Running Wild

The Dolphins were able to come from behind in the fourth quarter, and score two touchdowns to steal the victory from the Dallas Cowboys. Even though it is only a preseason game, it was encouraging to see the team come together in the fourth quarter and show some toughness with their backs against the wall, and put together two touchdown drives late in the game, which resulted in the Dolphins winning the game scoring a total of 25 points. How ironic, that Philbin was quoted this week in saying that he wanted to average 25 points per game this season, and then they go out and score 25 points, which in mathematical terms is not a common number to end the game on!

The biggest positive of the game was that the Dolphins finally decided to give the running game a chance, and as a result they were able to rush 35 times, for 200 yards and a 5.7 yards per carry average. It was lead by Knowshon Moreno, who made his debut with a 19 yard carry on his first run as a Dolphin. He ended the game with 10 carries for 64 yards, and looked like the clear cut winner for the starting running back position. Williams and Darkwa who are both fighting for a spot on the team, each made their case by running hard and each scoring a touchdown.

The offensive line also played exceptionally well creating plenty of running lanes, and only allowing 1 sack. That is a huge improvement for a unit that is going to be under the microscope all season long. It is also refreshing to see that Philbin was going for 2 points after each touchdown. Why not practice 2 point conversions while you can?

Tannehill made a couple of notable mistakes in the game. He missed a wide open Wallace on a long pass, which is obviously going to continue to frustrate sports gambling fans this season. And in the third quarter he threw an interception in the red-zone. It was not his best game, but he is still going to have some ups and downs, and if he gets help from his running game like he did, then the Dolphins can still win games, when Tannehill is not at his best.

Regardless of what everyone says about the Dolphins this season, the fact is they are going to be competitive, and are going to have a chance to win every game they play. There is definitely talent on this team, and at multiple positions. The key is just coming together and playing as a team, and closing out the close games.