It wasn’t pretty for most of the night, but the Miami Dolphins scrapped out a critical victory over the LA Rams in Prime Time23-15. The Phins are now 3-6 on the season and have increased their playoff chances to 10% with two very manageable games at home coming up. Can they pull off the miracle turnaround or will they gas out towards the end of the season? Who knows, but one thing is certain they came through this week, and they deserve credit for that.
It’s really about taking one week at a time, so I’ll focus on the Rams game worry about each opponent as they come.
More than a few Phins came through when needed
This week a lot of credit should go to Mike McDaniel, Anthony Weaver, Calais Campbell, Jonnu Smith and Tua.
Yes, I said Tua.
While it was ugly through stretches, in the crunch, Tua came through and also shook off some hard hits to the head.Tua overcame his two big knocks in this game: lack of durability and not being clutch. I’m not saying these issues are gone and won’t be a problem in the future, but you’ve got to be fair. Tua notched a “W” for the Dolphins record against the Rams and a “W” on the two negatives that have held him back.
Will Tua stay durable and clutch going forward? I don’t know. What I do know is that he was durable and clutch this week.
Tua escaped pressure and had two huge passes in the 4th Quarter that saved the day. Was there a bunch of things that he needs to clean up? Sure, but the Phins offensive line had Rams pass rushers go through them like poop through a goose. I think this had something to do with Tua’s play. Not blaming all is struggle on their play, but they didn’t make it any easier.
Leaders stepped up when they were needed the most
Weaver needs to be commended because got his unit ready to rock and roll after an ugly previous two games and the defense was the driving force on the day. The defense playing lights out helped Miami overcome those ugly turnovers and saved the season. The pressure and coverage was some of the best we’ve seen this season. Can we get an extra helping of this for the rest of the season?
McDaniel shouldn’t be forgotten in the shoutouts. He wasn’t perfect but he did mostly call a pretty good game and had the team mostly disciplined except for two wasted time outs in the second half. Dolphins only committing a single penalty on the day was a thing of beautify.
Jonnu Smith waking up went a long way in making McDaniel look good. Let’s hope his stellar play not only continues but grows. Smith would be a big wildcard for any playoff dreams.
On the ugly side…
The loss of cornerback Kendall Fuller to a concussion hurt and what made it worse is Cam Smith coming in. The youngster isn’t looking good. Smith let up a bunch of catches and doesn’t look any closer to being worth the second round pick we invested in him. There’s still time, but we are in Year 2 and if it’s not injuries then it’s poor play. We are thin in our secondary and Kohou is a Free Agent at the end of the season. Smith need to be a positive for this season and going forward.
Injuries are mounting on the offensive line. Austin Jackson injured himself in practice this week and is now on IR. Will he return and when if he does is anyone’s guess. But the Dolphins also saw Robert Jones go down late in the game and Lester Cotton came in and was ugly. You can bet with the best pay per head that if the Dolphins want any chance to make something of this season, they need this offensive line to play well.
In the end this was a must win and the Dolphins came through in spades. We Dolphins fans are beggars and can’t be choosers, let’s enjoy this win and hopefully the next two coming. We have plenty of time to worry down the road, so enjoy this Primetime victory in peace.
What do the rest of the Maimi Dolphins news fans think about the win and the Phins chances to make the playoffs?
Randy, good points! Grier is cheap! We do draft good players and then in 2-3 years he let’s them walk and now we have to go out all over again and try to replace that level of talent either by draft or FA. Grier needs to go. The team should give Asst. GM Marvin Allen who is from the Chiefs a chance. We did not properly address the trenches in the off-season. I was not on board with giving Tua this year a new contract. Should have done his 5th year option like the Ravens did with Lamar Jackson. Then we would have had more money for OL/DL, etc. and maybe able to keep Van Ginkel, etc. Regarding the season, I guess that I lean towards being pessimistic and don’t see a winning season. I hope I am wrong. We need to get on a real run and go at least 5-2 in our last 7 games.
The BS job on the trenches is a joke… this OL will hold us back. We’ve spent too much capital on Wrs and trades and trading up… we are thin and the oldest team in the league… HOW after all that draft capital. The league has moved to pass balance on offense and the OL, esp. the interior and DIs and TE are the key pieces… depth is too with this 17 game season. We are just not built right, Stephen. BUT I can be proven wrong this week vs GB. It’s the perfect game to confirm or deny our narritive!!! Let’s see, brother… sorry for the late reply…. Hope all is well on your end.
First I want to say Stephen the season is not over yet.We all know the issues with Tua and his concussions.The man loves ball and he shows it with his play.We lost the last two games on last second field goals.We have an offense that can play and score with the best of all teams.This Ram game was also the best game our D has played this season so hopefully they are starting to get Weavers scheme down. Our O-line is our main issue and Grier hasn’t committed to fixing the problem.My main issue with Grier is we draft players and when it comes time to pay them we let them walk,ex:Wilkins,that still gets bothers me. If we can stay healthy we can make a run. GO FINS!!!
Randy missed this comment, brother. Good to hear from you! Little late, but you were right the season isn’t over. 3 wins in a row sets us up for the GB game to show if we are legit or pretenders! I guess if we play close one and lose then win the rest out that could be scenario for success… but a very long shot. This GB will tell the tale in my eyes, brother. I hope for the best, but I’m just not sure. Tua at least has acquitted himself well… aside from the injuries. For me, it’s all about Grier’s failures… Hope we have a very happy thanksgiving!
Jimmy, good article. Unfortunately, the season is passed. Once we start playing more playoff caliber teams it is all over! The season is lost due to a few terrible off-season moves. 1. Tua new huge contract when they should have exercised the 5th year option. This would have given us money to help improve our trench play; interior DL and OL/G spots. 2. McDaniels made a critical error in thinking that Skylar Thompson could be our back-up QB. The team should have brought in someone like Huntley or some else in July NOT September. We will have a loosing season, 7-10 maybe! Need to draft a QB who has good size, mobility, arm strength, etc. Make this kid our back up to Tua and prepare him to take over. Tua is not going to last. My God the team even took out a Loyds of London $50 million insurance policy on him! What does that tell you? he is not going to last! When can Chubb and Wynn come back? I heard that Grier did want to exercise the 5th year option with Tua, but it was McDanies caving in for the new deal and listenig to some of his players like Hill who wanted this for Tua. Is Hill the HC and GM or is it McDaniels and Grier. Bad, bad, move! Now we don’t have the capital to grab another strong interior DL or Guards? Your thoughts. Thank you! Steve
Randy, good points! Grier is cheap! We do draft good players and then in 2-3 years he let’s them walk and now we have to go out all over again and try to replace that level of talent either by draft or FA. Grier needs to go. The team should give Asst. GM Marvin Allen who is from the Chiefs a chance. We did not properly address the trenches in the off-season. I was not on board with giving Tua this year a new contract. Should have done his 5th year option like the Ravens did with Lamar Jackson. Then we would have had more money for OL/DL, etc. and maybe able to keep Van Ginkel, etc. Regarding the season, I guess that I lean towards being pessimistic and don’t see a winning season. I hope I am wrong. We need to get on a real run and go at least 5-2 in our last 7 games.
The BS job on the trenches is a joke… this OL will hold us back. We’ve spent too much capital on Wrs and trades and trading up… we are thin and the oldest team in the league… HOW after all that draft capital. The league has moved to pass balance on offense and the OL, esp. the interior and DIs and TE are the key pieces… depth is too with this 17 game season. We are just not built right, Stephen. BUT I can be proven wrong this week vs GB. It’s the perfect game to confirm or deny our narritive!!! Let’s see, brother… sorry for the late reply…. Hope all is well on your end.
First I want to say Stephen the season is not over yet.We all know the issues with Tua and his concussions.The man loves ball and he shows it with his play.We lost the last two games on last second field goals.We have an offense that can play and score with the best of all teams.This Ram game was also the best game our D has played this season so hopefully they are starting to get Weavers scheme down. Our O-line is our main issue and Grier hasn’t committed to fixing the problem.My main issue with Grier is we draft players and when it comes time to pay them we let them walk,ex:Wilkins,that still gets bothers me. If we can stay healthy we can make a run. GO FINS!!!
Randy missed this comment, brother. Good to hear from you! Little late, but you were right the season isn’t over. 3 wins in a row sets us up for the GB game to show if we are legit or pretenders! I guess if we play close one and lose then win the rest out that could be scenario for success… but a very long shot. This GB will tell the tale in my eyes, brother. I hope for the best, but I’m just not sure. Tua at least has acquitted himself well… aside from the injuries. For me, it’s all about Grier’s failures… Hope we have a very happy thanksgiving!
Jimmy, good article. Unfortunately, the season is passed. Once we start playing more playoff caliber teams it is all over! The season is lost due to a few terrible off-season moves. 1. Tua new huge contract when they should have exercised the 5th year option. This would have given us money to help improve our trench play; interior DL and OL/G spots. 2. McDaniels made a critical error in thinking that Skylar Thompson could be our back-up QB. The team should have brought in someone like Huntley or some else in July NOT September. We will have a loosing season, 7-10 maybe! Need to draft a QB who has good size, mobility, arm strength, etc. Make this kid our back up to Tua and prepare him to take over. Tua is not going to last. My God the team even took out a Loyds of London $50 million insurance policy on him! What does that tell you? he is not going to last! When can Chubb and Wynn come back? I heard that Grier did want to exercise the 5th year option with Tua, but it was McDanies caving in for the new deal and listenig to some of his players like Hill who wanted this for Tua. Is Hill the HC and GM or is it McDaniels and Grier. Bad, bad, move! Now we don’t have the capital to grab another strong interior DL or Guards? Your thoughts. Thank you!
Steve