Miami Dolphins: 10 observations from Week 9 win over Bears

The Miami Dolphins improved their record to 6-3 on Sunday. Here are ten observations from their big victory over the Chicago Bears.

It happened in the most frustrating of fashions, but the Miami Dolphins traveled to Chicago and beat the Bears on Sunday, improving their overall record to 6-3.

The offense was clicking as it has been all season under Tua Tagovailoa, but there are extensive issues on the other side of the ball that could handicap Miami’s chances of competing this season. The defense gave up a historic rushing day to Chicago quarterback Justin Fields, and there were again no forced turnovers and very few sacks.

But a win is a win, and the Dolphins are in the thick of the AFC playoff race with a couple of winnable games looming on the schedule as well as a much-needed bye week. The win over the Bears was almost essential, and Miami escaped as the victors.

Here are ten observations from the Miami Dolphins Week 9 win over the Chicago Bears:

1. Tua is deadly on third down

Tua Tagovailoa came in to Sunday’s game as the highest-rated third down passer in the league, and it is likely that he’ll be atop those standings for at least another week.

There were some mistakes on 3rd and 4th down late in the game by Tagovailoa, which were noticeably his worst throws of the day. But he was excellent on third down in the first three quarters, as Miami went 5 for 6 until they turned the ball over on downs late in the 3rd.
But being able to convert on the most important down in football is a plus for any offense, and the Dolphins are one of the best, thanks in large part to Tagovailoa.