The Miami Dolphins have started 2023 with incredible momentum, beating up on weaker teams and setting new records. Based solely on the eye test, they appear to be a top 5 team in the league. With an abundance of talent, Dolphins fans should have confidence in what this team can achieve, right? Well, I’m not so sure. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, it might sound a bit entitled to expect our team to go from mediocre to championship-ready overnight. Despite the significant strides this team has made in becoming an AFC contender, the Dolphins always seem to falter in crucial moments.
In Week 4, the highly anticipated game against the Bills, featuring two high-scoring offenses led by top quarterbacks, initially lived up to the hype. However, after three quarters, my mood took a sharp downturn. It seems that when the going gets tough, the Dolphins struggle to grind out a tough win.
In Week 7, facing the Eagles, the Dolphins held their own and kept it close against a formidable Philadelphia team. The final score might suggest an easy victory for the Eagles, but that wasn’t the case. Nonetheless, the win-loss column will forever display an “L” for the Dolphins. While there is some optimism due to the defense’s good performance against Jalen Hurts and the top offensive line in football, moral victories won’t matter in the long run when looking back on the 2023 season.
This weekend in Germany, Pat Mahomes and Tua will go head-to-head. Mahomes, known for his highlight-reel plays, poses a challenge for Miami’s defense, which must balance its attention between Mahomes’ scrambling ability and Travis Kelce’s knack for exploiting coverage gaps. While this matchup is winnable for Miami, it presents its own set of challenges, and my optimism is waning. Miami’s battered offensive line faces one of the league’s best front-seven units, making it difficult to execute their typical timing-based offensive scheme.
If the Dolphins lose to the Chiefs in Germany, no excuse under the sun will restore my confidence in this team until they prove themselves on the field. In recent times, Dolphins fans have become conditioned to expecting Miami to excel, whether due to media hype or our own hopeful mentality. It would be ignorant to not acknowledge that this team has immense potential, but when faced with adversity and unforeseen challenges, can the Dolphins hunker down and secure a significant victory? Honestly, who knows?
Spot on! I couldn’t have said it better myself. I mean literally I probably couldn’t have said it better myself but this team is going to have to win a big game. Now big games in the regular season don’t necessarily mean the end of the world if you lose, but it does set the stage for the postseason. And so far the Dolphins have not passed that test. Winning this game would go a long way to setting. There’s still time, of course. get a win here and some big wins coming up and all will be well.