Phins took the Super Bowl champs to the wire with one hand tied behind their back
While the Miami Dolphins lost to the Chiefs 33-27, falling to 8-5 on the season, it’s hard not to feel great about the team’s direction despite the defeat. Not only did the Phins have a handful of starters miss the game, but they lost a handful more during the game and still kept it competitive. Even with all this extra adversity, the defense delivered haymaker after haymaker and Tua showed star qualities working with the B and C squad at running back and receiver. All I needed to hear when the clock struck 00:00 was a loud scream calling, “Adrian!” to complete the Rocky I vibe to this game.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this good after a loss. Man, times have really changed Phins fans!
Injuries, injuries, injuries
Miami went into this game without running backs Brieda, Gaskin, and Ahmed. They were also without LBs Roberts and Van Noy. That’s three starters down before kickoff! But, insult was added to injury with even more key injuries. The Phins lost WR Parker and Grant, TE Gesicki, and rookie tackle Jackson on offense. On defense, Miami lost safety Bobby McCain for most of the game.
It doesn’t take the best pay per head services to know that’s a lot of missing firepower.
Miami suffered on deep plays with the loss of McCain and without their three best receivers, the offense lacked much of its punch until late in the game. Add to these losses, a Parker drop in the endzone, a missed read by Tua that would have led to a TD on the same play, a Sanders missed field goal, and two deep balls dropped. Even with all this they only lost by 6 points!
Yes, there is a loss added to the Phins record, but don’t tell me this game didn’t add a ton to their confidence.
Tua showed star power in guiding a damaged ship
First, Tua showed all that needs to be seen to believe he’s the quarterback of the future in Miami. Tua was behind on the scoreboard, under pressure, without a run game, throwing to backup receivers, and still managed to bring the team back. These are telltale signs of a franchise quarterback. Added to this, Tua displayed growth in his throwing mechanics, decision making, and anticipation. Sure, there were some tough moments, but he’s a rookie and that’s expected. What isn’t expected from a rookie who hasn’t even completed six full games is all these positives. While I’m not crowning him the ‘best QB eva’, it’s clear he IS Miami’s future.
The Phins defense IS legit!
The defense and coaches Brian Flores and Josh Boyer are the real deal. Despite major losses in personnel before and during the game, Miami managed to take the best offense in the league to the edge of destruction. Beyond two big run plays, the Chief’s rushers were held in check and Mahomes threw three picks–a career first–and was sacked three times. The only real negative was TE Travis Kelce feasted with 136 yards. Still, considering this is only Year 2 of the rebuild, this is spectacular. This defense and staff are a legitimate foundation to build the future on.
Given what we saw from the quarterback position and defense as a whole, Miami has the recipe for legitimate success in the NFL. And the craziness of it all is that the Dolphins are stocked to the gills with draft picks in this coming draft! Go Phins!!!