After winning three straight games and four out of their last five, the Miami Dolphins find themselves at 6-7. They’re currently on the outside of the playoff picture and barely “in the hunt.” And yet, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said the Dolphins are “dangerous.”
He began his segment on First Take by saying “Stop sleeping on the Miami Dolphins. The Miami Dolphins are gonna get to 8-7”. He then addressed the Dolphins’ previous issues in December and cold weather, but said that this iteration of the Dolphins is different, due to De’Von Achane and their explosive run game.
The Miami Dolphins Are Different
GettyTua Tagovailoa & De’Von Achane
In theory, you could argue that this version of the Dolphins is different. They’ve become a physical team running the ball lately. Achane has gone over 100 yards in each of his last three games. They’ve added a six-man offensive line package that has improved their rushing offense significantly. However, they’ve yet to prove it when it counts. In 2023, at certain points in the season they were the NFL’s best rushing offense; however, that failed to show up in December as the team floundered in cold weather.
While you could make the argument that injuries to key offensive linemen were the reason that the 2023 rushing offense disappeared, they simply haven’t shown it under Mike McDaniel in December at any other point of his tenure.
The other issue in the cold weather has been the play of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Speaking with the media, the quarterback addressed his issue and said “You kind of have that on the top of your mind. Outside of that, it’s a mentality, it’s a mindset. This is what we get paid to do — to play football, regardless of if it’s raining, it’s snowing, it’s sleeting, it’s hot, it’s cold. Regardless, we’ve got to go out there and play and do our jobs.”
Regarding Tagovailoa, Dan Orlovsky said, “The quarterback play has to be better.” That was evident after a lackluster performance by Miami’s quarterback nearly cost the Dolphins the game, despite their potent rushing attack.
The Miami Dolphins in December
GettyTua Tagovailoa
December football has not been kind to the Dolphins under Mike McDaniel. In McDaniel’s first year in Miami, he went 0-4 as the Dolphins went from 8-3 to 8-7. The following season was a mild improvement as they went 2-2; however, one of those two losses was a Monday Night Football collapse against the Titans, which proved costly in Miami’s hopes of winning their division.
Last year was different for Miami. Unlike 2022 and 2023, they arrived at December football on the outside looking in. At 5-7, the Dolphins had no room for error if they wanted to make a postseason push. They went 3-1, but that loss against the Texans ended up putting them in a hole they failed to climb out of. This year seems to look similar to 2024. They need to win out in order to give themselves an outside shot at the postseason. In order to do that, they will have to overcome their cold weather woes and finish their season sweep of the New York Jets.
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