6 keys of the game for the Dolphins to beat the Saints

Not sure about you, but I cannot wait until Monday night. I’m over the Dolphin’s victory over the Jets and I’m on to New Orleans Saints. I know the holiday isn’t here yet, and that will be a good amount of fun. But I’d be lying if I said that the majority of my thoughts aren’t focused on the Dolphins traveling to New Orleans, putting one on the Saints, extending their win streak, and making their once thought of ridiculous playoff chances more of a reality. Say what you want about my mental priorities, but I always want to keep it 100 with the faithful readers.

A lot has been said about the opponents the Dolphins have defeated during their six-game win streak. Much of that is sort of accurate though the Dolphins can’t help who they play. They’ve beaten who they’re supposed to beat. That’s big for a team that usually drops a game or two to teams they should beat. Monday night’s contest against the New Orleans Saints will actually be the toughest game of the season. Yes, I’m aware they beat the Ravens. In my opinion, the Dolphins were playing with house money and there weren’t any real expectations. Now, the season is truly on the line. Lose, and there really isn’t a viable way, at the moment, where the Dolphins can make the postseason.

The Saints have the same record but we’re creatures that love to live in the moment and at this precise moment, the Saints beat the life out of the defending Super Bowl champs on Sunday night football. Their offense was horrid, but their defense made Tom Brady look like Ryan Mallet. That defense bullied the Bucs all game and abused their very talented offensive line. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that if the Saints can do that on the road against Tampa Bay, just what brand of mayhem are they going to bring to the Dolphin’s offensive line at home? A brand that I very much don’t want to witness is what it is.

But let’s not defeat ourselves before the game starts. There’s a reason the Saints have the same 7-7 record as the Dolphins. It’s because they know how to lose games as well. This Saints team has losses to the Giants, Panthers, and Falcons. They’re playing well at the moment, but no team has been playing like the Dolphins have over the last six weeks. The Dolphins are very capable of going into that dome and getting a victory.

There are countless ways that the Dolphins can improve to 8-7 and have an invitation to the playoffs laid at their feet. I’m laying out 6 keys to the game for the Dolphins to do just that. I realize there are more, one of them is to score more points. That one I’m sure of. But if the Dolphins accomplish 3-4 of these keys, they will have a great chance to knock off a very tough opponent.