With their 34-19 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11, the Miami Dolphins have won two in a row for the first time this season. That will cause some to celebrate, as the Dolphins appeared headed back in the right direction.
Veteran defensive tackle Calais Campbell has no problem with celebrating a win — at least for a moment. But Campbell offered a cautionary tale to his teammates after the November 17 victory that the Dolphins still have a long way to go.
“It feels good. But like I told the guys in the locker room after the game, we’ve still got a big hole to climb out of,” Campbell told reporters. “We get to celebrate for 24 hours. But then we’re right back to work.”
The Dolphins took a 7-0 lead over the Raiders a little more than halfway through the first quarter. They never trailed throughout the contest.
Then in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins pulled away, scoring 17 of the game’s final 24 points.
Campbell led the way for the Miami defense. Although he only had 2 combined tackles, 1 of them was for a loss. Campbell also recorded a sack and quarterback hit.
Calais Campbell Aiming to Inspire Teammates
It’s hard to find players in the league who have more experience than Campbell. He’s played in 253 regular season games and in a Super Bowl. Incredibly, that Super Bowl appearance came almost 16 years ago during his 2008 rookie season.
Campbell can still provide big sacks and tackles for loss when needed. But as a 38-year-old veteran, he explained to reporters after Week 11 that his job is to also make his teammates better.
“The best feeling in the world is when the guys look to you. They say, ‘Talk to me.’ They want to be inspired,” Campbell said. “So I always try to think of something good. But for the most part, it’s just bringing good energy. Bringing good energy. Look them in the eyes and let them know, ‘I’m going to bring everything I got, and if we play together, we can beat anybody.’”
Campbell appears to be using his platform in the Miami organization to ensure his teammates don’t grow complacent after their first 2024 winning streak.
By beating the Raiders, the Dolphins improved to 4-6. While that’s not a stellar record, the Dolphins are hardly out of the playoff race with seven more weeks of football to go.
Things can shift quickly in the league. No one knows that better than a 17-year veteran.
But things will only continue moving in Miami’s favor if the team keeps working to improve.
The Dolphins will host the New England Patriots on November 24. While that’s a winnable game, it’s a rivalry matchup. Then, the Dolphins will face the Green Bay Packers on the road after Thanksgiving.
Calais Campbell Just Missed Blocked Punt vs. Raiders
Campbell made some impactful plays on defense versus the Raiders. He nearly had a game-changing play on special teams too.
The 38-year-old was closing in on Raiders punter AJ Cole on fourth down after the Dolphins forced a 3-and-out on their first defensive possession. But Campbell failed to secure the block.
“I don’t know how I didn’t block that,” Campbell told the media. “It had to go through my hands.”
Instead of recording the block, Campbell ran into Cole and committed a penalty, which resulted in a Raiders first down.
Las Vegas took advantage of the second chance, but the Dolphins defense didn’t allow the Raiders to tie the game. Las Vegas settled for a field goal, which Miami matched on its next possession.
“I’m glad my guys had my back and held them it 3,” said Campbell.
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