Dolphins Miss An Opportunity

The Dolphins missed an opportunity today to move in sole possession of second place in their division. They would have been one game behind the Jets in the AFC East. Instead, they are in third place and probably further behind in the wildcard chase.

I was disappointed with the 48-28 loss. They team did not look like they were ready play. They did not handle the pressure of the big game very well.

Surprisingly it was not the problems that we saw in recent games.

• They were unable to get consistent pressure on NE QB Cassel. He wound up passing for 415 yards. With the time he had, he was able to wait for his receivers to get open.
• MIA QB Pennington was not as sharp as we have seen. He had some bad throws and a bad pick.
• The Dolphins kick returners did not help very much in field position. Fortunately the kick coverage did a better job.
• The running game (and the wildcat formation) was ineffective.

The Dolphins have a favorable schedule with games against St. Louis, Buffalo, San Francisco, Kansas City, and the New York Jets. We should win three of the five games but that probably will not be good enough to make the playoffs.

On the positive side, you have to like the direction the team has taken this season. We already have more wins and the foundation for a solid team in the future.