The Dolphins had an opportunity to make a statement last week… and they did, but it wasn’t even remotely positive.
On the verge of respectability, they fell back to being a laughing stock.
In reality, it was just 1 game of a 16 game season. A win in Week 5 would flip the script once again…
…But a win today with all the injuries would take serious heart.
Does this ‘new chemistry’ have a heavy dose of heart?
The Cincinnati Bengals are also 3-1 and are heavy favorites to win at home.
This is a key AFC Conference game that will give a lot of momentum to the team that can come away with the win in this game. Last week the Dolphins had everything going for them… this week it’s the opposite. But if the Dolphins aren’t who most thought they were, they’ll dig deep an pull out the ‘W’. If not, they flop a start their plummet to the bottom.
Jimmy Bourbon says:
“Get Kenyan Drake more involved in the Offense. How can he not be the focus of the offense? It’s insane that over the past two games Drake has a total of 8 carries for 6 yards. That’s ridiculous. Not only did he only get 8 carries in the last two games, but both teams they faced had a run defense that was near the bottom in the league. Pass happy Gase needs to run the damn ball… especially on first down. Get Drake involved in the offensive game plan early and often for crying out loud! And if he does throw it, how about past the sticks?! Tannehill is last in the league with throwing past the sticks just 36.7% of throws!“
“What luck… Sitton and Kilgore are out for the season. Both of these players were our new offseason additions on the offensive line, which made a lot of us finally believe we had solved our offensive line issues. Now we have backups in both spots… things could get ugly real fast in the trenches. This will make Gase less likely to run and more likely to throw short of the stick… double yay!”
M.J. says:
“Sitton going down hurt. Kilgore… not so much. In his limited showing, Travis Swanson looked better than Kilgore. I think Swanson has a shot to be the unlikely hero this week. Add in Nick O’Leary helping the Dolphins TE’s with inline blocking… and I see an upgrade in the OL’s production this week. They’ll need it. Geno Atkins is on another tear with 26 pressures! That’s second best in the league.”
“Is Minkah Fitzpatrick legit? We’ll get an early read when he goes against Tyler Boyd. Fitz will be in the spotlight if Howard can limit Green. That’s a big if, of course. But to be the man you have to beat the man. Both Howard and Fitzpatrick will get a chance to show they are special today. If they do, it will be a big morale boost for fans.”
“Miami can win if they don’t go full retard on the Offensive Line and in penalties. If they can generate even an average run game and limit their penalties to 5 or less, I like their chances. Cincy’s defense has been porous. Cincy is very vulnerable to a balanced offense. Despite Gase and Tannehill being inconsistent, good O-line play is the key to the whole team. Miami looked good v.s. the Titans… when the Ol played well. Can Swanson steady this O? Swanson is my #1 watch today.”
Here we are 3-1… and on the verge of collapse or rebound
The line for this game opened with the bookie software programs has the Dolphins as a 5.5 underdog. However, the line has already crept up to +6.5. The Phins have a 5 to 1 ratio on bets coming thru on the Bengals. Considering that the Bengals Defense has not been that great this season and has given up on average 28.3 points per game, I think we might be in store for an old-fashioned shootout. Does that favor the Dolphins… not likely. This goes back to a fresh ‘D’ from the Dolphins having a run game.
A win today could go a long way towards repairing the faith lost with fans. A loss may be the final straw with Gase for many. What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans thoughts of the Dolphins chances of winning this game?
Good keys, Fredrick… D is not my biggest worry. I love Taylor and Baker is coming along… Jones will play… I don’t like McMillan though… he’s being phased out a bit… I hope it continues. Like you said the rushing attack is the key… I just hope that Swanson is a diamond in the ruff and not horse pucky! Go Phins, sir!
Fritz’ Keys to the game:
Establish the run and keep at it to churn clock since the best way to defend Dalton is when he is on the bench
No stupid penalties, must maintain composure
Tannehill needs to be on his game today and complete his passes, especially to keep the chains moving
The defensive even though injury depleted must step up and find a way to stop their run and limit Dalton
Go Dolphins!
Good keys, Fredrick… D is not my biggest worry. I love Taylor and Baker is coming along… Jones will play… I don’t like McMillan though… he’s being phased out a bit… I hope it continues. Like you said the rushing attack is the key… I just hope that Swanson is a diamond in the ruff and not horse pucky! Go Phins, sir!