Miami Dolphins second win puts big dent in “tanking” plans
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins won for the second time in two weeks and in doing so put a big dent in the plans to tank for a 2020 quarterback.
When the Miami Dolphins finished their Sunday they had their second win of the season much to the chagrin of the Dolphins faithful who were hoping that another loss would put them closer to Tua Tagovailoa.
To be clear, the Dolphins have never said they were tanking. In fact, Brian Flores spoke early on about the word and said he hated the idea, the concept, and the word itself. It went against everything they were trying to do in Miami. Despite the gutting of the roster, the team still showed up to play despite continued losing.
Now the Dolphins are 2-7 and two games behind the Bengals for the first pick in next April’s draft but did they ever really have a legit shot at being that bad? Maybe if they simply didn’t try. While there were those begging for an NFL investigation, the Dolphins simply went about their business and worked to get better each week.
Miami wasn’t supposed to win today but at halftime, the Dolphins were up by 10 and despite losing the lead in the 4th quarter, they didn’t waver. Ryan Fitzpatrick led the team on another scoring drive and when it came down to crunch time with the ball inside the Dolphins ten-yard line, the defense kept the Colts out of the endzone and won the game.
Miami’s defense forced three turnovers from Brian Hoyer and the Dolphins offensive line kept Fitzpatrick upright most of the game. Flores was excited on the sidelines and the team made a big statement. It was Flores’ first win on the road as a head coach.
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The Dolphins now join several other teams with two wins. The Jets won again today as did the Falcons. The New York Giants lost and remain at the bottom with two wins, completing the four-team tie for second to last.
If the Bengals want Tua Tagovailoa in the draft, the road has been paved for them. Two games separate the Bengals from the rest of the two-win teams but this is not going to be the last we see of Miami winning football games.
The Dolphins are getting better on defense and the offense is starting to find some rhythm as well. This despite injuries and suspensions, a first-year head coach, a new system and staff, and a bunch of players that may not even be good enough to be on another team’s practice squad.
There is a long season ahead still with seven games remaining in the season but it appears that any chance Miami may have had for Tagovailoa outright may now require some wheeling and dealing to get there. That will be expensive.