Phins Are in almost complete control of their destiny!
The Miami Dolphins took care of business against the Cleveland Browns in a dominating fashion with their run game taking the lead in the victory. Phins also played better on defense, which is a critical long term sign. The only concerning part is the special teams that continues to struggle. But, Miami is riding a 4 game winning streak and #1 in the AFC East as they enter their bye week, so it really can’t get much better than it is right now!
Where are the Phins now?!
The 2022 Dolphins picked up some ‘miraculous’ help from the Vikings with them coming from behind against the Bills. What a crazy game and set of circumstances for the Vikes to come away with the victory in a ultra rare showing of late game luck and heroics to drop the Bills to 6-3. The Dolphins now have sole position of first place in the AFC East, due to one win advantage in the victory column over the Jets and the tie breaker over the Bills with their Week 3 win. There is still plenty of football to be played this season, so nothing is written in stone. But, according to the various pay per head sites, the Bills are still a -200 favorite to win the AFC East, whereas the Dolphins are the second favorite to win the division at +220! However, this came down a bunch from previous weeks where the Bills were a -800 to win the division.
The one concern with the Bye Week is that the Dolphins might lose the positive momentum they’ve built up with their 4 game winning streak. Rest is always good, but when you are hot and playing well, you want to keep playing. Thankfully, Miami will face one of the worst teams in the league to get their mojo back after their Bye in the Houston Texans . This as good an opportunity as it gets to get quickly back into rhythm. Yes, you can’t take any team lightly, but Miami couldn’t hope for a better situation get back in the groove.
A win over the Texans would put Miami at 8-3!
The Dolphins must take care of business against the Texans because after that they have a brutal 3 game stretch on the road against the 49ers, Chargers, and Bills. That stretch could very well determine whether the Dolphins make the playoffs and win the division!
It’s been a riveting season so far, especially with a 7-3 record to back it up!
However, one bit of bad news is that Emmanuel Ogbah was injured and a torn triceps ends his 2022 Season. Ogbah wasn’t having a great season, but he has been a force on defense for us since he joined the team. Losing a player of his caliber never makes your team better. Luckily, Miami just traded for Chubb so the blow is softened. While we are now a little thinner, we do have a bunch of edge talent with Ingram, Van Ginkel, and Phillips.
Then there is the Byron Jones mystery with so little news on how he is progressing, which is very weird. Can he finally get healthy enough to play and balance out the loss of Ogbah? This is a huge story. With the additional week off until their next game against the Texans, it does feel like it’s now or never. If he isn’t ready to play when we play the Texans this could mean he just may not be suiting up this season.
This could be great news heading into the playoff run! If not, it’s a great season so far and I expect great things to come either way!
What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins news fans thoughts about the direction this team will take after the bye week?