Maimi is in playoff mode from here on out!
It wasn’t pretty for most of the night, but the Miami Dolphins scrapped out a critical victory over the LA Rams in Prime Time 23-15. 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?