POLITASPORTS

After a two week break from playing football, the Miami Dolphins came out hitting on most cylinders. Thirty points in any half of football is great; it allowed the Fins to coast to victory in the second half resting key players, probably more injury protection than rest, but Sunday was a needed win. An 8-3 Miami Dolphins team staring down a final six game stretch against five teams with winning records and the one that doesn’t is the Green Bay Packers, fumbling on Sunday would have been very costly. Due to head to head, division, and conference record, Miami holds many tie breakers and if they finish with 3 or 4 losses could potentially grab the number one seed and first round bye. These goals are no longer out of the question. If Miami wins Sunday verse the Niners, a team many have as the best team in the NFC, despite Philadelphia having the best record, there is no reason to think Miami can’t win out. Yes, tough division games remain, but the expectations have increased. This is what success brings. Miami for too long has not lived up to created expectation.

The last two seasons are prime examples. In 2020 having just drafted an injured QB at the top of the draft, most fans knew it was going to be a building year. The team however began to play above their station raising expectations. Did I believe in the summer of 2020 that the Miami Dolphins would win ten games? No. But they did, and had an opportunity in the final game to grab a spot in the playoffs. They came out completely flat and laid an egg. Was Buffalo the better team? Yes. But Miami played them within three points earlier in the season, a win would have been incredible, but a tough hard fought game was not asking too much. They collapsed. The following year, 2021, started with huge expectations which quickly died after a seven game losing streak. However, even in the ’21 season the Fins were able to reignite hope only to vomit all over the pitch against Tennessee. Again, the Titans were the superior squad, but a 34-3 shellacking would have been avoided with just a mediocre effort. Standing at 8-3 with six games remaining, anything less than 12 wins would be a disappointing finish to the regular season. The ceiling this team has set through eleven weeks, goes beyond week 18.

The Report Card (1st half only):

Coaching: (A); Miami came out sharp and focused verse a Houston team going no where. Coach was able to keep his team ready through the bye and had them prepared and rust free at kick-off. These games are routinely labeled as “trap games” as teams have a penchant for looking past them to a more “worthy” opponent (like the Niners this week). A coaches top job is to have his team equipped to compete, McDaniel passed his first bye with flying colors.

Running Backs: (B-); The running game wasn’t able to find much space. Yes Wilson had a the TD, but when you amass a large lead, being able to control the game and clock with your feet is essential when playing more capable opponents. I understand they were down a key player, hence my gentle grading.

Receivers: (A+); Five receivers with multiple catches, over 25 yards, and plays over 20 yards. That is a quality unity difficult to defend. Waddle and Hill each having over 80 yards and the TE getting a TD reception, this is a winning formula. I enjoy when Hill blows up for 150+ yards, but these types of consistent games are what defenses hate dealing with and are much more difficult to game plan against.

Defense: (A); Six passes defended, five sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and a TD. Solid game.

Special Teams: (A); I felt like they went out of their way to give Sanders kicks. In the second quarter that FG from the five appeared to me that they wanted Kicker Confidence more than the additional four points. For his part, Sanders was 6-6 on all kicks (FG and PAT). Let’s hope this bodes well for the six regular season games and however many post season games the Fins play.

Quarterback: (A); Solid effort once again from Tua. Another game another clean sheet on the INT category. His completion percentage was a bit down, but he had some uncharacteristic drops from Waddle and Hill. 61% 299 1TD and 0INT, this team can win with those numbers.

Overall: (A); Again, I am not really grading the second half when they coasted. They came out eager and shut down Houston’s hopes early. A great win before the knock out phase of their schedule. At this point I am expecting 4-2 finish down the stretch, but if they can be 5-1 or even run the table, they may just be looking at a first round bye and home field throughout the playoffs.