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstrong & Bradley Chubb.
Moral victories suck, but this result didn’t really impact the team’s future in any meaningful way. Had they won, they would have still needed to climb a very steep hill against KC without Tua, and most likely, they’d ended up in the same situation they are now.
The Dolphins’ future will depend on Tua Tagovailoa’s health; if he’s healthy, the sky’s the limit for this squad. At the very least, we know the rest of the team can play high-level playoff football.
Like Jimmy Johnson said, “they have a hell of a future.”
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