It wasn’t pretty, but they got the job done. Going up to Foxboro is like fighting a boogeyman and Candy man in the dark with the weapons that never feel adequate enough. It has been quite some time since the Dolphins went up to New England and got the win but they did it today. Was it frustrating to watch at times? Sure. But this is the NFL. Wins don’t come easy. So let’s appreciate this one.
Tua did a good job of managing the game. He took deep shots when they were there and checked it down when it wasn’t. His offensive line played solid with the rookie Liam Eichenberg starting at left tackle and Solomon Kindley at left guard. There were times when Tua had to negotiate pressure in the pocket but he did it pretty well. He didn’t have the unmovable stone fortress protecting him that Mac Jones had, but it was solid enough to let Tua put up decent numbers.
I thought this game would feature a lot more Gesicki, because in Tua’s young professional career he has shown a propensity to look for his big tight ends over the middle more. Today he threw it outside more. Finding Waddle and Parker for deep chunk plays that setup scoring opportunities and those points ended up being the difference in the game. Myles Gaskin once again did his thing catching pass after pass out of the backfield. Tua made an inadvisable pass that ended up being intercepted but upon further review, it may not have been as bad as it looked like during the game. To be clear, he shouldn’t have put the ball in harm’s way, but in his defense he was hit while throwing it and it did hit Gesicki and Wilson in their hands before it unfortunately bounced into the arms of the defender. It could have been one of those oh no…oh yes…spectacular plays that shouldn’t have happened but did. Tua will learn from that. Live to play another down my boy.
The defense played bend don’t break and in the end, Xavien Howard came up with the game saving turnover, but it got scary there for a minute. This defense was number one in the league last year on 3rd downs and today they simply could not get off the field. Third and shorts, third and mediums, third and longs- it didn’t matter; the Pats converted a bunch of them. Thankfully the defense still had enough gas in the tank to play well during 4th quarter winning time even though they had to endure way too many long grueling drives. We will probably not see another team with such a great offensive line and receiving talent over the middle but it was concerning seeing us give up all of those passing yards underneath. We missed Kyle Van Noy for sure today. Our linebackers and safeties have to do better in coverage because it gets no easier with Buffalo next week (thanks a lot NFL schedule people). Oh and by the way, Mac Jones is going to be a problem.
Today was a tough and gritty win for the Fins, but I damn sure will take it! That is all.
