The Jason Sanders kick split the uprights as the clock read 0:00, and the roar that rumbled across South Florida was the sound of a thousand December demons being exorcised. The Miami Dolphins are going to the playoffs for the second straight season after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 22-20, with an ending that Miami fans couldn’t believe.
You see, we’d seen this movie before, and we were expecting a huge football-shaped lump of coal in our stockings. Last year, Miami lost five of their last six games. In 2018, they followed up on the Miami Miracle by losing their last three games…just like they did in 2017. You can go all the way back to the 90s and even revisit the soul-crushing end to the 2002 season that had most of us wishing horrible things upon Dave Wannstedt. This movie always ended the same way, with Miami fans staring blankly into the abyss while the Dolphins crumbled in December.
Not this time. This is a different movie. This is a different team. And as the team gathered in the locker room after the game, there was no champagne for clinching a playoff berth. The narrative that Miami can’t beat good teams has been replaced with another one, repeated by players and staff alike.
“We’re not done.”
Indeed, they’re not. There are two very important games left in the regular season. So, let’s look back at what went right against the Cowboys and what went wrong and look ahead to the game in Baltimore against the Ravens.
What Went Right Against Dallas
Not to belabor the obvious, but it would be remiss to not mention Jason Sanders. It’s been a while since Miami fans have felt confident about their field goal kicker, but Sanders appears to have regained his All-Pro form from 2020.
On offense, Miami once again was solid, if unspectacular. Make no mistake, the Dallas defense is legit, and holding them at bay was no mean feat. The offensive line was a pleasant surprise once again; the Cowboys managed just one sack, much to the consternation of Micah Parsons. Hopefully, he received a wheel of cheese for Christmas to go with all of his post-game whine.
The defense was solid as well; after torching the secondary in the first quarter, CeeDee Lamb was mostly invisible. The fourth-quarter Dallas touchdown drive was more about a spectacular play from Dak Prescott than a collapse by Miami.
What Went Wrong Against Dallas
“Solid if unspectacular” was the choice of words above; a more accurate assessment of the offense might be, “Missed opportunities, but mission accomplished.” If Miami played a cleaner game, they would have won by two scores. Tua was off the mark on several throws, Tyreek Hill missed a pass that would have gone to the house, and some of the execution still looked sloppy.
The fourth and goal play also looked unsettlingly familiar, in a bad way. The Dolphins need to clean up some of those plays and capitalize on opportunities if they want to be playing in late January and early February.
Up Next: The Baltimore Ravens
The 11-4 Dolphins travel to Baltimore to play the 12-3 Ravens Sunday afternoon. The Ravens are generally considered to be the best team in the NFL right now, and deservedly so. After they demolished the 49ers on Christmas, there’s only one thing standing between them and the number one seed, a playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That thing is Miami, who also controls their own destiny for the same rewards.
So, can Miami win this game? Absolutely. Despite the talking head narratives and some Twitter accounts’ eloquent phrasing about how the Ravens will beat the Dolphins easily (hi, @ProFootballTalk, stay classy), this should be a better game than many believe.
Will it be easy? Of course not. The Ravens are the class of the NFL right now, and Miami will have to clean up the offensive miscues that have been showing up for several weeks. On defense, a return from Jevon Holland would do wonders for the schemes Vic Fangio can implement.
But make no mistake, Miami is a good team. Once again, they’re a playoff team. And this “cold weather game” shouldn’t be anything of the sort – it’ll be around 50 degrees in Baltimore for most of the contest.
Prediction: Miami 28, Baltimore 27
