Despite Miami Dolphins loss there is reason for optimism

The Miami Dolphins lost today and while on paper it was a blow out the reality of this game was far different from what we saw on the field.

For the better part of three quarters the Miami Dolphins kept the best team in football held in check. With only 13 points for the Patriots, the Dolphins showed that their defense is going to be a lot better than what we saw last week.

43 points were scored by the Patriots but if we look at those 43 points we can send two of those touchdowns to the offensive side after two pick-six interceptions. Now the score is only 30 to nothing. O.k. I get it, 30 is still a lot but I’m not done yet.

Stay with me.

In the 2nd quarter the Patriots took a 13-0 lead on the Dolphins. Replay clearly showed Antonio Brown pushing Jomal Wiltz out of the way but the refs decided that during replay, it did not impede the play, which it did, clearly. Regardless we don’t know if the Patriots would have scored another TD if that had been reversed or settled for a field goal but it was clearly a touchdown that should not have stood and Wiltz had very good coverage until he was shoved.

Later in the third quarter the Patriots intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick on the Dolphins 36 yard line but Miami held them to a field goal with the short field. That is a win for the defense. It shows that Miami was playing good football. At this point in the game New England was winning 16-0.

still in the third quarter the Patriots finally drove the field and opened the game up scoring another touchdown on a Tom Brady sneak. It put the Patriots up 23-0 as the game entered the 4th quarter. That is important because the Dolphins defense had played a very good game up until this point an if the Dolphins had any resemblance of an offense, that deficit would have been less.

To start the 4th quarter the Dolphins had two interceptions with both going for Patriot touchdowns. Those two pick-six interceptions changed the flow of the game and took the score from a respectable 23 point deficit to a 37-0 deficit.

Later in the 4th quarter the Patriots added another touchdown but by then the Dolphins defense was worn out and spent. The offense did nothing to help the defense but to say this 43 to zero blowout is an embarrassment is really a joke.

Miami’s defense played well enough to win the game. Pressure on Tom Brady was relatively consistent and the defensive line held the Patriots running game in check for three quarters. It was a huge improvement over last week where the route started in quarter one and didn’t stop until the game ended.

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Jerome Baker played very well as did rookie Christian Wilkins and Tank Carradine. While Eric Rowe was horrible, it is safe to say that Rowe is a fill in piece to the defense and not an anchor for the future. Xavien Howard was impressive against some of the best receivers in the league. Minkah Fitzpatrick didn’t really highlight his ability and missed an easy tackle trying to shoulder the guy instead of wrapping him up.

For the first time since Brian Flores became the head coach, we got to see what this defense could develop into. We saw a defensive unit that played fast and physical. It was a huge turnaround from last weekend. Now Flores needs to continue to build on this. It may not have been a full success but it shows a good amount of growth from a week ago. It is a reason to be optimistic.