AFC Divisional game a not so gentle reminder: Miami Dolphins are way off

The Miami Dolphins won 10 games two last year and should have won 10 this year but last night we were reminded just how far away they are.

You would think that a 10 win season would make you feel as though you are competitive and ready to challenge in the AFC. Maybe even go deep in the playoffs. Beating the Patriots twice in a season also might make you think you are close. On Sunday night, fans were reminded just how far away the Dolphins are from being an elite football team.

The Buffalo Bills are eliminated and Dolphins fans can smile that their division rival will watch Championship weekend at home. Last nights game against the Chiefs was epic. A back and forth battle the culminated in 25 points being scored in the final two minutes of the game, a game that went to overtime.

The Bills had the number one defense and the Chiefs have one of the top offenses. The Dolphins have a pretty decent defense and an offense that absolutely sucks. Miami isn’t ready to play with the big boys and they are not close either.

Miami would not have been able to do what Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes did offensively last night. Tua Tagovailoa may be the future or he may not be. That is on him now. He has a long way to go. He will need a lot of support. What he isn’t, is a quarterback who can take the game on his shoulders and lead his team to a game tying field goal with 13 seconds left. If he is, he hasn’t shown it consistently.

While the Chiefs and Bills will continue to build their franchises and likely go into cap hell doing it, the Dolphins will try, once again, to find a head coach that can turn around a franchise that has been lifeless for 20 years.

Miami is a finesse football team. Last night, the Chiefs and Bills showed why in this age of football,  having an aggressive playbook and an aggressive physical attitude, will win football games.

A lot needs to change over the next year or two because the Dolphins are not cutting it. Brian Flores built a good physical defense but his lack of attention to the offense doomed him. His ego doomed him.

The Dolphins almost made the playoffs this year but they are not close to being a team that is going to compete for a Super Bowl.