As they prepare for their Week 12 divisional game against the New England Patriots, the 4-6 Miami Dolphins find themselves in a rather interesting position. Following a rocky start to the 2024 season, Coach Mike McDaniel and his squad can bounce back into the playoff mix if they can continue their hot stride that started with a win on Monday Night Football in Week 10. With a victory on Sunday, Miami will have a little more breathing room heading into their big Thanksgiving game against the Packers in Lambeau.
Miami started its season strong over the last few seasons with Tua Tagovailoa under center, but it ultimately crumbled in December when it mattered most.
Whether it has been the freezing temperatures in Buffalo and Kansas City, the late-season jitters from the team under the lights, or even the onslaught of injuries the team faced last season, winter woes have killed Miami’s chances of winning the AFC East. Many Dolphins fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths over the last couple of years after witnessing Miami dominate the regular season up until December and the Wild Card rounds.
However, this is not the case in 2024. The Dolphins were able to scrape together only four wins in their first ten games of the season due to another concussion suffered by Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Week Two. Instead of making sure they have enough left in the tank to remain on top, the Dolphins now face an uphill battle to try to make it back into the playoff picture. If you ask me, this is the perfect opportunity for Tua and company to right their wrongs from the following seasons.
Are you sick of people talking about your struggles late in the year? Sick of all the backlash of not playing well in the cold weather? Let’s own up to it this time around and play with a chip on our shoulders. Let’s play our best football when the rest of the league least expects it. Get an upset win on the road in Green Bay. Win your cold games on the road. Sweep the Jets and take care of business.
Although running the table with this Dolphins team may be a shot in the dark, nothing would be more gratifying, especially for Pro Bowl Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tua has quietly been better about some of the in-game mechanics he was criticized heavily on in the past. He’s heavily improved his pocket awareness and mobility, so much so that Tagovailoa is rated first in the league in efficiency when avoiding a sack in 2024. Tua is slowly starting to look like the young Quarterback we all saw in Tuscaloosa, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Tagovailoa avoided pressure throughout the game against the Raiders this past Sunday and was incredibly efficient on third down. The Dolphins Quarterback’s ability to improvise helped set up an off-the-script Touchdown to Tyreek Hill in the third quarter. Just like tides in South Beach, if Tua’s impressive play keeps up over this next month, there’s no doubt the narratives based on him will start to shift.
Enough with the talking heads; however, let’s focus on the task at hand: If the Dolphins can rack up a few more wins to close the month, they will be sitting at .500 to start December. From there, one could only hope that momentum would spring them into a position to secure a Wild Card spot.
Realistically, Miami has one of the easier paths to the playoffs compared to the other teams in the mix. The question is, will Miami capitalize? Can they break the curse of falling apart in December? If opportunity comes knocking for Miami, will Tua and McDaniel answer?
With a roster like the Dolphins have, there’s no excuse not to take advantage. One game, one down at a time, the Dolphins can still save the season as they try to reach the faint, glimmer of light visible at the end of the tunnel.
