Miami Dolphins are the “Great Pretenders” in hunt for a playoff spot
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins are not a very good football team, at least not good enough to be a legit contender for the playoffs. Especially in the minds of ESPN.
Following the Monday night win over the Saints, and the continuation of what has now become a 7 game winning streak, a couple analysts believe that Miami is really just pretending to be a contender.
Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel posted this a short while ago.
So….ESPN’s NFL analysts think the Dolphins are “the great pretenders” and don’t believe they will clinch the playoff spot they presently hold. pic.twitter.com/Pqb2d5cdTQ
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) December 28, 2021
He received a reply from one of the analysts saying that he does believe that. Marcus Spears –
Yep I do think they are pretenders! O absolutely do https://t.co/BIDOEF55KX
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) December 28, 2021
The Dolphins have beaten the Ravens and last night the depleted Saints roster and a rookie quarterback. They also beat the Jets twice, the Texans, the Panthers, and Giants. Hardly a Rogues Gallery of top NFL teams.
Still, the Dolphins have done this with their own share of injuries and COVID related illnesses. They have done so with their backs completely up against a wall with no room for a loss. They also have two tough games in the next two weeks. Will they beat both the Titans and Patriots and in doing so silence their critics?
Last week the Saints were going to be the “big test” for Miami but now COVID has become the excuse. Next week, should the Dolphins win a game they will not be favored in, what will that excuse be? What will the excuse be a week later?
Dolphins fans are not expecting a run of the final two games. We know they are tough. We also didn’t expect a run of 7 games or losses to the Falcons and Jaguars. Dolphins fans don’t really care what the media say because we have listened to the negative press over Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the team almost weekly.
The Miami Dolphins players however, don’t listen to what the media say about them. They don’t care if the Titans are favored to win and they didn’t care last night that the Saints were missing half their team. They still have to execute, prepare, and play the game. They did last night, and they will next week and the week after that no matter what the playoffs look like. Are they pretending? No, they are playing football and winning.