Never in the last twenty years did I think that we would actually see a time where the Dolphins would be routinely beating Bill Belichick’s Patriots, but in Tua’s world we are definitely living that reality. Tua has yet to lose to the Patriots and is asserting the kind of inter-divisional dominance that Tom Brady once lorded over us when the Pats reigned supreme. That may even be an understatement because Hard Rock stadium notoriously became a Kryptonite of sorts for Brady and the Pats. Tua on the other hand has yet to lose at Gillette Stadium. A stadium that has the reputation of being a boogie man for the visiting side. For Tua? No problem. Home and away, he gets the win. People can criticize Tua and these Dolphins for not beating good teams and there is some validity to that argument, but one thing Tua has been exceptional at is beating the teams that he is supposed to beat and not succumbing to the trap game or “Any Given Sunday” letdown. That in itself is an achievement in a league with so much parity. In a league where we have only seen one team go undefeated for an entire campaign. In a league where the winless worst team in the league can jump out to a big lead on the best team and win.
The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Denver Broncos and only scored 9 points in 60 minutes against them on Sunday. They were trolled and serenaded by an epic move as the stadium announcer at Mile High played the full album version of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” while the players walked off the field. Well played Mr. Public Announcer Guy. Well played. The Dolphins dropped 70 on the Denver same team and let off the gas pedal for the entirety of the 4th quarter when we played them. The fact that the Dolphins are beating the teams they are supposed to beat by the decisive margins that they are supposed to win by is notable. It is not something that should be taken for granted or dismissed.
The next step for this Dolphins team and young coach is starting to beat the better teams with winning records that they may see in the playoffs. They will make that step. But in the meantime, I would say that the Dolphins played the 49ers to the last possession last season and they played Buffalo three times last season and all 3 games came down to the last possession as well. I would also say that this Dolphins team is better than the Dolphins team from last season offensively and that 49ers team was the best in football last season. This season, they have had a dropoff. We met them on the road at the peak of their powers with Tua having an off day accuracy wise and still almost won. When the Dolphins ran into the Bills and Eagles this season their offensive line was supremely banged up. I don’t believe the final scoreline in both games was an accurate reflection of the respective talent and skill levels in those matchups. Not to mention the amount of help the Eagles received from the officials in that Sunday Night game.
The Patriots beat the Bills last week and lost by two touchdowns to the Dolphins on Sunday. The Dolphins only had one starter on their offensive line for most of that game. The Dolphins could not run the ball well, threw it 45 times, and still put up 31 points on an otherwise pretty stingy Patriots defense. It would be a mistake to believe that these teams would be able to shut down this historic Dolphins offense in the same way if they had their full offensive line and Achane. Having Jalen Ramsey back and Waddle starting to hit his stride (minus the drops) could be pivotal for this team as well. The Dolphins defense is slowly but surely starting to kick on as well. If the Dolphins get home field advantage and full health in the playoffs lookout! They could certainly make a run to the big game in Las Vegas in February. For now being 6-2, leading the AFC East by a game, and tied for first place in the AFC is a great place to be for us Dolfans who have been through a lot of losing. We will certainly take these wins. Next up, the Kansas City Chiefs in Munich, Germany. Get your rest Saturday night because it’s going to be an early one on Sunday morning. However, we will all be getting an extra hour of sleep since time will fall back to standard time the night before as well. Fins up!
