Despite woes, Miami Dolphins still in hunt for post-season

The Miami Dolphins have looked awful this year and if there is one thing fans can count on is that this team doesn’t give up. Now they have to fight harder.

There is no question the Dolphins let some games get away from them. The Jet in New York for example. But the Jets are playing a lot better than anyone thought they would. New Orleans in London for example but the Saints are on a tear and leading their division. The Ravens? No excuse for that one.

With all the trouble the season has cost this team from losing their home opener to Hurricane Irma to opening the season with three road games (London included) the Dolphins have been up but mostly down. Add to that the plethora of injuries through camp and 4-4 feels like a gift from the football gods.

Many fans are calling the season over. Others are hoping for 8-8. The toughest part of the schedule lies directly ahead. Another primetime game next Monday against the Panthers. The make-up game with the Buccaneers and then two games in three weeks against the Patriots followed by two games in three weeks against the Bills. Pepper in the Chiefs and Broncos and the Dolphins schedule looks ominous.

There is hope. As little as it may be it is still hope. The Dolphins offense on Sunday night looked a little better. Not much but better. The offensive line play was better. Not much but better. Julius Thomas was better and the receiver were not dropping passes. Penalties are killing this team.

If the Dolphins can clean up the penalties and the offense can progress there is a chance. The Patriots are not infallible. Nor are the Broncos, Bills, Panthers, and Buccaneers. In fact all of the remaining teams are beatable. It won’t be easy but it’s possible.

Miami is 4-4 and the 6th seed in the playoff picture is 5-3. Miami is one game back. The other four win teams all have five losses so the Dolphins have the rest of the season in their own hands. With the way the Dolphins have been playing it is surprising that they are not already out of it. Hope perhaps but don’t tell the team that.

Last nights loss was a loss but the Dolphins played well enough to win. An ill-timed turnover that swung the game in favor of the Raiders. The aforementioned penalties, bad breaks from the refs, missed blocks, so on and so on. Yet this was probably the best the team has played all season.

If the Dolphins can clean up their mistakes and start getting into a rhythm there is a chance. This is not to say the Dolphins will run the table. They can’t, they won’t, they are simply not that good at this point in the season but they could make some noise.

It’s easy to point a finger and say it’s over but if there is one thing we have learned from this team above all else, is they never know when it is over. They fight and now they will have to come out and fight even harder. The Dolphins have been a second half team this year and they are now entering the 2nd half of their season.