Miami Dolphins didn’t make playoffs for more reasons than Titans loss

Say what you want but the Miami Dolphins flirting with Deshaun Watson had an impact on the team, on the field and probably off the field.

Miami’s disastrous courting of a trade for Watson didn’t last just a week or two, it lasted months. It started to swirl before the draft and then resurfaced again before the season started. The slow start only made the trade talk burn brighter.

Miami lost seven games in a row and that only added fuel to the Watson fire. It didn’t help to see Tua miss three games with broken ribs and more due to a broken finger. Those seven games were hard to overcome but the Dolphins managed to dig out of that hole.

Why? We can’t put a single finger on it but if we were to start, we could put on the NFL trade deadline. Miami was rumored to have a deal in place for a trade but at the last minute, that deal fell through. How close was that deal to taking place? We won’t ever really know but we can say that once that all was put to rest, the next seven games were all wins.

Is that a coincidence? Maybe, maybe not but one thing is certain, the Dolphins didn’t need that horrible distraction.